Community-based (CB) approaches for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) are increasingly recognised as beneficial for enhancing resilience to climate change. While the role of CB approaches in DRR and CCA has been widely researched, gaps remain regarding the specific circumstances, purpose and methods of community inclusion. Using an existing and adapted framework, this literature review screened thirty empirical studies in which participatory approaches were thoroughly analysed via a deductive content analysis. We analysed who is engaged, how, for what purpose, and how these dimensions were interconnected to the CB objectives. Findings reveal that participation was most common in the early stages of the DRR and CCA cycles, with localized actors playing key roles, though marginalized groups and women remained underrepresented. Participation occurred in diverse forms, reflecting its adaptability to local contexts rather than adherence to a fixed model. Far from being a one-fixed solution, participation emerged as both a strategic tool and a transformative process, shaping objectives while empowering communities through inclusive engagement, when developed appropriately.

In the Alpine environment, Man has always been directly dependent on mountain ecosystems. Social mechanisms have created specific models of governance, capable of assuring the persistence of ecosystems and their capacity to provide essential goods and services. In recent decades, however, dramatic changes have occurred, such as climate change and changes in land use. The complexity common to all linked human-natural environment systems is extremely marked in the Alpine areas and this makes it difficult to understand how resilient these systems may be. Many research questions arise, in particular as to the comprehension and quantification of the impact of changes on the capacity of ecosystems to produce goods and services in a sustainable way, and the possibility of local mechanisms of governance to adapt to both current and future changes. Reasons and effects of change are analysed from the perspective of the specific issues of governance. The importance of the Ecosystems Services (ESs) concept is acknowledged and the necessity for a dynamic assessment of ESs, taking into account people’s values and expectations, is particularly stressed. Through a careful analysis of selected papers and case studies, the main gaps in current knowledge are identified and directions for further research are provided.