Lessons from St. Lucia: Building local adaptive capacity through community empowerment, stakeholder partnerships, and institutional diversity

The document outlines the climate vulnerabilities of Saint Lucia, a Small Island Developing State whose economy relies on tourism and banana crops. It focuses on the Soufriere district, where physical capital and key industries like agriculture and tourism are threatened by hurricanes and water scarcity. The GIVRAPD project addressed these issues through vulnerability assessments, multi-stakeholder planning, and micro-insurance, concluding that institutional partnerships and local leadership are essential for improving community resilience.

• Saint Lucia's economy, which is primarily dependent on tourism and banana crops, is highly susceptible to climate change impacts such as sea level rise, storm surges, and coral bleaching, which threaten its biodiversity and economic prosperity.
• The Soufriere district on the southwest coast faces specific vulnerabilities, including physical capital unable to withstand intense hurricanes and threats to freshwater supplies and fisheries that support its ecotourism and agrarian livelihoods.
• The GIVRAPD project implemented three primary adaptation and resilience strategies: biophysical and vulnerability assessments, participatory planning involving multiple stakeholders and sectors, and the application of micro-insurance.

APA

Climate and Development Knowledge Network (2017). Lessons from St. Lucia: Building local adaptive capacity through community empowerment, stakeholder partnerships, and institutional diversity. https://cdkn.org/resource/policy-brief-lessons-form-st-lucia-building-local-adaptive-capacity-community-empowerment-stakeholder-partnerships-institutional-diversity

Chicago

Climate and Development Knowledge Network. Lessons from St. Lucia: Building local adaptive capacity through community empowerment, stakeholder partnerships, and institutional diversity. 2017. https://cdkn.org/resource/policy-brief-lessons-form-st-lucia-building-local-adaptive-capacity-community-empowerment-stakeholder-partnerships-institutional-diversity.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |title=Lessons from St. Lucia: Building local adaptive capacity through community empowerment, stakeholder partnerships, and institutional diversity |date=3 February 2017 |url=https://cdkn.org/resource/policy-brief-lessons-form-st-lucia-building-local-adaptive-capacity-community-empowerment-stakeholder-partnerships-institutional-diversity |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climateanddevelopmentknowledgenetwork2017lessons, author = {{Climate and Development Knowledge Network}}, title = {{Lessons from St. Lucia: Building local adaptive capacity through community empowerment, stakeholder partnerships, and institutional diversity}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2017}, month = feb, url = {https://cdkn.org/resource/policy-brief-lessons-form-st-lucia-building-local-adaptive-capacity-community-empowerment-stakeholder-partnerships-institutional-diversity}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }