Planning for climate change
The former South East Natural Resources Management Board incorporated planning for climate change into its Regional Plan.
The Goyder Institute and the CSIRO carried out the most complete modelling of the future climate in the Limestone Coast that has ever been available. The modelling shows that in the next decades, we can expect more frequent heat waves, less rainfall (especially in spring), higher storm surges, increased bushfire risk and less recharge to groundwater.
Keith will experience a climate more similar to Kadina or Streaky Bay by 2090, and Mount Gambier will be more similar to Penola or Wangaratta.
View the Limestone Coast's Climate Projections Report.
Our partners in preparing for climate change
The Board partnered with Regional Development Australia Limestone Coast (RDALC) and the Limestone Coast Local Government Association (LGLCA) to work with the community to develop the Limestone Coast Regional Climate Change Adaptation Plan. The plan will guide South East communities, organisations and businesses in prioritising actions to adapt to changes in climate.
The process
Consultants URPS analysed the existing information on what the community value about our region, including information from the Board’s Community Survey in 2014. The results identified our coast, fishing areas, biodiversity, groundwater, primary production and soils as valued assets of the region.
A series of workshops were held in Keith and Mount Gambier in June 2015 with representatives from the agriculture, dairy, wine, forestry, potato growers, natural resources management, local government, volunteer groups, community development, and health and emergency management sectors in attendance. In order to determine each sector’s vulnerability to climate change, attendees scored the expected impact that changes in climate will have on their sector.
A second series of workshops was held in September 2015 to develop pathways and actions for adapting to climate change. The final workshop was held in April 2016 to plan implementation.
The Sector Agreement
A Sector Agreement was signed between the the Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, RDALC, LCLGA and the SE NRM Board at Bordertown on 11 September 2016. The Agreement will operate as a memorandum of understanding between the partners and will set out the partners’ commitment and governance arrangements for implementing the actions in the Plan.
Key elements of the Agreement are:
- It demonstrates the commitment of signatories to tackle climate change by focusing on adaptation actions.
- The Limestone Coast Climate Adaptation Committee (LCCAC), with representation from all signatories, will be formed to oversee adaptation action.
- A three-year action plan will be developed to identify priority climate adaptation actions to be taken in the Limestone Coast region over the next three years, and reviewed annually.
Documents
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