Lessons from other vulnerability and adaptation assessments Ligia Noronha Senior fellow TERI Pre-sessional consultation on TAR Milan, 27 –28 November, 2003

Individual/ Groups Nature of External Events or threats Time scale Spatial scale Pathways External Events Watershed (Villages) Regional National Global a.Multi scale analysis b.Dimensions of internal capability c.Nature of external event or pressure D Multi method (Social Political Economic Climatic) Internal Capability or Predisposition to Vulnerability Endowments:Individual/Communal/Familial Diversification strategies Support networks:Traditional/ Extended Information and technology networks Empowerment Assessing vulnerability and coping strategies Nested hierarchies

to focus on what people and the communities in which they are located do, their choices and their internal capability to assess the health of ecosystems and their ability to cope with external threats and the links of this to human well-being to understand the modes of interaction between events and trends at higher levels and impacts at local levels, so negative externalities can be more easily identified and responses at appropriate levels framed Using a nested hierarchical approach allows one

Elements of the internal capability to respond to stress What are the endowments? Individual/Communal /Familial What diversification strategies are possible? What support networks exist? Traditional and Extended What information networks exist? What is the level of empowerment of assessments communities?

Multi-stakeholder participatory processes To ensure representation, more democratic responses; more effective interventions Gender & social sensitivity To ensure that those most at risk, disadvantaged or vulnerable can be identified  Multiple methods spatial analysis, ecological & socio-economic assessments, biomedical health analysis, case studies and historic documents Methods & perspectives needed

sensitive to the interactions between drivers, humans and components of the ecosystems enable the identification of key stakeholders involve more democratic discourses enable the understanding of resilience building mechanisms and adaptive strategies How can such approaches be useful to assessments of V & A to climate change?

Synergies between development pressures and climatic change Policies to promote diversification Burden on women from stressed environments Ways to increase safety nets and support systems Suggested priorities for SBSTA to explore opportunities to improve state of knowledge

Need of effective training programmes for local government on monitoring stressors (climatic and developmental) Need for partnerships to create diversified livelihoods Need for partnerships to address emerging problems relating to water shortages, quick disaster responses, wetland preservation, environmental education Suggested priorities for regional, national and local action