Civil society organizations' institutional climate capacity for community-based conservation projects: Characteristics, factors, and issues

Abstract

This literature review explores civil society organizations' (CSOs) climate adaptive capacity, fundamental characteristics, factors contributing to various frameworks for assessing their institutional climate capacity. Identifying the factors and characteristics influencing CSOs' institutional capacity with regard to community conservation projects is crucial in addressing their gaps and strengthening the adaptive climate capacities of organizations and communities. Hence, this study assesses vulnerability, resilience, and adaptive capacity frameworks and approaches by renowned institutions and researchers. The general findings imply that multiple dimensions and criteria govern and regulate CSOs' climate capacity. The study's arguments also revealed that significant dimensions, such as organizational structure, governance, coordination arrangements, infrastructure, and human resources, drive the flexibility and adaptivity of CSOs' climate adaptive capacity. Hence, the proposed analytical framework attempts to address these issues by focusing on the constraints and application of SWOC analysis in enhancing their institutional climate adaptivity. The outcome summarizes the realities and existing gaps in these CSOs and the developed frameworks that govern the implementation of participatory models providing valuable reference points to strengthen institutional adaptive capacities and resilience.