Learning to ADAPT: monitoring and evaluation approaches in climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction – challenges, gaps and ways forward

A methodological contribution to the emerging debate on monitoring and evaluation (M&E) in the context of climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction. This paper situates the M&E discussion at the interface of climate change adaptation, disaster risk management and development. It describes the key practical challenges for M&E in the context of climate change and briefly explores the limitations of current disaster risk reduction M&E efforts within this context. The paper also examines current M&E efforts in adaptation and disaster risk reduction, comparing methodological aspects and the conceptual underpinnings of existing practice, pointing to gaps and limitations. Finally, based on the limitations that these present, this paper presents a set of ADAPT principles (Adaptive, Dynamic, Active, Participatory and Thorough) to facilitate the development of M&E frameworks for interventions that aim to contribute to integrated adaptation processes.