Abstract
There is growing demand among stakeholders
across public and private institutions for spatially-explicit
information regarding vulnerability to climate change at
the local scale. However, the challenges associated with
mapping the geography of climate change vulnerability are
non-trivial, both conceptually and technically, suggesting
the need for more critical evaluation of this practice. Here,
we review climate change vulnerability mapping in the
context of four key questions that are fundamental to
assessment design. First, what are the goals of the assessment?
A review of published assessments yields a range of
objective statements that emphasize problem orientation or
decision-making about adaptation actions. Second, how is
the assessment of vulnerability framed? Assessments vary
with respect to what values are assessed (vulnerability of
what) and the underlying determinants of vulnerability that
are considered (vulnerability to what). The selected frame
ultimately influences perceptions of the primary driving
forces of vulnerability as well as preferences regarding
management alternatives. Third, what are the technical
methods by which an assessment is conducted? The integration
of vulnerability determinants into a common map
remains an emergent and subjective practice associated
with a number of methodological challenges. Fourth, who
participates in the assessment and how will it be used to
facilitate change? Assessments are often conducted under
the auspices of benefiting stakeholders, yet many lack
direct engagement with stakeholders. Each of these questions
is reviewed in turn by drawing on an illustrative set of
45 vulnerability mapping studies appearing in the literature.
A number of pathways for placing vulnerability