Limits to adaptation : a review of limitations relevant to the project “Building Resilience to Climate Change – Coastal Southeast Asia”

There are a multitude of limiting factors preventing ecosystems, communities, organisms and individuals from adapting to change. Ecological and physical limits comprise the natural limitations to adaptation, associated largely with the natural environment, ranging from ecosystem thresholds to geographical and geological limitations. Climate change will require many disciplines and capabilities to come together to understand the full extent of the effects and to analyse and develop potential solutions. Support for climate change policy by all stakeholders in the coastal zone is crucial and the ability of managers to generate support for adaptation actions will be vital for the success of those responses.