Climate change and the barriers of LAPA implementation

Abstract

Climate change poses significant challenges to local governance systems, particularly in developing countries where institutional, financial, and social capacities remain limited. Local Adaptation Plans of Action (LAPA) of Nepal represent a pioneering policy framework for integrating climate adaptation into local development planning. However, despite a decade of implementation, substantial gaps persist between policy design and on-ground execution. This study has examined the barriers affecting LAPA implementation in selected municipalities using a qualitative case study approach. Guided by a widely recognized diagnostic adaptation framework, the research draws on semi-structured interviews with municipal officials, local stakeholders, and development practitioners, complemented by document review and thematic analysis. The findings reveal six major categories of interlinked barriers: institutional fragmentation, financial ambiguity, regulatory and legal inconsistency, political interference, attitudinal resistance, and socio-cultural exclusion. These barriers manifest across all phases of the adaptation cycle, understanding, planning, and managing and tend to reinforce one another, creating systemic implementation bottlenecks. For instance, weak institutional coordination contributes to inefficient financial flows, while unclear mandates and elite capture compromise inclusive governance. The study highlights the need for targeted institutional reforms, enhanced budget-policy alignment, regulatory clarity at the subnational level, and stronger engagement with marginalized groups. By illuminating the dynamic interactions among barriers, the study contributes to the understanding of adaptation governance in decentralized contexts and offers policy-relevant insights for improving the effectiveness of local adaptation strategies in Nepal and similar settings.