Introduction

Abstract

This chapter introduces this brief as part of an interdisciplinary framework from an integrated social-ecological systems (SES) perspective. The described project used a participatory action approach (PAR) along with a longitudinal multisite case study to help 10 Atlantic Canada communities enhance their resilience to climate change. Interviews were conducted prior to and after a series of interventions to investigate people's perceptions at individual and community levels to the 2010 winter storms in Atlantic Canada as a basis for assessing the impacts and adaptation associated with climate change. The longitudinal approach here necessitated re-interviewing actors in 2014 to examine the changes in their perceptions over time when communities are accompanied in a process of planning for adaptation. In addition to the study scope, some of the existing knowledge-base is briefly highlighted at the end as an initial contribution to the findings of the study.