ABSTRACT
The "Vulnerability, Adaptation and Mitigation" (VAM) programme targets four main themes: vulnerability, adaptation, Adaptation, and adaptation-plus-mitigation. This chapter provides a conceptual framework of the VAM themes and their linkages. Smit et al. propose a schematic representation of the links between vulnerability, adaptation and mitigation. Vulnerability is location-specific and case-dependent, and so is the willingness of communities to support mitigation policies and take adaptation measures. The communities section contains chapters on the impact of Hurricane Mitch on Nicaragua, local adaptation in Mozambique and the Netherlands, and 3D simulation of flood events. Mitigation efforts are typically driven by national initiatives operating within the context of international obligations, whereas adaptation to climate change and variability tends to be much more local in nature, often in the realm of regional economies, communities, land managers and individuals. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
