A recently published assessment highlights the impact of 14 applications of the Vulnerability, Consequences, and Adaptation Planning Scenarios (VCAPS) tool. Originally developed through a 2009 CPO/Coastal and Ocean Climate Applications (COCA) Program project, VCAPS is designed to assist communities in becoming more resilient to climate change and weather events through local vulnerability assessments and climate adaptation planning. The assessment found that VCAPS informed plans and decisions of municipalities, informed actions and decisions of other public and private actors, generated broader support for subsequent actions, helped efforts to secure/seek funding for climate adaptation actions, developed material resources to support planning, and promoted learning among participants.
The Social and Environmental Research Institute along with the Carolinas Integrated Sciences and Assessments Programs (one of 11 NOAA RISA teams) first implemented VCAPS in two South Carolina coastal communities. Since 2011, VCAPS has been applied to other communities in states such as Alabama, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and South Carolina through collaborations with key partners such as state Sea Grant programs.
The VCAPS process includes several different components. It guides community members to engage in informative discussions surrounding climate threats, summarize and discuss existing local knowledge, identify gaps in knowledge, and think strategically on how to take climate-resilient measures.
Using qualitative interviews, the study explored the perceived value and the measurable performance outcomes of VCAPS at both individual and community scales occurring 3–10 years after the processes were conducted. The report found that VCAPS performed better when there is wide community participation. Many participants in the VCAPS framework viewed adaptation planning as an on-going process. Lastly, it was noted that linking scientific knowledge with local knowledge is a critical part of the VCAPS process.
View the assessment »
MISSION: The Climate and Fisheries Adaptation Program (CAFA) supports targeted research to promote sustainable management, adaptation and resilience of the nation’s valuable fish stocks and fisheries-dependent communities in a changing climate. By bringing together NOAA scientists with the academic community, other federal agency scientists, non-governmental organizations and key fisheries stakeholders, CAFA addresses priority needs for information and tools identified in the 2015 NOAA Fisheries Climate Science Strategy, Fisheries Regional Action Plans, U.S. National Climate Assessment, and other sources.
ISSUE: Healthy and productive fisheries are a significant component of the U.S. economy. Commercial and recreational marine fisheries generate over $200 billion in economic activity and support more than 1.8 million jobs annually. (FEUS 2016) Reliant and sustainable fisheries also support working waterfronts and coastal communities, provide opportunities for commerce, are tied to rich cultures, and help meet the growing demand for seafood across the U.S. and the world.
Climate variability and change are having increasing impacts on fish stocks, fisheries, and marine ecosystems in the U.S., and the impacts are expected to significantly increase with continued climate change. The changing climate and ocean conditions (e.g. warming oceans, extreme events, changing currents and stratification, coastal precipitation, coastal inundation, etc.) directly and indirectly affect marine ecosystems including the abundance, distribution, and productivity of fish stocks that support economically important fisheries. Sustainable fisheries management requires an improved understanding of how climate, fishing, and other stressors interact to affect fish stocks (including their habitats and prey), fisheries and fishing‐dependent communities.
PROGRAM HISTORY: The Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) Climate Program Office, and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Office of Science and Technology launched a partnership in 2014 to advance understanding of climate‐related impacts on fish or other species that support economically important fisheries and fishing communities. The partnership originated through the former Coastal and Ocean Climate Applications (COCA) Program and in 2021 was renamed the Climate and Fisheries Adaptation (CAFA) Program as part of the OAR/CPO Adaptation Sciences Program.
Jennifer Dopkowski NOAA Research
Climate Program Office P: (301) 734-1261 E: jennifer.dopkowski@noaa.gov
Roger Griffis NOAA Fisheries Office of Science and Technology P: (301) 427-8134 E: roger.b.griffis@noaa.gov
Americans’ health, security and economic wellbeing are tied to climate and weather. Every day, we see communities grappling with environmental challenges due to unusual or extreme events related to climate and weather.