Climate change adaptation and wetlands governance in Lesotho

Adaptation to climate change is of growing importance in developing countries, which are highly vulnerable and have increased access to international adaptation finance. Adaptation discourse is thus an emerging feature of national policy arenas in developing countries. This dissertation analyses the impact of adaptation discourse on national wetlands policy and local level wetlands governance in Lesotho, a potential recipient of adaptation finance. Sustainable management of wetlands can reduce climate change impacts in Lesotho, as wetlands are vital to both the Lesotho Highlands Water Project and rural communities through water provision and livestock grazing. Developing a multi-level new institutionalist analytical framework, a discursive institutional approach is applied to analyse the influence of adaptation discourse on national wetlands policy. At the local level, a nature-related transactions approach is applied to explain conflicts and effectiveness of wetlands governance. It is found that institutional arrangements at the international level, e. g., „additionality“ finance criteria and adaptation planning guidance, influence national policy by advancing narratives on biophysical and economic aspects of wetlands conservation. At the local level, institutional factors, such as, ambiguity in the roles of customary and modern authorities, stock-theft networks, and the judiciary explain governance effectiveness. Integrating the two levels, the analysis shows that adaptation discourse de-emphasises institutional aspects that are key for effective implementation and that adaptation policy can benefit from more flexible finance criteria and institutional arrangements that support the inclusion of social scientists in national adaptation planning in developing countries.