Research

Human Dimensions: Current Research

Successful Adaptation: Identifying Effective Process and Outcome Characteristics and Practice-Relevant Metrics

Project Team

• Susanne C. Moser, Stanford University and Susanne Moser Research & Consulting
• Amy Snover, UW CIG
• Adina Abeles, Stanford University
• Lara Whitely Binder, UW CIG
• Stacy Vynne, The Resource Innovation Group
• Hannah Gosnell, Oregon State University
• Steve Adams, Institute for Sustainable Communities
• Pamela Matson, Stanford University

Summary

While adaptation is increasingly recognized as an important climate risk management strategy, and on-the-ground adaptation planning activity is beginning to emerge everywhere, resource managers and planners have no clear guidance as to what success would look like. Success raises vexing management challenges and complex scientific questions about how to identify desirable outcomes and mechanisms across spatial/temporal scales, ecological systems, and social strata.

This project will address these questions for coastal adaptation planning by engaging scientists and coastal practitioners in an iterative and collaborative exploration of adaptation outcomes, processes and mechanisms, and the metrics with which to measure success in coastal communities in California, Oregon and Washington. Specific results of the proposed work include:

• a clear categorization of “desirable” and undesirable” outcomes of coastal climate adaptation actions;
• a sophisticated articulation of what types of outcomes and process characteristics would be desirable (generically, or for particular stakeholders), and why, to justify the label “success”;
• a set of guiding principles on how to assess adaptation options as to their traits, desirability, and potential trade-offs;
• a set of practical success metrics (some of which might be existing performance measures in different management regimes, others are not but could be established to encourage successful adaptation).

Work on this project is underway and is expected to be completed in early 2014.

Primary Funding

NOAA Sea Grant

Related CIG Research Area(s)

Coastal Ecosystems

Related Publications

For publications on the societal dimensions of climate impacts and adaptation in the PNW, please see CIG Publications.