Abstract
The networks that support collaboration and knowledge exchange around climate risk and response are emerging as central to climate adaptation. Yet, there is limited empirical knowledge about the conditions by which these networks can go beyond knowledge sharing to achieving on the ground. This paper presents two case studies of networks between universities, the private sector, civil society, and decision-makers at the local government level in different African municipalities: Karonga District (Malawi) and the Eden District (South Africa). The chapter considers conditions that enable collaboration to move from knowledge sharing to adaptation action. It does this by demonstrating how the origins of networks, the characteristics of partner organizations, the needs of each partner, the nature of the relationships between partners and the activities of the network, all combine to affect adaptation responses. For example, the high vulnerability of the Eden District to weather hazards prompted a private insurance company to collaborate with academics and local governments to understand how to reduce flood and fire risk to limit their insurance payouts in the region. The insurers invested in early warning systems and better fire response vehicles, as well as in a more holistic strategy of partnership, which has improved risk responses. The experiences presented in this paper highlight why and how networks can integrate knowledge from different partners into decision-making to result in adaptation actions on the ground.
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- 1.
Actor here refers not to an individual, but to an organization, as this is the level that we examine in this chapter.
- 2.
The information on which much of this introductory section is based is drawn by the draft Karonga District Socio-Economic Profile 2013–2018, which was made available to the authors from respondents in the region.
- 3.
A closed network is one where all the possible links between partners have been realized.
- 4.
The project also trains farmers in animal health care. Other areas of focus are the establishment of village savings and loan groups, and assisting the communities to invest in natural resource-based enterprises, such as bee-keeping, and natural resource management, such as tree planting.
- 5.
Due to limited space in this chapter, we do not discuss all the collaborations that the local municipality has formed with different stakeholders.
- 6.
An unfunded mandate denotes a responsibility devolved to local government to perform certain actions, with no money provided for fulfilling the requirements.
- 7.
For example, C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (http://c40.org) or the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (http://www.globalcovenantofmayors.org).
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Acknowledgements
This work is based upon research supported by the National Research Foundation of South Africa (as part of the Fulcrum Institutions for Socio-Ecological Resilience Project of the Global Change, Society and Sustainability Research Programme), the Urban Africa: Risk Knowledge (Urban ARK) programme (funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council and Department for International Development under Grant No. ES/L008777/1), and a project supported by the Network for Business Sustainability (South Africa), based at the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business, titled “Companies partnering with municipalities for local development and resilience: Motives, mechanisms, and outcomes”.
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Ziervogel, G., Pasquini, L., Lee, J. (2019). Understanding the Role of Networks in Stimulating Adaptation Actions on the Ground: Examples from Two African Case Studies. In: Leal Filho, W., Leal-Arcas, R. (eds) University Initiatives in Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-89590-1_4
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