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A local coastal adaptation pathway

Nature Climate Change volume 4, pages 1103–1108 (2014)Cite this article

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Abstract

Local governments are not adapting to sea-level rise because it is difficult to build consensus on the need for change and the best way to implement it. In theory, adaptation pathways can resolve this impasse. Adaptation pathways are a sequence of linked strategies that are triggered by a change in environmental conditions, and in which initial decisions can have low regrets and preserve options for future generations. We report on a project that sought to empirically test the relevance and feasibility of a local pathway for adapting to sea-level rise. We find that triggers of change that have social impacts are salient to local people, and developing a local adaptation pathway helps build consensus among diverse constituencies. Our results show that adaptation pathways are feasible at the local scale, offering a low-risk, low-cost way to begin the long process of adaptation to sea-level rise.

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Figure 1: Key features of the proposed local adaptation pathway for Lakes Entrance, showing the sequence of triggers, the areas they are likely to effect, and the policy steps they activate.
Figure 2: The attributes of Lakes Entrance that are most important to the local community, and which they wish to preserve through adaptation, as revealed through a phone survey of 199 residents.

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Acknowledgements

Thanks to our partners in the East Gippsland Shire Council and The Victorian Government for their support of and participation in this research, and to the residents of Lakes Entrance who participated in this study. This research was funded by the Australian Research Council project LP100100586.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Geography, The University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia

    J. Barnett, S. Graham, C. Mortreux, R. Fincher & E. Waters

  2. Urban Planning, The University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia

    A. Hurlimann

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  1. J. Barnett
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Contributions

All authors participated in the design of the study and in writing the paper. J.B., S.G., C.M. and E.W. conducted the workshop with local decision-makers. J.B., R.F., S.G. and C.M. conducted the focus groups, and analysed the data.

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Correspondence to J. Barnett.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Barnett, J., Graham, S., Mortreux, C. et al. A local coastal adaptation pathway. Nature Clim Change 4, 1103–1108 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2383

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