Maladaptation (entailing further environmental deterioration, increased vulnerability or decreased welfare) may arise owing to inconsistency among these sectoral adaptation policies, or among short-term solutions and long-term adaptation needs. Maladaptation may then result in greater vulnerability in the future or in negative effects on other communities or sectors. An integrated policy approach, in contrast, possesses the advantage of taking into consideration different priorities and various sources of information, which are crucial in the policymaking process, in order to prevent maladaptation.