Abstract: Provided herein is a method and apparatus for adaptively performing protection switching in an MPLS-TP packet transport network, the method including: receiving, by a protection switching adaptation apparatus, the protection switching message from a transmitting node; in response to the protection switching message being not interpretable based on a protection switching engine of a receiving node, converting, by the protection switching adaptation apparatus, the protection switching message to generate a converted protection switching message, and transmitting the converted protection switching message to the receiving node; and interpreting, by the receiving node, the converted protection switching message based on the protection switching engine to perform a protection switching process.