The Communication Initiative
Development action with informed and engaged societies
The Communication Initiative

After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. 

Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future. 

On the transfer, co-founder Victoria Martin expressed her pleasure to see this work continue under Wits' leadership, knowing that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction. 

As Wits, we honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades and look forward building from that strong base. This includes co-founders Warren Feek (1953-2024) and Victoria Martin as well as La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA), which continues independently at lainiciativadecomunicacion.com with links to The CI Global site. We are also eager to forge new partnerships and entertain new ideas as we consider how best to contribute to social and behaviour change in our rapidly evolving environment.

If you are joining the International Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) Summit in Panama, please join Wits and CILA on Monday, 22 June, to share your thoughts and suggestion for the relaunch of the Communication Initiative. We will be in Pacifica 5 from 12-1:25 for the Refuel, Reflect, and Renew Lunch Series: The Communication Initiative: celebrating a driving force for Communication for Social Change and the way forward. We will reflect on the legacy of Warren Feek and family in creating the Communication Initiative, consider the contributions of CI over the years and then turn our attention towards the future in this dynamic session. 

If you are unable to join us in Panama, we still want to hear from you. Please contribute your thoughts by following this link: https://redcap.link/CommunicationInitiative2026 or reaching out to ci_surveys@commint.com. 

You can also follow the QR Code:

 https://redcap.link/CommunicationInitiative2026

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Chilika Lagoon

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"The ecosystem based management demonstrates how restoration of Chilika with active community participation not only has positive impact on the biodiversity but can significantly improve the livelihood of the local communities." - Raj Kumar Sharma, Principal Secretary to Government Forest & Environment Department

Since 2011, Wetlands International South Asia and the Chilika Development Authority (CDA) have been working with local stakeholders to assess biophysical and social vulnerabilities to climate change in the area. An early warning system developed under this project was in place when Cyclone Phailin hit India in 2013 and, according to organisers, helped save lives. "Some of the project's disaster-response measures were dramatically tested when Phailin struck. Disaster resilience committees in 11 coastal villages around Chilika that had formed under the project joined the effort to ensure early evacuation of villagers. Mock drills had been rehearsed, cyclone shelters had been stocked with food and medicine, and family survival kits helped stranded community members survive for the three days during which no outside relief could reach them. In the heavy rains that followed, committee members were able to help other flood-affected villages." The project aims to produce a solid body of evidence to guide both livelihood supports and wetland management plans.

Communication Strategies

The effort to address climate change and environmental impacts that are affecting the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people who rely on wetland services provided by Chilika Lagoon involves work on the part of the project team to collaborate with local government authorities to identify strategies for improving community resilience to such changes.

 

Produced jointly by the research team, one output from this project is an October 2012 report called "Chilika: An Integrated Management Planning Framework for Conservation and Wise Use" [PDF]. With regard to communication strategies, the management plan outlines communication, education, and public awareness as key components. This involves a convergence of ecotourism and communication, education, participation, and awareness (CEPA) in the form of: a communication kit on management planning that summarises the assessments, intervention rationale, and action programmes, as well as publication of newsletters and brochures. Also involved is celebration of important environment-related events, such as World Wetland Day and Environment Day. There is introduction dissemination on Chilika's environment into the school curriculum in villages in and around Chilika.

 

Capacity building is another community-based approach. There are efforts to create additional expertise on wetland hydrology and socioeconomics within CDA to augment existing capacities on ecology, watershed management, and geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing. Furthermore, there is development and implementation of a regional wetland manager's training programme to be implemented through the Wetland Research and Training Center, Chandraput. Finally, there is professional training in integrated lake management, water management, and community-based natural resource management to officials and community groups involved in management plan implementation.

 

A number of large wetland areas in India have since requested assistance from both institutions to produce similar frameworks for their own sites/areas. In December 2013, they organised a meeting of State Ministers on wetland management and climate change at the request of the Ministry of Environment. The research team is pilot-testing various adaptation strategies in local villages. It is also developing training modules on climate change adaptation for wetland managers, as well as resources for decision-makers.

Development Issues

Climate Change, Environment, Natural Resource Management, Risk Management

Key Points

In just two days, 12 million people in India's coastal states of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh suffered massive losses of their homes and livelihoods when Cyclone Phailin hit in 2013. Among the most sensitive areas to feel the brunt of the storm was the Chilika Lagoon. Situated on India's east coast, it is a biodiversity hotspot and an important buffer zone between freshwater and seawater ecosystems. Some 200,000 fishers and 400,000 farmers make their living in and around the lagoon and its delta. Cyclones are common along India's southern coastline, but there are fears they may grow more destructive as climate change warms the atmosphere and raises ocean levels.

Partners

Wetlands International-South Asia and Chilika Development Authority. Funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

Sources

Email from Kelly Haggart to The Communication Initiative on November 2 2015; "Protecting Lives and Livelihoods in India's Chilika Lagoon", Asia Research News 2014, accessed on the IDRC website on November 3 2015; and An Integrated Management Planning Framework for Conservation and Wise Use" [PDF], by Dr. Ritesh Kumar, WISA, and Dr. Ajit K. Pattnaik, CDA