Multi-scale Adaptations to Climate Change in Coastal ...

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University, University of Exeter and three French research institutions: CIRAD, IRSTEA and CEFE. The project is funded by the Belmont Forum. BACKGROUND.
Multi-scale Adaptations to Climate Change in Coastal Areas Christo Fabricius, Marty Anderies, Olivier Barreteau, Kate Brown, Francois Bousquet, Raphael Mathevet

BACKGROUND This project addresses a classical wicked problem: how to develop appropriate responses to risk and vulnerability in coastal zones. Conventional blueprint planning is insufficient to bring about transitions to sustainability in coastal areas.

METHODS We use a robustness-vulnerability framework to assess the interactions between - Resource users - Resources (ecosystems and ecosystem services) - Public infrastructure and - Public infrastructure providers (i.e. officials, regulating authorities, mandated organizations) (Anderies et al. 2004)

And yet coastal adaptation plans are becoming increasingly popular. Many such plans are however developed without adopting a systems perspective. This often increases rather than reduces vulnerability at a larger scale. Efficiency and snowball effects of adaptation processes are poorly understood To prevent unintended or unforeseen consequences of blinkered adaptations, it is necessary to work with multiple stakeholders at several levels, and adopt a social learning approach The project is a collaboration between the Sustainability Research Unit, Arizona State University, University of Exeter and three French research institutions: CIRAD, IRSTEA and CEFE. The project is funded by the Belmont Forum.

We also use a framework of individual cognitive perceptions of risk and vulnerability, to assess the links between perceived risk, actual risk, vulnerability, and the actions of decision makers (Grothmann & Patt 2005). This framework is used to assess perceptions of risk, vulnerability and adaptive capacity amongst stakeholders. The methods involve stakeholder workshops, citizen’s science, participatory modelling, exploratory simulation, sensitivity analysis and scenario development. We are interested in the changes, or transitions, that occur when stakeholders are involved in dialogue, critical thinking and reflection through social learning.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS • How do • • •

risks due to climate change human perceptions of risk and adaptability, and capacity to adapt

influence the adaptive actions and strategies of decision makers?

• How do such adaptations affect the vulnerability of external groups, places or ecosystem services? • Which feedbacks occur when people engage in dialogue, social learning and critical inquiry? • How do perceptions change when decision makers are actively involved in, learn and reflect, in a process of situated social learning?

REFERENCES Adger, W. N., K. Brown, D. R. Nelson, F. Berkes, H. Eakin, C. Folke, K. Galvin, L. Gunderson, M. Goulden, K. O'Brien, J. Ruitenbeek, and E. L. Tompkins. 2011. Resilience implications of policy responses to climate change. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews-Climate Change 2:757-766. Anderies, J. M., M. A. Jansson, and E. Ostrom. 2004. A framework to Analyse the Robustness of Social-ecological Systems from an Institutional Perspective. Ecology and Society 9:18. Grothmann, T. and A. Patt. 2005. Adaptive capacity and human cognition: The process of individual adaptation to climate change. Global Environmental Change-Human and Policy Dimensions 15:199-213.

CONTACT Professor Christo Fabricius Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University George, South Africa [email protected]

Acknowledgements: Belmont Forum; National Research Foundation; Resilience Alliance

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