Knowledge domains: Criteria and guidelines for selection of items

Knowledge domains

Knowledge domains relate to the main thematic categories of adaptation knowledge. They are an important attribute used to structure the adaptation knowledge space and to organize the knowledge inventory. The knowledge domains cluster specific fields of know-how, which usually correspond to main stages in the adaptation cycle and are needed for different phases of a complete adaptation process. Each knowledge domain cuts across the various adaptation sectors.

CAPA distinguishes the following knowledge domains, which altogether support a complete (and iterative) adaptation process:

The knowledge domains are used as pre-defined search terms in the inventory search. Making the items in the database searchable by domains requires that each item in the inventory has to be clearly assigned to one or more of the knowledge domains. Therefore, when submitting an item via the online editor, each item has to be tagged with the applicable specific domain(s) that it is about in the respective field of the tab “General metadata”. For each of the selected domains, a separate tab with specific metadata fields then becomes active and has to be filled in.

In addition to the general relevance criteria valid for all CAPA database items, each knowledge domain has a different set of specific criteria that need to be matched by respective items. These criteria thus define and give guidance what kinds of items are eligible within a certain knowledge domain.

CAPA – Eligible items per knowledge domain

Future climate

Items that provide science- and evidence-based information about future climate and climatic changes compared to the current observed climate. These items will most often be about climate projections and climate scenarios. Climate projections are generally derived using climate models and represent simulated responses of the climate system to a scenario of future emissions or concentrations of greenhouse gases and aerosols, which are in turn dependent on assumptions about future socio-economic and technological developments. Climate scenarios are plausible and often simplified descriptions of the future climate, often building on climate projections and serving as input to climate impact studies (based on: IPCC, 2014).

FUTURE CLIMATE: Criteria and guidelines for eligible items

Relevance

Climate (change) scenarios, climate projections, results of climate model runs, climate exposure assessments, climate observations and related datasets in the form of publications, reports, documentation, web-based information portals, and scientific articles

Entrance

Maps, graphs, and related datasets about climate modelling results, e.g. related to specific climate metrics (climatological indicators, climate indices, climate model Maps, graphs, and related datasets about climate modelling results, e.g. related to specific climate metrics (climatological indicators, climate indices, climate model output parameter, e.g. annual mean temperature, heat days, days with precipitation, etc.)

Entrance

Meta-studies (literature review, comparative assessments) about scenarios, projections and assessments of future climate change

Entrance

The geographic area (climate model area) covered by the resource must include the Alpine macro-region or specific Alpine territories

Mandatory

Priority is given to items that fulfil applicable criteria as listed above and that, in addition, match one or more of the following attributes:

  • high spatial resolution (country level, sub-national or regional level) of climate models, projections, and scenarios;

  • information about future climate change covering the entire Alpine macro-region;

  • climate scenarios, climate modelling results, or other information about future climatic development, that are acknowledged by national or regional governments and/or by institutions responsible for adaptation policy making in a given Alpine territory.

Priority

Abovementioned types of items are eligible either as stand-alone products or if the respective information is a distinct and relevant part of a broader resource (e.g., of an adaptation strategy, a regional adaptation case study, a regional climate impact assessment, or an adaptation support tool).

Guideline

Items within the knowledge domain ‘Future climate’ usually do not refer to specific sectors; they are generic or non-sectorial (and thus do not need to be assigned to specific sectors).

Guideline

Climate impacts, vulnerabilities and risks

Items that contain information about the observed or expected effects of climate change on natural and human systems. Assessments of these effects are usually based on climate projections or scenarios, are always subject to varying degrees of uncertainty, and can employ different concepts, which are all of equal interest to CAPA: Impacts refer to the consequences and outcomes of climate change, including current climate variability, extreme weather events, and hazardous climate events, on lives, livelihoods, health, ecosystems, economies, societies, cultures, services, and infrastructure. The impacts of climate change can be direct or indirect, are often specific to certain economic sectors or social groups, and may also present potential opportunities. Vulnerability to climate change is a measure of the predisposition of an exposed system to be adversely affected by climate change. It is determined by the trend, rate and magnitude of climatic changes (exposure), the susceptibility of the exposed system (sensitivity), and its capacity to cope and adapt (adaptive capacity). Risks of climate change impacts result from the interaction of climate-related hazards with vulnerabilities of the natural and social systems exposed. Risk is often represented as probability of occurrence of hazardous events or trends combined with the magnitude of impacts if these events or trends occur (based on: IPCC, 2007, 2014).

IMPACTS, VULNERABILITIES, RISKS: Criteria and guidelines for eligible items

Relevance

Assessments (predictions, projections, modelling results, quantitative and qualitative studies, meta-studies) of climate change impacts, vulnerabilities or risks in the form of publications, reports, documentation, web-based information sources, and scientific articles

Entrance

Graphs, maps, web-GIS, or other visualised geospatial information and related datasets about results of climate impact, vulnerability, and risk assessments

Entrance

The results of the climate impact, vulnerability or risk assessment must have explicit geographical reference to the Alpine macro-region or specific Alpine territories, or they must at least address functional linkages of climate change effects between the Alps and their neighbouring areas.

Mandatory

Assessments of climate impacts, vulnerabilities and risks in geographic areas outside of the Alpine macro-region or the Alpine countries are eligible, if the results are considered valid, applicable, and transferable to the Alpine context (e.g., assessments of climate change impacts on certain sectors or social groups).

Exception

Priority is given to items that fulfil applicable criteria as listed above and that, in addition, match one or more of the following attributes:

  • high spatial resolution (sub-national, regional, local) of impact, vulnerability or risk assessments;

  • assessments covering the entire Alpine macro-region or being of high pan-Alpine relevance;

  • assessments with a broader thematic scope covering three or more of the pre-defined sectors (multi-/cross-sectorial) and/or three or more of the pre-defined types of climate impacts (multi-/cross-impact);

  • assessments addressing the effects of climate change on climate- or weather-driven natural hazard processes (flooding, debris flows, landslides, etc.).

Priority

Abovementioned types of items are eligible either as stand-alone products or if the respective information is a distinct and relevant part of a broader resource (e.g., of an adaptation strategy, an adaptation support tool, a regional adaptation case study).

Guideline

Resources focussing on methods, guidelines or tools for the assessment of climate impacts, vulnerabilities and risks should not be allocated here, but rather in the knowledge domain ‘Tools’.

Guideline

Adaptation policies

This domain comprises official adaptation policy documents that are the results of public policy making, have been adopted by government, public administration, or legitimate transnational cooperation bodies, and are valid and in force. Policies relevant to adaptation may comprise both, dedicated (‘stand-alone’) climate adaptation policies and sector policies with explicit integration of climate adaptation goals and measures (mainstreaming). Eligible policies may be political resolutions (e.g. government programs, decisions of the ministerial conference of the Alpine Convention), strategies (e.g. national or regional adaptation strategies), action plans (e.g. national adaptation action plans), pieces of legislation (e.g., federal CO2 law in Switzerland), or funding instruments (e.g., the Swiss Pilot Programme for Climate Adaptation), which are all usually available in the form of policy documents. In addition, representing the expert and research perspective, also studies and comparative reviews of adaptation policy making in Alpine countries or regions are of interest within this domain.

ADAPTATION POLICIES: Criteria and guidelines for eligible items

Relevance

Policy documents that are the results of public policy making, i.e. outputs of processes or activities pursued by government or public administration, and that explicitly address goals, principles, strategic directions, instruments, implementation pathways, actions and/or measures for adaptation to climate change as their main focus (dedicated or ‘stand-alone’ adaptation policies).

Entrance

+

Priority

Adaptation policy documents that have been adopted by government or public administration on EU, national, regional or local level or by legitimate entities on transnational level (Alpine Convention, EUSALP), and are thus valid and in force. Existing CAPA database items that have since been revised or replaced may be maintained, if they are considered relevant and helpful in tracking evolution of adaptation policies over time.

Mandatory

Sector policy documents that explicitly address, integrate, or mainstream climate adaptation concerns, goals, and measures into one or more of the (administrative or socio-economic) sectors pre-defined by the CAPA inventory [tab ‘General metadata’, attributes ‘main adaptation sector’ and ‘additional adaptation sector(s)].

Entrance

Policy documents that explicitly address integration, cooperation and enhanced coherence of climate adaptation policies and natural hazard management / disaster risk reduction policies are of particular interest.

Priority

The policy document must directly relate to one of the Alpine countries, including sub-national government levels, or to one of the transnational Alpine cooperation entities (Alpine Convention, EUSALP). EU policy documents are allowed if they contain explicit, clear and relevant reference to the Alpine region.

Mandatory

Eligible adaptation policy documents, as defined by the three criteria above, should belong to one of the following categories:

  1. Strategies, strategic policy frameworks, important political resolutions or agreements;

  2. Actions plans, action programmes, or catalogues of measures;

  3. Legislation (relevant acts, laws, regulations, ordinance);

  4. Funding schemes, financing instruments and pilot or model region adaptation programmes providing funding for implementation of (national or regional) adaptation strategies and action plans.

Entrance

Policy analysis, studies, policy reviews and meta-analytical studies that analyse and/or compare adaptation policy documents and adaptation policy processes of different countries or regions, if they cover at least one Alpine country or Alpine territory. Multilevel and cross-sectoral governance studies that investigate adaptation policy-making at and across different levels in the Alpine region.

Entrance

Entry of policy documents that are not in force yet, or that are not valid anymore, is not allowed.

Exception

Mere accessory measures or accompanying activities in support of adaptation strategies or adaptation policy processes, such as research programs, communication, awareness-raising and capacity-building activities, or expert recommendations are not allowed in this knowledge domain. If relevant enough, such items may be more suitable for the knowledge domains ‘adaptation options’ or ‘adaptation in practice’.

Exclusion

+

Guideline

Adaptation options

Items about the array of possible interventions in the form of strategies, actions, measures and initiatives that are available and appropriate for addressing adaptation needs, i.e. to avoid or moderate harm and damage due to adverse climate change impacts, to reduce vulnerabilities to climate change, or to exploit potential opportunities. In contrast to the domain ‘adaptation policies’, adaptation options do not (yet) have a political or legal status, but they represent recommendations or proposals put forward by experts and/or practitioners. Adaptation options include a wide range of actions that can be categorized as, e.g., structural, institutional, or social, or as ‘grey’ (technological), ‘green’ (ecosystem-based) and ‘soft’ or ‘smart’ (awareness-raising, capacity-building, organisational) measures. Adaptation options can be dedicated adaptation measures or – more often – designed for implementation by one or more specific sectors.

ADAPTATION OPTIONS: Criteria and guidelines for eligible items

Relevance

Items that identify, describe and/or assess possible, available and suitable adaptation solutions that may range from visions, general directions, and strategies to concrete actions, measures, and implementation initiatives.

Mandatory

The adaptation interventions identified in the item are recommendations, proposals or guidance for action by experts; they are thus expert opinions, and not based on political resolution, and they do not need to have (already) been implemented in practice.

Mandatory

Eligible items may be of the following types:
  • recommendations for action generated by a project or expert group;

  • recommended adaptation options or strategic pathways as part of a broader study or research article;

  • action portfolios and bundles or catalogues of measures proposed for a specific sector or several sectors;

  • analysis and appraisals of possible courses of action in terms of criteria such as benefits, costs, effectiveness, efficiency, feasibility, and maladaptation risks.

Entrance + Guideline

Items about adaptation options that have been developed in an Alpine context and/or for implementation in the Alpine macro-region are given priority. In principle, also items without an explicit geographic relation to Alpine countries or territories are eligible, if the adaptation options are considered at least partly applicable and transferable to the Alpine region.

Priority + Entrance

The following types of items about adaptation options are given priority, provided that applicable general eligibility criteria and the mandatory domain-specific selection criteria are fulfilled:

  • adaptation options covering or cutting across more than one sector and/or responding to more than one climate impact;

  • adaptation options explicitly addressing integration and enhanced coherence of climate adaptation and natural hazard management / disaster risk reduction.

Priority

Abovementioned types of items are eligible either as stand-alone products or if the respective information is a distinct and relevant part of a broader resource (e.g., of a final project report, a climate impact assessment study, an adaptation support tool, a regional adaptation case study).

Guideline

Tools

This domain clusters various types and formats of resources that provide support, guidance and methodological work aids for the different phases of an adaptation process to decision makers, practitioners and advisors active in adaptation. Typical items may comprise methods, guidelines, manuals, guidance documents, decision support instruments, toolkits, work aids, and internet-based information portals.

TOOLS: Criteria and guidelines for eligible items

Relevance

Guidelines, manuals, guidance documents, work aids (e.g., checklists, quality criteria), toolkits, decision support instruments, visualisation tools, methods, methodological elements (e.g., indicators, indices, models), glossaries, compendia, information directories, and similar resources providing support on the “how to?” of all phases of adaptation processes, including in particular for:

  • building the knowledge base for adaptation, including the assessment of climate impacts, vulnerabilities, risks, adaptive capacities, and uncertainties;

  • adaptation planning, including: identification, appraisal, selection, and impact assessment of adaptation options; cost-benefit estimations; prioritisation schemes; etc.;

  • adaptation governance, including: designing, organising, and steering implementation processes; coordinating adaptation across levels and sectors; etc.;

  • stakeholder involvement, including: information, communication, awareness-raising, stakeholder interaction and participation, knowledge transfer, capacity building; etc.

  • monitoring, reporting and evaluation, including: concepts, methods, procedures, indicators, etc.

Mandatory

In principle, all formats of adaptation support tools are eligible, including computer- /software- / internet-based resources and more ‘conventional’ formats such as publications, manuals, documentation, checklists and fact sheets.

Entrance

Web-based information portals, knowledge platforms, and databases that are specialised on and relevant to adaptation issues (e.g., Alpine-wide, national and sub-national adaptation portals, sector-specific portals for adaptation issues) are of particular interest.

Priority

Adaptation support tools that have been developed in an Alpine context and/or for application in the Alpine macro-region. Also tools and methods developed in geographic contexts other than the Alps are eligible, if they are considered applicable and transferable to the Alpine context.

Mandatory + Exception

Items matching the requirements below are given priority, provided that the general eligibility criteria and applicable domain specific criteria are fulfilled. The better and the more of the requirements are fulfilled, the higher the priority:

  • usability: the tool can be applied by stakeholders (practitioners) without them needing to have specific qualifications or specialised expertise;

  • track record: the item is being used on a regular basis or has successfully been tested in practise;

  • re-usability, transferability: the tool is directly applicable in other locations and contexts without re-design, or only moderate efforts for tailoring and customizing the tool to specific conditions are needed;

  • accessibility: the tool is open access and can be used without significant ownership restrictions or license fees.

Priority

Abovementioned types of items are eligible either as stand-alone products or if the respective information is a distinct and relevant part of a broader resource (e.g., of a final project report, a regional adaptation case study, an adaptation policy document, a comprehensive adaptation web portal).

Guideline

Adaptation in practice

This knowledge domain relates to practice examples and case studies of adaptation activities, actions and measures that have actually been implemented on the ground in the Alpine macro-region. To count as “adaptation”, measures must be designed to reduce or avoid climate impacts, vulnerabilities or risks, to exploit potential opportunities brought about by climate change, and/or to increase adaptive capacities and resilience. Eligible items may contain documentation about: implementation of a single measure or a bundle of measures, concrete implementation activities related to strategies or action plans, compilations of (good) practice examples, and practical applications of adaptation tools or methodologies. Adaptation measures implemented in practice can cover a wide range of actions of very different type, ranging from, e.g., structural to institutional to planning measures, or from ‘grey’ (technological) to ‘green’ (ecosystem-based) to ‘soft’ or ‘smart’ (awareness-raising, capacity-building, organisational) measures.

ADAPTATION IN PRACTICE: Criteria and guidelines for eligible items

Relevance

Practice examples and case studies of implemented adaptation activities, actions and measures, including documentation about implementation of single measures, bundles of measures, collections of practice examples, and practical applications of adaptation tools and methodologies.

Entrance

Measures must have been actually implemented in practice or be in a progressed state of implementation.

Mandatory

The location of practice examples must be within the Alpine macro-region; practice cases from outside the Alpine macro-region are not eligible.

Mandatory + Exception

The following types of items about implemented adaptation measures are given priority, provided that the general eligibility criteria and mandatory domain-specific selection criteria are fulfilled:

  • practice examples are explicitly labelled as “good practice”; the related rating is justified and criteria for selection are documented in the item in a traceable way;

  • item contains descriptions of several different adaptation measures (e.g., compilation of practice examples);

  • adaptation measures cover or cut across more than one sector and/or respond to more than one climate impact;

  • adaptation measures explicitly address integration and enhanced coherence of climate adaptation and natural hazard management / disaster risk reduction.

Priority

Abovementioned types of items are eligible either as stand-alone products or if the respective information is a distinct and relevant part of a broader resource (e.g., of a final project report, an adaptation policy document, an adaptation support tool).

Guideline

Monitoring, reporting and evaluation

Monitoring, Reporting and Evaluation (MRE) relates to the efforts undertaken (activities, methods, approaches, procedures, and their outputs) to track progress, effectiveness and efficiency of adaptation policies and measures, to learn and communicate lessons, and to inform improvement of future policy-making and practice. MRE is a key aspect of an iterative adaptation process and is gaining in importance as adaptation in countries, regions and sectors progresses along the stages of the policy cycle. It can serve different and multiple purposes, including getting an overview about progress in implementation of strategies and measures, assessing the performance adaptation interventions, identifying changes in climate impacts and vulnerabilities, increasing accountability of policies, and supporting policy learning and revision of policies.

MONITORING & EVALUATION: Criteria and guidelines for eligible items

Relevance

Outputs and results of MRE activities, such as ‘official’ progress reports, monitoring studies and evaluation reports, from Alpine countries or territories within the Alpine macro-region.

Entrance + Mandatory

Comparative reviews or meta-analytical studies about approaches and results of MRE in different countries or regions; geographical coverage of the item must include at least one Alpine country or territory within the Alpine macro-region.

Entrance + Mandatory

Documentation of MRE concepts, methods, methodological elements (e.g., criteria, indicators) and procedures, especially those pursued and applied by governments and public administration on various levels.

Entrance

Items about MRE concepts, methods and approaches are given priority if they have a clear and explicit relation to the Alpine context. Items about MRE methodologies without direct relation to the Alpine macro-region are eligible, if they are considered applicable and of interest to Alpine target groups (expert judgment of editors).

Priority + Exception

Explanations on “relevance”:

Mandatory

Knock-out criteria that have to be matched by the item.

Entrance

Items matching these criteria are allowed to enter into the database, provided that the domain-specific mandatory criteria are fulfilled.

Priority

Items matching these criteria are given priority, provided that the mandatory criteria are fulfilled.

Exception

Items failing a mandatory criterion, but matching a related exception criterion, are eligible for submission.

Exclusion

Items matching these criteria are not allowed to enter the database.

Guideline

Additional guidance for selection of items within the respective domain.