Until recently, considerably more attention was paid to using forests to mitigate climate change, through the absorption of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, than there was on considering the need to adapt forests to avoid the worst effects that climate change could have on them. The switch from a mitigation-heavy approach to one that considers adaptation in a more balanced manner underscores the need to have approaches to assess the vulnerability of forests to climate change. One reason for this more balanced focus may be due to the realization by the broader public, governmental organizations and the forest science community that the climate change that has already occurred is permanent in human terms, because it takes centuries for much of the CO2 emitted from fossil fuel sources to be removed from the atmosphere. There are already substantial impacts that are being seen in the world’s forests. These impacts are certain to continue increasing until CO2 emissions drop to lower levels. For that reason, adaptation of the world’s forests requires attention. The approaches to assessing vulnerability can be categorized according to the focus they each provide. Contextual vulnerability addresses current issues of climate and is usually evaluated using participatory techniques with people who live in, or work with, forests. Outcome vulnerability looks at the biophysical vulnerability of forests; it is often used to assess the cause-and-effect of climate change on a biological system. Vulnerability assessments can be highly technical and quantitative, using advanced computer programs and geographic information systems, or they can be based on social science approaches to obtaining qualitative information from people.

Negative impacts of climate change on forests threaten the delivery of crucial wood and non-wood goods and environmental services on which an estimated 1.6 billion people fully or partly depend. Assessment of the vulnerability of forests and forest-dependent people to climate change is a necessary first step for identifying the risks and the most vulnerable areas and people, and for developing measures for adaptation and targeting them for specific contexts. This publication provides practical technical guidance for forest vulnerability assessment in the context of climate change. It describes the elements that should be considered for different time horizons and outlines a structured approach for conducting these assessments. The framework will guide practitioners in conducting a step-by-step analysis and will facilitate the choice and use of appropriate tools and methods. Background information is provided separately in text boxes, to assist readers with differing amounts of experience in forestry, climate change and assessment practices. The publication will provide useful support to any vulnerability assessment with a forest- and tree-related component.

The 'Addressing forestry and agroforestry in National Adaptation Plans: Supplementary guidelines' provide specific guidance for national adaptation planning in the forestry sector. They are intended to be used by national planners and decision–makers working on climate change issues in developing countries and authorities and experts who are contributing to climate change adaptation and NAP formulation and implementation.

The purpose of this Sourcebook is to provide advice on how to incorporate disaster risk reduction and resilience building into the watershed management process. As an increasingly heavier toll is exerted on agriculture and food systems by drought, floods, wildfires, and other extreme events, adopting risk reduction and management practices must become an integral part of watershed management. While the steps involved to incorporate resilience building are similar to those routinely carried out in integrated watershed management, this Sourcebook stresses the importance of understanding disaster and climate risks, adopting a landscape approach and targeting vulnerable groups (e.g. women, youth, indigenous people, others) at all stages of planning and implementing watershed management.

This document is designed to help researchers, practioners and all those interested in assessing the extent and scope of local people vulnerability to climate change, the responses they currently oppose and how efficient they are. Vulnerability has been studied through the lenses of different dimensions: system and exposure units, dynamic processes, multiple threats, differential exposure, and social capital and collective action. The purpose of this framework is to grasp the social (and ecological) dynamics in the system over the past decades, in order to identify future actions for reducing vulnerability and to enhance adaptive capacity. In addition, research approaches proposed in this document can serve as a platform for dialogue as such approaches give opportunities to communities to collectively discuss their common problems related to climate change and to initiate common responses necessary to building their social capital.

The Addressing agriculture, forestry and fisheries in National Adaptation Plans – Supplementary guidelines (NAP–Ag Guidelines) provide specific guidance for national adaptation planning in the agricultural sectors. They are intended to be used by national planners and decision–makers working on climate change issues in developing countries and authorities and experts within the agriculture sectors who are contributing to climate change adaptation and NAP formulation and implementation.