A rights-based perspective on adaptive capacity

Ensor, Jonathan; Park, Sarah E.; Hoddy, Eric; Bd, Ratner

doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2014.12.005

Cited by 68 publications

(65 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…Social and cultural relationships, embedded in the transactions that shape everyday life and often overlaid on discriminatory or poorly resourced state services, entrench differences in people's capacity to adapt, within and between communities (Ensor et al 2015). Our findings illustrate further complications that arise due to variations in perceptions of change within and between groups that are differently situated in social, cultural and political terms (Kuruppu and Liverman 2011;Wolf and Moser 2011;Walker et al 2014).…”

Section: Fair Adaptationmentioning

confidence: 73%

“…Peet and Watts 2004). Within this, the role played by variations in perceptions of change and risk has particular significance, limiting response options and curtailing the capacity to adapt of marginalised or less powerful groups (Cutter et al 2003;Cutter and Emrich 2006;Jones and Boyd 2011;Ensor et al 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Community-based alternatives to top-down governance are invoked precisely to account for this diversity and to harness local understandings of change (Green et al 2010), and community-based adaptation approaches in particular have received increasing attention among researchers and practitioners (Ensor et al 2016;Ensor et al 2014;Spires et al 2014;Forsyth 2013;Dodman and Mitlin 2011). Local ecological knowledge can provide information about slow and rapid climate and ecological changes at the community level (Sagarin and Micheli 2001;Couzin 2007;Alexander et al 2011) and also play an important role in defining the way environmental change is interpreted and understood as risk (Adger et al 2013;Brook and McLachlan 2008;Naess 2013;Aswani and Lauer 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Local ecological knowledge can provide information about slow and rapid climate and ecological changes at the community level (Sagarin and Micheli 2001;Couzin 2007;Alexander et al 2011) and also play an important role in defining the way environmental change is interpreted and understood as risk (Adger et al 2013;Brook and McLachlan 2008;Naess 2013;Aswani and Lauer 2014). Yet as studies of adaptive capacity have revealed, social, historical, political and institutional variations within and between communities can determine the distribution of benefits and costs that flow from community-based approaches (Ensor et al 2015). Differences in perception of environmental change and risk interact with these variations, adding to the challenge of developing community-based approaches that are both fair and effective.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Variation in perception of environmental change in nine Solomon Islands communities: implications for securing fairness in community-based adaptation

et al. 2017

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Community-based approaches are pursued in recognition of the need for place-based responses to environmental change that integrate local understandings of risk and vulnerability. Yet the potential for fair adaptation is intimately linked to how variations in perceptions of environmental change and risk are treated. There is, however, little empirical evidence of the extent and nature of variations in risk perception in and between multiple community settings. Here, we rely on data from 231 semi-structured interviews conducted in nine communities in Western Province, Solomon Islands, to statistically model different perceptions of risk and change within and between communities. Overall, people were found to be less likely to perceive environmental changes in the marine environment than they were for terrestrial systems. The distance to the nearest market town (which may be a proxy for exposure to commercial logging and degree of involvement with the market economy), and gender had the greatest overall statistical effects on perceptions of risk. Yet, we also find that significant environmental change is underreported in communities, while variations in perception are not always easily related to commonly assumed fault lines of vulnerability. The findings suggest that there is an urgent need for methods that engage with the drivers of perceptions as part of community-based approaches. In particular, it is Editor: Tony Weir Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi

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Section: Fair Adaptationmentioning

confidence: 73%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Variation in perception of environmental change in nine Solomon Islands communities: implications for securing fairness in community-based adaptation

et al. 2017

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“…Throughout the project, children were consistently consulted and interviewed to provide their perspective for informing policy and community development, and many expressed their needs, wants, and rights in order to create effective policies that addressed the younger citizens' issues (Johnson, 2010). Ensor et al (2015) examined the application of a human rights-based perspective within a rural agricultural community in East Timor. The researchers created an analytical program to examine the community's capacity to adapt to climate change.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Human Rights-Based Approach to Disaster Management: Valparaiso, Chile

Rice

Felizzi

Hagelgans

2017

J. Hum. Rights Soc. Work

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An overview of the devastating April 2014 wildfire that destroyed a large number of homes and killed 15 people in the communities surrounding Valparaiso, Chile, is provided. Utilizing a human rights-based framework, a qualitative study was conducted 6 months after the disaster to examine the community's response. Interviews were held with formal and informal community leaders, as well as community organizers and members of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaiso (PUCV). These interviews depicted a number of interrelated variables and, most notably, a strong sense of community emerged, which was consistent with the informal system in place among the residents of the Upper Hills. This informal support system emerged over the years due to a lack of capacity in place by the local government. The findings of this study could be held as an example for other communities who find little support or resources from their local governments. Findings from the research provide direction and steps to enhance preparedness and build capacity for communities, especially in times of both man-made and natural disasters.

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Social learning and climate change adaptation: evidence for international development practice

Ensor

Harvey

2015

WIREs Climate Change

141

151

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The potential for social learning to address complex, interconnected social and environmental challenges, such as climate change adaptation, is receiving increasing attention in research and practice. Social learning approaches vary, but commonly include cycles of knowledge sharing and joint action to co-create knowledge, relationships, and practices among diverse stakeholders. This results in learning and change that goes beyond the individual into communities, networks, or systems. Many authors have focused on analysis of case studies to better understand the contexts in which such learning occurs. In this paper, we look across this literature to draw out lessons for international development practice. To support those looking to purposively design social learning interventions for adaptation, we focus on four areas: lessons learned and the principles adopted when using a social learning approach, examples of tools and methods used, approaches to evaluating social learning, and examples of its impact. While we identify important lessons for practice within each of these areas, three cross-cutting themes emerge. These are: the importance of developing a shared view among those initiating learning processes of how change might happen and of how social learning fits within it, linking this locus of desired change to the tools employed; the centrality of skilled facilitation and in particular how practitioners may shift toward being participants in the collective learning process; and the need to attend to social difference, recognizing the complexity of social relations and the potential for less powerful actors to be co-opted in shared decision making.

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A rights-based perspective on adaptive capacity

Cited by 68 publications

References 69 publications

Variation in perception of environmental change in nine Solomon Islands communities: implications for securing fairness in community-based adaptation

Variation in perception of environmental change in nine Solomon Islands communities: implications for securing fairness in community-based adaptation

Human Rights-Based Approach to Disaster Management: Valparaiso, Chile

Social learning and climate change adaptation: evidence for international development practice

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