Day Five Photos and Reflections

On day five, the workshop reconvened in Huaraz. The focus of the day was on developing a better understanding of vulnerability and adaptation, followed by continued group meetings to address impacts and plans of action for water, agriculture, and biodiversity.

John Furlow: What is adaptation and vulnerability?

• Vulnerability often relates to disease, water availability, agricultural productivity, damage to infrastructure, hazards, and glacial melt.
• Developing countries are often more vulnerable because they have agriculturally-based economies and are very dependent on water availability and weather conditions.
  

• Adaptation is an adjustment in systems in response to actual or expected stimulus

Valued asset approach to vulnerability:

• Assets are those things that a community values
• What makes those assets vulnerable?
• What are the ways to reduce those vulnerabilities?

• Assets can be biological/physical, material, or human.
• Vulnerability is a function of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity.
  

Possible adaptive responses:

• Policy change
• Capacity building
• Implementing best practices
• Building infrastructure to protect valued assets
  

• The community is an excellent source of information on identifying local assets, vulnerability, and actions for addressing vulnerability.

John Furlow (left), Glen Anderson (center), and Daene McKinny (right)

• Valued assets are very vulnerable to climate change.
• Economic development is an important way to build adaptive capacity and resilience at the community level.
• Vulnerability and adaptation is a continual process.