Learning to ADAPT: monitoring and evaluation approaches in climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction – challenges, gaps and ways forward

This working paper is a methodological contribution to the emerging debate on monitoring and evaluation (M&E) in the context of climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction. Effectively managing disaster risk is critical for adapting to the impacts of climate change, however, disasters risk reduction M&E practice may be limited in capturing progress towards adaptation.

First, the author situates the M&E discussion at the interface of climate change adaptation, disaster risk management and development. She describes the key practical challenges for M&E in the context of climate change and briefly explores the limitations of current disaster risk reduction M&E efforts within this context.

Second, the paper examines current M&E efforts in adaptation and disaster risk reduction, comparing methodological aspects and the conceptual underpinnings of existing practice, pointing to gaps and limitations. Particular attention is paid to the room current approaches provide in gaining a deeper understanding of the determinants that may enable or constrain adaptation and in building an evidence base of progress made. Based on the limitations that these present, the document presents a set of ADAPT principles (Adaptive, Dynamic, Active, Participatory and Thorough) to facilitate the development of M&E frameworks for interventions that aim to contribute to integrated adaptation processes. The M&E approach by which adaptation and disaster risk management are to be evaluated involves:

• challenging existing M&E practice towards new M&E that enables flexibility
• accounting for uncertainty and complexity
• encouraging an understanding of the linkages between capacity, action and the driving forces of individuals and communities towards change.

The author argues concludes that the unique nature of adaptation to climate change calls for experience-based learning M&E processes for discovering the key insights into adaptive capacity and its links to adaptation processes, and to risk and vulnerability reduction at large.

(Adapted from author)