Adaptation to climate change has become part of national development programs (e.g., National Adaptation Planning). Though communities are adapting to climate change across the world, this perspective argues that understanding social and ecological systems requires greater attention to enhance resilience for achieving and moving beyond the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in response to climate change across the world. In addition, based on a systematic literature review, this perspective identifies key research gaps and addresses relevant key challenges and future research direction for social and ecological systems (SES) adaptation to climate change. Ultimately, this may also help move from the existing limits to adaptation (intolerable risks through adaptive actions) concept to social‐ecological limits to adaptation and offers an opportunity to integrate adaptation to climate change in development planning by considering both SES.

River deltas globally are highly exposed and vulnerable to natural hazards and are often over-exploited landforms. The Global Delta Risk Index (GDRI) was developed to assess multi-hazard risk in river deltas and support decision-making in risk reduction interventions in delta regions. Disasters have significant impacts on the progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, despite the strong interlinkage between disaster risk reduction and sustainable development, global frameworks are still developed in isolation and actions to address them are delegated to different institutions. Greater alignment between frameworks would both simplify monitoring progress towards disaster risk reduction and sustainable development and increase capacity to address data gaps in relation to indicator-based assessments for both processes. This research aims at aligning the GDRI indicators with the SDGs and the Sendai Framework for Disaster and Risk Reduction (SFDRR). While the GDRI has a modular indicator library, the most relevant indicators for this research were selected through a delta-specific impact chain designed in consultation with experts, communities and stakeholders in three delta regions: the Red River and Mekong deltas in Vietnam and the Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna (GBM) delta in Bangladesh and India. We analyse how effectively the 143 indicators for the GDRI match (or not) the SDG and SFDRR global frameworks. We demonstrate the interconnections of the different drivers of risk to better inform risk management and in turn support delta-level interventions towards improved sustainability and resilience of these Asian mega-deltas.

In the Indian Sundarban, multiple attributes and interactions of natural hazards, exposure, and vulnerability pose severe threats to lives and livelihoods. Understanding the cause-and-effect relationships contributing to the risk of loss of sustainable livelihoods has become imperative but has not yet been holistically explored in a single study that provides a broader picture of all possible complex interactions. This study used the impact chain tool to holistically understand the risk that manifests as a result of interactions of hazards, exposure, and vulnerability. The secondary literature and authors’ observations helped us structure the first draft of the impact chain, which was further developed and validated through fourteen gender-disaggregated interviews with key informants and delta dwellers. This validation process identified the complex interconnections contributing to risk as experienced by experts and delta dwellers, which is seldom reflected through exclusively quantitative data. A quantitative analysis of the qualitative data strongly indicated that tropical cyclones, rainfall variability, and storms are the dominant hazards that affect social–ecological vulnerability manifested through mangrove degradation, land loss due to erosion, and embankment breaching. Social vulnerability is caused by processes and factors that are either directly or indirectly influenced by natural hazards and social–ecological factors. Processes such as increasing seasonal male migration, uncertain agricultural income, and a lack of hazard-resistant housing exacerbates social vulnerability. Embankment breaching, the salinization of land and water, land loss due to erosion, mangrove degradation, land conversion, and groundwater abstraction were identified as the fundamental threats that can lead to a loss of sustainable livelihoods of the people if left unaddressed.

La Narmada, l’un des fleuves sacrés de l’Inde, est évoquée comme la manifestation d’une « Déesse Mère » dans les croyances hindoues et tribales. Ses rives sont marquées par de nombreux géosymboles tels que des temples, révélant la vénération de la Narmada et de Shiva, deux divinités en interaction. La succession des symboles religieux, remarquables dans le paysage de la vallée le long du chemin de pèlerinage, témoigne de l’ampleur de la dévotion des pèlerins et de l’importance spirituelle de cet espace. Néanmoins, ce grand fleuve est actuellement en cours de transformation en raison de l'aménagement d'un vaste réseau de barrages hydroélectriques. Située sur une île au cœur du fleuve sacré, le lieu saint appelé « Omkareshwar » est l’un des douze sanctuaires des Jyotilingas, une représentation divine de Shiva que des milliers de dévots shivaïtes viennent contempler chaque année. Dans ce site, un grand barrage à été inauguré en Juillet 2007. A présent, ce centre de pèlerinage s’intègre dans le projet de développement de la vallée de la Narmada. L’opposition aux grands barrages se manifeste à Omkareshwar comme dans toute l’Inde en raison des impacts de ces infrastructures sur les milieux naturels, sur les villages situés en amont et sur les espaces sacrés. Les différents acteurs présents autour du site perçoivent différemment ce barrage. Les pèlerins hindous et les touristes indiens expriment leur satisfaction tandis que les populations déplacées, les mouvements environnementalistes et les partis conservateurs hindous remettent en question cette œuvre du développement.

The sustainability of social–ecological systems within river deltas globally is in question as rapid development and environmental change trigger “negative” or “positive” tipping points depending on actors’ perspectives, e.g. regime shift from abundant sediment deposition to sediment shortage, agricultural sustainability to agricultural collapse or shift from rural to urban land use. Using a systematic review of the literature, we show how cascading effects across anthropogenic, ecological, and geophysical processes have triggered numerous tipping points in the governance, hydrological, and land-use management of the world’s river deltas. Crossing tipping points had both positive and negative effects that generally enhanced economic development to the detriment of the environment. Assessment of deltas that featured prominently in the review revealed how outcomes of tipping points can inform the long-term trajectory of deltas towards sustainability or collapse. Management of key drivers at the delta scale can trigger positive tipping points to place social–ecological systems on a pathway towards sustainable development.

Alors que la participation du public est devenue une prescription réglementaire, nous questionnons ici la légitimité et la place accordée aux savoirs citoyens dans la gestion participative des territoires de l’eau. Pour répondre à ces questions, cet article présente un projet de recherche participative impliquant des habitants de la rivière Dordogne. Plusieurs outils ont été mobilisés (ateliers, cartes, entretiens) pour engager la participation du public, identifier et comprendre la construction des savoirs citoyens. L’ensemble de cette recherche a fait l’objet d’un tournage et a donné lieu à la réalisation d’un film utilisé, une fois monté, comme un outil de recherche. Les séances de projection ont permis de poursuivre le débat. L’analyse des données produites met en évidence une pluralité de savoirs et une diversité d’usages de la rivière que nous présentons dans l’article. Néanmoins, le sentiment d’attachement à cet espace contribue à la construction d’une identité riveraine commune. Face à une gestion dominée par les « savoirs experts », le recours aux savoirs des citoyens et leurs mobilisations dans des outils participatifs permettraient de mieux politiser des enjeux concernant l’aménagement de la Dordogne. La prise en compte légitime de ces savoirs permettrait d’assurer l’appropriation des territoires de l’eau par les populations riveraines.