Monitoring and Evaluation of Climate Change Adaptation in Coastal Zones: Overview of the Indicators in Use

Abstract

Recently, the number of public policies initiated within the framework of CCA has increased in several western countries. On the other hand, the evaluation and measurement of CCA progress remain embryonic and inadequately charted by indicators quantifying the changes and impacts attributable to these policies that engender new stakes and concepts that are difficult to measure and do not always produce a consensus. Our paper presents the results of a scoping review examining the extent, scope and nature of the literature dealing with CCA indicators and metrics. Using scoping-review protocol, bibliographic databases were examined (for the years 2005–2015), using key words, in both English and French, dealing with the measurement of progress in public CCA efforts in coastal areas. In all, 165 documents were selected and analyzed and more than 200 indicators were looked at. Our analyses point out that the conceptual framework for CCA remains fragmented given the different scientific approaches and disciplines. The lack of consensus about CCA and about the indicators designed to assess CCA initiatives is a major limitation in coastal zone management. One way is to harmonize the practices for analyzing human and environmental systems respectively, both in the fields of the social and the natural sciences. In terms of governance, network management appears to be the most effective method in the context of social and environmental change. In terms of indicators, the WorldRiskIndex provides a useful estimate of the vulnerability of countries with respect to the effects of climate change in a context of rapid urbanization. In a regional context or a smaller geographical area, GIS stands out for being able to incorporate a lot of data, and to ensure their continuous update. Moreover, the ICZM is an effective approach at the national level that nevertheless takes into account the regional differences in coastal zones. The studies included in this analysis also demonstrate that the process of adopting CCA measures must be transparent and participatory since they aim for both short-term and long-term objectives.