Community-Based Vulnerability Assessments (CBVAs) in GIVRAPD and ParCA

Johanna Wandel

Caribsave Research Partners Workshop Courtleigh Hotel and Suites, Kingston, Jamaica

24 July 2014

Vulnerability (and adaptation) Assessments

• Various methods, various strengths: indicator-based, mapping, modelling, contextual/case study

• Quantification appealing from scientific and intervention perspective but challenges with common metric and what is included

• Aim of ParCA and GIVRAPD CBVA case studies: contextual baseline understanding of how climate-related stresses are experienced, managed, emergent challenges in the context of other stresses

• Broader research question: how similar/different are climate-related vulnerabilities for small island states, coastal communities in other parts of the world? Are there transferable strategies for adapting to climate change?

ParCA Research Framework Current

Exposures and Sensitivities

Current Adaptive

Strategies

Future Exposures and

Sensitivities

Future Adaptive Capacity

Expected Changes

in Natural and Social Systems

Governance Assessment

(multi-level networks,

adaptivness, transformations)

Community Adaptation Visioning and Evaluation Against Maladaptation Criteria

Knowledge Mobilization and Regional Scale-Up

Site Desk work

Primary data collection, transcription

Community feedback workshop on draft

Final case study report

Inclusion in broader knowledge products

Tobago In progress Expected

Bluefields/White House

Not planned Expected

Negril-Orange Bay

Expected

St. Lucia Not planned Expected

Mauritius Not planned Expected

Seychelles Not planned Expected

Nova Scotia In progress Expected

PEI ongoing Expected Expected

Scaling Out CBVA: Results so far • Vulnerability “context” has

broader applicability (in sites with similar livelihood descriptions)

• Vulnerability reduction shows promise for some transferable lessons

• Vulnerability and adaptation “assessment” not very comparable – urgent need to identify “good” adaptation (lack of metrics, criteria… – potential for indicators for temporal monitoring but not comparison)