Successful adaptation planning requires an understanding that social and environmental conditions will continue to change for decades and generations. Because of this, adaptation actions will also need to be updated over time. The climate change planning team or departmental managers (if the actions are mainstreamed) can plan to revisit and modify the adaptation plan from time to time as new information about expected climate changes and impacts become available and as the Tribe’s priorities change.[2]

If possible, set a goal to return either to this full adaptation planning process (Figure 11) (starting at Step 2) in a certain number of years, or to revisit the plans and programs in which the adaptation actions are embedded as those plans are updated. Setting a public goal or requirement to update the plan can enhance accountability and help ensure the investment of time and energy needed to make the updates.

Figure 11. Tribal Climate Adaptation Guidebook Framework.

The adaptation planning process outlined in the Tribal Climate Adaptation Guidebook is circular (Steps 2–5) and may be repeated over time as information and environmental and social systems change.

View Figure

As the plans are updated, explore opportunities to increase the effectiveness of adaptation actions; discontinue ineffective actions; and incorporate new information, data, resources and/or changes to non-climate factors as appropriate. Consider reconvening the planning team, community members, or Tribal leadership who had been involved in the planning process and incorporate feedback into any updates or adjustments.

When updating or revising the plan consider the following:

• The Monitoring Plan: Have actions been successful? Where have they fallen short and what could be done to improve the effectiveness of those actions?
• The Tribal Community: Are there new challenges facing the community that need to be addressed requiring new focus areas or priorities? Has the social or political climate altered and affected Tribal priorities?
• The State of the Science: Do new climate projections match those in the Tribe’s plan or have scientists discovered something new that needs to be incorporated into the planning efforts? 
• The Vulnerability Assessment: Is there any new information that would inform or change the vulnerability assessment results? Do the criteria for prioritizing key concerns need to be altered based on changes in Tribal priorities?
• New Windows of Opportunity: Are there new opportunities for funding or actions that the Tribe can take advantage of to expand the reach and effectiveness of the adaptation actions in the plan?

Tribal Examples

Read about how the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe dealt with updated sea level rise projections.

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Enhancing resilience to changing climate conditions is a process and not the result of a single project. The work that the Tribe does in this adaptation planning process outlined in this Tribal Climate Adaptation Guidebook lays the foundation for all future adaptation planning efforts. This work includes: identifying key climate-related vulnerabilities; convening the right people to develop effective adaptation actions to reduce those vulnerabilities in a culturally grounded and appropriate manner; meaningfully engaging the community; incorporating Traditional Knowledges where appropriate; developing and institutionalizing indicators to measure success; and committing to revisit and update data, products, materials, and plans over time. A solid adaptation planning foundation can support the Tribe long after the funding for any single adaptation effort runs out. Flexibility and a willingness to update the adaptation actions over time will ensure that the Tribe and the critical natural and cultural resources that are integral to the economic, cultural, and spiritual fabric of the community continue to thrive for the next seven generations.