Unmet Need Report 2023
The Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Branch of Tribal Climate Resilience (TCR) received a Congressional mandate to provide “information on the unmet need of coastal Tribes in the lower 48 states that are facing relocation due to climate impacts.” TCR is working with the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) based out of Northern Arizona University and others to produce a report with this information. The report is due December 2023.
For the report we are considering both the need to protect and/or move (relocate) infrastructure and/or cultural resources due to climate impacts such as erosion, sea level rise, increased flooding, wildfire, and more. We would also like to understand the broad range of needs that Tribes may have related to relocation and protecting-in-place (RP) including legal, infrastructural, and policy needs, information for decision-making, social, health, and cultural considerations, and more.
This report builds on a 2020 document, Informational Report: Unmet Infrastructure Needs of Tribal Communities and Alaska Native Villages in Process of Relocating to Higher Ground as a Result of Climate Change.
Report Outcomes
Outcomes of the Unmet Need Report include:
Estimates of current and potential future relocation and protect-in-place infrastructure and, if possible, land acquisition costs
Climate analyses including potential future inundation due to sea level rise and potential number of high-tide flooding days. We are also looking into whether adequate erosion projections exist.
Discussion of need(s)/challenges and potential solutions associated with:
Environment and land issues, Legal and policy considerations, Information needed for decision-making, Infrastructure and technology considerations, Social, health, and cultural considerations, and Economic considerations (ELIISE).
Definitions
Coastal Tribes:
This report only considers federally-recognized Tribes in the lower 48 states including Tribes in the Great Lakes region.
If your Tribe self-identifies as coastal, your Tribe will be considered coastal.
If your Tribe is located within a coastal watershed, your Tribe is considered coastal.
Protecting-in-place: The use of shoreline protection measures and structure rehabilitation, re-stabilization, or other adaptation measures to prevent or minimize impacts, allowing portions of a community or the entire the community to remain in its current location.
Relocation: Moving select infrastructure/portions of the community (partial relocation) or the entire community (full relocation) to a new location.