Developing a Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment Framework for Application in Tropical Island Communities

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dc.contributor.advisorSzuster, Brian
dc.contributor.authorMcLeod, Elizabeth
dc.contributor.departmentGeography and Environment
dc.date.accessioned2016-02-19T22:31:44Z
dc.date.available2016-02-19T22:31:44Z
dc.date.issued2012-12
dc.description.abstractClimate change, and particularly sea-level rise, threatens tropical coastal communities and ecosystems. Governments, resource managers, and communities recognize the value of assessing the social and ecological impacts of climate change, but there has been little consensus on assessment frameworks that are capable of supporting vulnerability and adaptation studies. This dissertation presents an assessment framework that addresses the vulnerability and adaptive capacity of coastal communities and environments at the local scale in response to climate change impacts. The final framework includes six components: 1) scoping and project design; 2) assessing current sensitivity and exposure; 3) assessing current adaptive capacity; 4) assessing future vulnerability; 5) identifying adaptation strategies; and 6) developing an implementation plan. The final framework incorporates recommendations from experts in climate vulnerability and adaptation research using the Delphi technique, a group facilitation technique used to achieve convergence of opinion using expert knowledge, and focus groups with a coastal community directly experiencing climate change impacts. The research addresses gaps in previous vulnerability assessment frameworks by explicitly including adaptive capacity and adaptation options that inform policy and conservation management decisions. It also solicits community input into the identification of activities needed to assess adaptive capacity, and comprehensively addresses both social and ecological factors that affect vulnerability to climate change. The framework was developed to assist coastal resource managers proactively plan for climate change impacts, and support the preservation of ecosystem services for coastal communities and critical coastal habitats.
dc.description.degreePh.D.
dc.format.extentviii, 220 pages
dc.identifier.isbn9781303035319
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10125/100849
dc.languageeng
dc.publisherUniversity of Hawaii at Manoa
dc.relationTheses for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (University of Hawaii at Manoa). Geography.
dc.rightsAll UHM dissertations and theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission from the copyright owner.
dc.subjectClimatic changes--Risk assessment
dc.subjectClimatic changes--Risk management
dc.subjectCoastal zone management--Environmental aspects
dc.titleDeveloping a Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment Framework for Application in Tropical Island Communities
dc.typeThesis
dc.type.dcmiText
local.identifier.callnumberIN CATALOGING AC1 .H3 no.xxxx
local.identifier.voyagerid3491496
local.thesis.degreelevelPhD

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