Navigating and responding to current and projected climate and environmental change in coastal-­‐marine areas throughout the Caribbean is a significant challenge for communities and governments. In response, there has been a proliferation of investments and initiatives for climate change adaptation from national, regional and international levels in the Caribbean in the past two decades (CRFM 2013). These initiatives have resulted in numerous climate change adaptation projects and strategies at different scales and levels requiring the engagement of diverse actors, organizations, and agencies in decision-­‐making, policy development, and implementation.

Governance provides a valuable analytical entrée to examine the emerging diversity of actors, institutions (i.e. formal and informal), and processes concerning adaptation to climate change. Moreover, governance is an important yet often overlooked aspect that can inform and influence how communities and countries respond and adapt to climate change. As Plummer (2013) posits, “the concept of governance is highly relevant for adaptation because societal actors at a variety of levels are building adaptive capacity, undertaking adaptive actions, and developing adaptation policies” (p. 1).

Climate change poses a particular governance challenge due to its multidimensional nature (Fidelman et al. 2013). As a multi-­‐scale and multi-­‐sector problem it requires responses by communities and governments at multiple: i) scales (e.g. geographical, jurisdictional); ii) levels of organization (e.g. administrative); and iii) sectors (e.g. tourism, agriculture, fisheries) (Termeer et al. 2011, Fidelman et al. 2013). Moreover, climate change is one of several drivers (e.g. invasive species, tourism development, marine resource exploitation) contributing to environmental change – particularly in the Caribbean – that together are producing cumulative effects and conflicts that are complex, emergent, and cross-­‐scale (CARSEA 2007). Rooted in the context of Jamaica – while drawing on insights from other Caribbean sites (e.g. St. Lucia) – we seek to identify conditions that enable and/or constrain governance strategies and institutional arrangements that respond to climate change vulnerabilities and promote climate change adaptation in coastal-­‐marine environments.

This working paper reflects an initial identification of conditions that enable and constrain multi-­‐level governance for climate change adaptation through examining a case study of coastal-­‐marine governance in Jamaica. The anticipated and projected impacts of climate change suggest the importance of such governance strategies and institutional arrangements considering effective implementation, policy development and decision-­‐making concerning climate change adaptation will require the participation and contributions of diverse actors ranging from community based organizations to government agencies. Accordingly, an empirical assessment of coastal-­‐marine governance in Jamaica with an emphasis on the communities of Bluefields Bay and Whitehouse in the parish of Westmoreland is offered. First, an outline of a theoretical and analytical framework concerning multi-­‐level governance for climate change adaptation is presented. An overview of the case study context and background are then provided with a detailed account of the research methods following. Next, preliminary results of the research are presented followed by a discussion of the results in relation to the theoretical framework. Finally, the working conclusions of the paper are provided

Picture: Patrick Nouhailler