The role of the community and voluntary sector in identifying vulnerabilities to climate change in coastal areas and implementing climate adaptation responses

The National Adaptation Framework aims to reduce Ireland’s vulnerability to climate change by establishing climate adaptation considerations as a priority at local, regional and national level. With coastal areas and habitats particularly susceptible to negative climate change effects, it is necessary to build resilience in these areas by devising coastal adaptation responses in collaboration with coastal communities. Policies and structures have also been put in place to create an enabling environment which facilitates community participation. However, the extent of community engagement and its current role in formulating and implementing coastal adaptation responses are unclear. This paper assesses the effectiveness of the enabling environment in encouraging community-led coastal adaptation solutions by identifying community and voluntary groups who are actively engaging with stakeholders at all levels of governance in key adaptation tasks. The findings reveal that the policies and structures for enhanced local participation in coastal adaptation responses are in place, but as only a small number of communities are actively engaging in coastal adaptation solutions, further progress in their implementation is needed.