Fugro lands climate resilience mapping contract in Pacific

Dutch surveyor Fugro has secured a contract from The Pacific Community (SPC) to acquire and process high-resolution coastal data across exposed outer islands in Tonga and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

The project receives funding from the Green Climate Fund, plus support from the governments of Australia and New Zealand. Fugro will use its RAMMS airborne LiDAR and imaging system to deliver baseline data on coastal exposure, inundation pathways and future hazard scenarios.

The work supports national decision-making for early warning systems, adaptation planning and resilient community development amid climate-driven coastal changes. Fugro will provide authoritative intelligence to governments and regional agencies.

Alongside data delivery, Fugro and SPC will run a capacity-building programme. It equips local technical teams to interpret, maintain, and apply datasets in national planning systems, ensuring long-term regional capability.

“This investment blends multiple national and regional priorities. It delivers the critical coastal baseline data needed to enhance early warning systems and to enable risk-informed, resilient planning in both countries,” said Hervé Damlamian, team leader for Oceanography at SPC.

“By deploying RAMMS, we can map hazardous shorelines quickly and with the precision planning authorities require. Our goal is to provide Pacific communities with the data and skills needed to strengthen resilience and support safer long-term development,” added Paul Seaton, Fugro director for climate and nature for APAC.