Identifying and lifting climate adaptation barriers in St Lucia using a participatory approach

The document details a participatory approach using stakeholder mapping and 'barrier cards' to identify obstacles to climate adaptation in St Lucia. Findings reveal a top-down governance structure where national ministries hold primary influence and funding, while local actors remain largely excluded from planning and implementation. Key barriers identified include poor national land use planning and conflicting stakeholder values, both driven by a lack of long-term political vision. The paper argues for the development of a comprehensive national land use management plan and the mainstreaming of climate considerations into local policies to build resilience.

• The participatory methodology revealed that climate adaptation planning in St Lucia is dominated by national government and agencies, with local actors having limited involvement in planning or implementation.
• Across the agriculture, fisheries, and tourism sectors, land use tenure and national land use planning emerged as critical barriers to adaptation.
• The study identified three specific adaptation barriers: two related to policy and one based on culture, specifically 'Conflicting values and preferences from stakeholders involved that do not allow for consensus or agreement'.
• A recurring cause for adaptation barriers across all sectors is the absence of long-term planning, attributed to short political cycles and a reluctance to make long-term decisions.
• Funding for climate adaptation is primarily sourced from international donor agencies and is concentrated at the national level, with very little reaching local actors.
• Proposed practical actions to lift these barriers include creating a comprehensive national land use management plan and integrating climate change considerations into local policies and existing activities.

APA

STANTON, M. B., & DOWNING, T. E. (2014). Identifying and lifting climate adaptation barriers in St Lucia using a participatory approach. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Working-Paper-Identifying-and-lifting-climate-adaptation-barriers-in-St-Lucia-using-a-participatory-approach.pdf

Chicago

STANTON, Muriel BONJEAN, and Thomas E. DOWNING. Identifying and lifting climate adaptation barriers in St Lucia using a participatory approach. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2014. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Working-Paper-Identifying-and-lifting-climate-adaptation-barriers-in-St-Lucia-using-a-participatory-approach.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=STANTON |first1=Muriel BONJEAN |last2=DOWNING |first2=Thomas E. |title=Identifying and lifting climate adaptation barriers in St Lucia using a participatory approach |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=2014 |url=http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Working-Paper-Identifying-and-lifting-climate-adaptation-barriers-in-St-Lucia-using-a-participatory-approach.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stanton2014identifying, author = {STANTON, Muriel BONJEAN and DOWNING, Thomas E.}, title = {{Identifying and lifting climate adaptation barriers in St Lucia using a participatory approach}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2014}, url = {http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Working-Paper-Identifying-and-lifting-climate-adaptation-barriers-in-St-Lucia-using-a-participatory-approach.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }