Vulnerability assessments are a vital component of adaptation efforts as vulnerabilities can vary greatly over time and space, and determine what parts of society are most at risk.  Adaptation efforts can even create greater vulnerabilities for some groups, particularly women, in the process of assisting others.   This article examines these complexities in the shifting vulnerabilities to climate change arising from an evolving social, economic, ecological and political landscape in the Lake Faguibine region of Mali.