In West Africa, many livelihoods depend on forest ecosystem goods and services, often in interplay with agricultural and livestock production systems. Climate change adds a new dimension to an already demanding situation in which governance systems are challenged to formulate, finance and implement adaptation strategies at multiple levels, often in a context of ongoing institutional changes, such as decentralisation. This study argues that a deeper understanding of actors, institutions and networks is needed to overcome barriers in socio-ecological systems to adaptation and enable or enhance adaptive capacity. The paper explores the relationship between governance and adaptive capacity, and assesses the effects of a set of variables and indicators related to two core variables: institutional flexibility; and individual and organisational understandings and perceptions. The comparative analysis is based on a number of case studies undertaken at different levels in Burkina Faso and Mali.