What’s the problem in adaptation pathways planning? The potential of a diagnostic problem-structuring approach

• Published in: Environmental science & policy Vol. 76; pp. 23 - 28
• Main Authors: Bosomworth, Karyn, Leith, Peat, Harwood, Andrew, Wallis, Phillip J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.10.2017
• Subjects: Climate change adaptation; Governance; Natural resource management; Participatory action research; Public policy; Transformational adaptation; Natural resource management; Governance; Participatory action research; Public policy; Transformational adaptation; Climate change adaptation
• ISSN: 1462-9011; 1873-6416
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envsci.2017.06.007

•Discusses the practical use of the adaptation pathways concept in relation to planning for climate change in natural resource management.•Draws on a 3 year participatory action research project with NRM planners.•Finds current approaches have limited utility in NRM where they assume agreed goals and achieving those goals is technically tractable.•Proposes a diagnostic, problem-structuring approach has potential to improve the utility of pathways planning in NRM. Adaptation Pathways (AP) is receiving increased theoretical and practical interest as an approach to planning for climate change that engages with conditions of uncertainty. Participatory action research with environmental and natural resource management (NRM) planners, revealed that the contested, complex nature of NRM challenges the ready utility of AP planning implied by many other published examples. Findings indicate this is because current AP approaches do not yet engage with contested goals and knowledge, and tend to assume that actions to achieve goals are largely technical and unproblematic. Drawing on these findings, this paper develops an argument for a diagnostic, problem-structuring approach as one way of improving the utility of AP planning in contested, complex problems. We posit this approach could help guide selection of ‘fit-for-problem’ analysis and planning methods to develop practicable AP plans that support efforts towards transformational adaptation. Issues of engaging with diverse problem frames, scientific contestations, and institutional dimensions of governance remain potentially fruitful research foci in AP planning.