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Phase 1 (2001–2003)

Objective 1: Establish the project's integrated approach to climate change adaptation

A number of activities were undertaken to articulate the case for promoting an integrated approach to climate change adaptation that emphasizes ecosystem management and restoration activities to reduce vulnerability to climate-related hazards.

a) Establishment of a multidisciplinary Task Force on Climate Change, Vulnerable Communities and Adaptation, to discuss the role of sustainable livelihoods and environmental management practices in reducing vulnerability to climate impacts.

• Adapting to Climate Change: Natural Resource Management and Vulnerability Reduction (PDF - 358 kb)» Janet Abramovitz, Tariq Banuri, Pascal O. Girot, Brett Orlando, Norry Schneider, Erika Spanger-Siegfried, Jason Switzer and Anne Hammill This background paper served as the basis for discussion of the first Task Force meeting. It introduces the rationale and purpose of the Livelihoods and Climate Change project. The authors suggest that conservation practices provide a common platform upon which the disaster reduction and climate change communities can collaborate on developing measures to diminish community vulnerability to climate-related disasters.

• Climate Change, Vulnerable Communities and Adaptation Task Force: Report of the First Meeting (PDF - 317 kb)
  This report summarizes the discussions, main conclusions and recommendations for follow-up action from the first Task Force meeting (2001).

• IUCN-IISD-SEI-IC Task Force on Climate Change, Vulnerable Communities and Adaptation: Report of the Second Meeting (PDF - 694 kb)
  This report summarizes the discussions and decisions from the second Task Force meeting (2002), which was convened to evaluate the project's progress and overall direction.

b) Production a conceptual framework paper

• Livelihoods and Climate Change: Combining disaster risk reduction, natural resource management and climate change adaptation in a new approach to the reduction of vulnerability and poverty (PDF - 1.5 mb)
  This report presents the conceptual foundations for the Livelihoods and Climate Change project. It describes a framework for vulnerability reduction based on the livelihoods of the poor and other vulnerable communities, with an emphasis on natural resource management. The report also situates the project within ongoing adaptation activities, identifying its niche.

Objective 2: Collect supporting evidence for this approach to climate change adaptation

Project partners drew from in-depth case studies and desk-based assessments to demonstrate how sustainable livelihoods and environmental management interventions helped communities to better cope with climate-related hazards and climate change.

• The Role of Community-Based Forest Land Rehabilitation in Building Resilience to Climate Impacts: A case study from the PROFOR-afforestation project in the community of Khuluyo Cochabamba, Bolivia - Draft (PDF - 802 kb)» C. Robledo, M. Fischler, and A. Patiño (Intercooperation) This draft document presents the results of an in-depth case study examining the role of a community-based afforestation project in building resilience to climate stress in Cochabamba, Bolivia.

• Community-Based Rangeland Rehabilitation in Sudan (coming soon)

Objective 3: Communicate the value of this approach to broader constituencies

Project partners produced a number of documents and presentations in order to raise awareness and support for the project's approach to climate change adaptation.

• Climate Change, Vulnerable Communities and Adaptation (PDF - 488 kb)
  A 2002 project brochure providing an overview of the project, which seeks to promote environmental management and policy tools to reduce vulnerability of communities to the growing threat of climate change and climate-related disasters.

• Livelihoods and Climate Change: Combining disaster risk reduction, natural resources management and climate change adaptation to reduce vulnerability (PDF - 3.5 mb)
  In an effort to encourage the use of ecosystem management and restoration (EM&R) activities in climate change adaptation strategies, the Project Partners produced a series of Information Papers to highlight successful examples where EM&R activities have decreased community vulnerability to climate-related hazards.

  • Increasing Community Resilience to Climate-related Disasters through Sustainable Livelihoods (Livelihoods and Climate Change Information Paper 1) (PDF - 295 kb)

  • Increasing the Resilience of Tropical Hillside Communities through Forest Landscape Restoration (Livelihoods and Climate Change Information Paper 2) (PDF - 772 kb)

  • Sustainable Drylands Management (Livelihoods and Climate Change Information Paper 3) (PDF - 292 kb)

• Sustainable Livelihoods & Climate Change Adaptation - A Review of Phase One Activities for the Project on "Climate Change, Vulnerable Communities and Adaptation" (PDF - 319 kb)
  Phase One of the project on "Climate Change, Vulnerable Communities and Adaptation" ended in December 2003. This report provides a summary of the rationale, activities, results and lessons-learned from the project, as well as a discussion of next steps.

• Climate Change, Vulnerable Communities and Adaptation (PDF - 322 kb)
  This PowerPoint presentation was given at a Side Event during the UNFCCC SB-16 meetings in Bonn, Germany (June 2005).

• Livelihoods and Climate Change: Review of Phase 1 (coming soon)
  This PowerPoint presentation summarizes the activities and results of Phase 1 of the IISD, IUCN, SEI-B and Intercooperation project, Livelihoods and Climate Change.

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