What, when, where, why, and who (5Ws)
The 5Ws framework enables users to rapidly assess how—and by what means—climate change will require innovation beyond business-as-usual conservation practice (Oakes et al., 2021). The assessment encourages users to ask "what, when, where, why, and who"—or the "5Ws"— as a tool in project design and implementation. The "what," for example, means considering whether climate variability and projected changes will require taking new actions or modifying existing actions. The "who" asks users to consider: by whom, with whom, who benefits and who might bear potential harm or tradeoffs from project implementation and anticipated outcomes. Oakes et al. (2021) argue that using the 5Ws can help design conservation projects, especially using Nature-based Solutions (NbS) to climate change, account for climate futures, engage communities, and deliver a comprehensive suite of benefits.
This rapid assessment could also be used for near-term or small-scale planning, while flagging issues to tackle with more in-depth planning processes (Oakes et al., 2021). Other researchers have proposed the 5Ws as a method for co-producing context-specific definitions of resilience when engaging with communities and resilience planning for urban areas (Meerow & Newell, 2019) and fisheries (Maltby et al., 2023). These authors used the 5Ws to develop plans, while Oakes et al. (2021) used the 5Ws to assess actions.
For example, when planning to replace culverts, asking the 5Ws could help identify where the project is needed based on shifting precipitation, when it needs to happen to accommodate projected increased runoff, and who should be consulted (e.g. transportation departments, residents, wildlife experts). The 5Ws can also illuminate dimensions of the project that are already climate-informed. The what, replacing culverts, and the why, to upgrade failing infrastructure, do not need to be reconsidered. We suggest a process for how to apply the 5Ws to writing actions for the SWAPs reports in Section II of this chapter.
References
Adapted from
Staudinger, M.D., A.V. Karmalkar, K. Terwilliger, K. Burgio, A. Lubeck, H. Higgins, T. Rice, T.L. Morelli, A. D'Amato. 2024. A regional synthesis of climate data to inform the 2025 State Wildlife Action Plans in the Northeast U.S. DOI Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center Cooperator Report. 406 p. https://doi.org/10.21429/t352-9q86