Community engagement in climate change adaptation: Lessons from recent world experiences and applications for Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka faces escalating climate-related risks such as floods, droughts, and rising sea levels, which disproportionately affect vulnerable communities. While the government has taken steps to address these challenges through the National Adaptation Plan (NAP), the integration of community engagement into climate change adaptation remains limited. This paper examines the current status of community involvement in adaptation planning in Sri Lanka, identifying key barriers including top-down governance, low awareness at the grassroots level, insufficient decentralization, and a lack of institutional frameworks for participation. Despite these challenges, Sri Lanka's well-established local administrative structures and the growing presence of civil society organizations offer promising entry points for strengthening community-based adaptation (CBA). Drawing on global principles of CBA—such as local empowerment, equity, and the use of indigenous knowledge—the paper argues that inclusive, participatory approaches are essential for building climate resilience. Enhanced community engagement not only ensures that adaptation measures are context-specific and sustainable but also supports climate justice by amplifying the voices of those most affected by climate impacts.