Participatory and rapid vulnerability assessments to support adaptation planning in small-scale fishing communities of the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem

Coastal fishing communities who depend on marine resources for food and livelihood are particularly vulnerable to the risks and impacts associated with climate variability and change. Countries in the BCLME region have responded to international calls to develop national climate change policies, adaptation strategies and plans to respond to these threats. These high-level documents recognize the need to better understand the vulnerabilities facing poor and marginalized communities in high risk areas and develop adaptive capacity to build resilience. However, small-scale fisheries are seldom explicitly mentioned. Furthermore, there is very little guidance on how vulnerability assessments should be conducted and how this information could inform adaptation planning. This paper reports on a community based, participatory and rapid vulnerability assessment methodology that was developed, tested and then applied in 15 communities in the BCLME region. The outcomes of these vulnerability assessments were then used to inform the development of local adaptation plans in five of these communities. Key findings from these local vulnerability assessments and adaptation planning processes are then presented. The discussion centers on the value, benefits and limitations of the participatory and rapid vulnerability assessment process, the need to take a holistic approach to understanding vulnerability, the ongoing and iterative nature of adaptation planning, the power of partnerships and networks, and the need to integrate community-based plans into other sector and climate change adaptation strategies and plans at all levels of governance.