The proposed project will reduce the vulnerability of Satoalepai village, neighbouring villages and the surrounding ecosystems from the impacts of climate change.

Satoalepai village is highly vulnerable to climate change risks such as intensive cyclones, rising seas, and flooding due to its location of having the seas in front and the Satoalepai wetlands behind it. Cyclones and high surging waves affect the front of the village where in the 1990?s around 30m of the coastline washed away along with homes that were once located on it. Behind the village is the Satoalepai wetlands where the intensive rainfall they now experience is causing major problems of flooding spreading into family homes and the church.

The increased flooding in the wetlands and the irregular flow of water between the sea and the wetlands is affecting the use of the wetlands as a nursery ground, increasing siltation in the wetlands, and ponding thus destroying the wetland ecosystem.

In efforts by the village and government to reduce vulnerabilities, a seawall was built along the village coastal area, and a village road across the wetland so people could access the inland area. Unfortunately, the access road has limited the flow of water between the two sides of the wetland and contributed to increasing flooding on one side of the village.

To reduce the vulnerability of Satoalepai village to cyclones and flooding, the project is proposing to put in a box culverts along the road to allow for the free flow of the water in the wetlands. It is also proposing to initiate a mangrove and wetland replanting to rehabilitate the wetland.