Adaptation Success Stories

Adaptating to Saskatchewan’s climate is not new.  Adaptation is essential to thrive in a province where extreme temperatures and precipitation variability are the norm and extreme weather events, such as flood and drought, happen all too frequently.

Introduction

This section of SaskAdapt.ca is an opportunity to share adaptation experiences.  The stories come from all sectors of society; public and private, rural and urban.   They are meant to inform and inspire action.

If you are aware of other success stories that should be shared, please contact PARC.  We welcome your input.

The adaptation success stories hear all deal with real climate-related issues.  These examples will serve us well in years to come.  Of particular note are those stories from the agriculture sector.  Agriculture is highly dependent on climate conditions and therefore adaptation often means survival.

• Agricultural Innovations
  
  • Conservation Cover – Conservation Cover Programs
  • Saskatchewan Crop Insurance – Recovery and Stability
  • Progress in Range Management – Applied Research
  • Soil Conservation – Zero Till
• Natural Disaster Response – Provincial Disaster Assistance Program (PDAD)
• Drought Preparedness – Swift Current Creek Watershed Stewards
• Forest Management – Planning for Climate Change
• Water Conservation – Provincial and Municipal Initiatives
• Water Security – Farm and Ranch Water Infrastructure Program
• Wildfire Risk Reduction – FireSmart

Learning From Adaptation Success Stories

The success stories exhibit a number of important features about adaptation:

• Climate conditions are usually only one of the risks or opportunities being considered in the decision-making process.
• Initiatives were developed in response to either an actual or perceived risk.
• Most initiatives are cost-effective.   They will save time and/or money over the long run.
• Most have multiple benefits.   For example, they may save resources, cut down on greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to other important goals such as biodiversity conservation.
• Most adaptations were a team effort, developed in partnership with others.  Most are designed to influence the behaviour of a broader audience.
• All require some level of adaptive management and continuous improvement.  Conditions and outcomes need to be monitored.  Programs need to be reviewed, evaluated and updated in light of new information.