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Assessing adaptive capacity within regional climate change vulnerability studies—an Alpine example

Author

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  • Stefan Schneiderbauer
  • Lydia Pedoth
  • Danyang Zhang
  • Marc Zebisch

Abstract

Adaptive capacity represents a crucial component in the assessment of a region’s vulnerability to climate change. The term adaptive capacity is only fuzzily defined, and determining it is difficult and often neglected in previous studies. In this paper, a newly developed adaptive capacity concept is introduced, with a respective indicator/criteria system and simple aggregation methods. The approach allows for adaptive capacity assessments at 3 levels of specificity (impact specific, sector specific and regional generic). The selection of indicators is tailor-made for Alpine regions, where the approach has been widely tested. The presented approach requires extended stakeholder involvement, namely for the evaluation of the indicators. The overall effort needed for its implementation remains reasonable. The outcome of the assessment exercise does not provide precise objective measurements, but remains an indicative estimation due to the fuzziness and complexity of the underlying concept. The conceptual approach is transferable to other mountain areas and beyond, the selection of indicators however is only valid for the Alpine region. The showcase presents results from the adaptive capacity assessment in the region of South Tyrol, where the method was carried out as part of a climate change vulnerability study. The outcomes indicate a number of issues that future actions could address in order to improve adaptive capacity in the region, namely in the field of prevention measures against meteorological extremes and natural hazards. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2013

Suggested Citation

  • Stefan Schneiderbauer & Lydia Pedoth & Danyang Zhang & Marc Zebisch, 2013. "Assessing adaptive capacity within regional climate change vulnerability studies—an Alpine example," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 67(3), pages 1059-1073, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:nathaz:v:67:y:2013:i:3:p:1059-1073
    DOI: 10.1007/s11069-011-9919-0
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Fernández-Giménez, María E. & Batkhishig, Baival & Batbuyan, Batjav & Ulambayar, Tungalag, 2015. "Lessons from the Dzud: Community-Based Rangeland Management Increases the Adaptive Capacity of Mongolian Herders to Winter Disasters," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 48-65.
    2. Pedro Sánchez-Zamora & Rosa Gallardo-Cobos, 2019. "Diversity, Disparity and Territorial Resilience in the Context of the Economic Crisis: An Analysis of Rural Areas in Southern Spain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-21, March.
    3. Paolo Rizzi & Paola Graziano & Antonio Dallara, 2018. "A capacity approach to territorial resilience: the case of European regions," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 60(2), pages 285-328, March.
    4. Pedro Sánchez-Zamora & Rosa Gallardo-Cobos, 2020. "Territorial Cohesion in Rural Areas: An Analysis of Determinants in the Post-Economic Crisis Context," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-20, May.
    5. Valentina Bacciu & Maria Hatzaki & Anna Karali & Adeline Cauchy & Christos Giannakopoulos & Donatella Spano & Elodie Briche, 2021. "Investigating the Climate-Related Risk of Forest Fires for Mediterranean Islands’ Blue Economy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-22, September.
    6. Minpeng Chen & Fu Sun & Pam Berry & Rob Tinch & Hui Ju & Erda Lin, 2015. "Integrated assessment of China’s adaptive capacity to climate change with a capital approach," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 128(3), pages 367-380, February.
    7. Jose Manuel Diaz-Sarachaga & Daniel Jato-Espino, 2020. "Analysis of vulnerability assessment frameworks and methodologies in urban areas," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 100(1), pages 437-457, January.
    8. Carper, Jordan M. & Alizadeh, Mohammad Reza & Adamowski, Jan F. & Inam, Azhar, 2022. "Climate variability in agroecosystems: A quantitative assessment of stakeholder-defined policies for enhanced socio-ecological resilience," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 201(C).

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