The Art of the Possible: Identifying Adaptation Options

Linking conservation actions to current and future climate-related impacts is essential for effective climate adaptation. Although many climate adaptation strategies may resemble existing conservation practices, they often will need to be adjusted in terms of when, where, and why they are carried out. This talk will describe a set of approaches designed to help identify relevant and appropriate climate adaptation strategies and actions. In particular, these approaches for identifying suitable adaptation options encourage creative thinking, and discourage reliance on predetermined lists of "popular" adaptation strategies. For example, as species and ecosystems shift, landscape-scale conservation efforts will play increasingly important roles in climate adaptation, but how this is applied in specific situations must go well-beyond generic propositions such as "increasing connectivity" or "enhancing resilience." This presentation will focus on a process for using climate vulnerability and other information as the basis for generating specific adaptation options. These options can subsequently be evaluated and compared based on a variety of factors, including the set of "key characteristics" of climate-smart conservation. Case studies will be used to illustrate identification of options, considerations for maximizing climate-smart “design” of options, and applicability of options in the context of the dual pathways of managing for change and persistence.