Within the context of disaster risk reduction, including climate change adaptation, significant thematic discourse has been dedicated to the difficulty of implementing research-based knowledge in policy and practise. Not only has the discussion focused on the causes of this issue, but many recommendations for enhancing the use of information and knowledge have also been made. The authors first frame the knowledge challenges and, second, introduce a systematic means to identify the factors hindering the use of information and knowledge. The approach proposed allows determining core barriers in the co-production, exchange, and use of knowledge. Subsequently, we illustrate where further advancement is needed in the field of knowledge development, means of transmission and use for disaster risk reduction. We suggest a method that analyses cases considering the success or failure of information flows from and to different stakeholder groups. The aim is to identify causes for knowledge fragmentation at different phases in the disaster management continuum, and, subsequently, to strengthen both individual and institutional learning, as well as to determine social and functional changes required to address pressing issues of disaster risk reduction, including climate change adaptation, in a competent manner.
