Policy considerations for managing wetlands under a changing climate

C. M. Finlayson; S. J. Capon; D. Rissik; J. Pittock; G. Fisk; N. C. Davidson; K. A. Bodmin; P. Papas; H. A. Robertson; M. Schallenberg; N. Saintilan; K. Edyvane; G. Bino

doi:10.1071/mf16244

Policy considerations for managing wetlands under a changing climate

Marine and Freshwater Research ◽

10.1071/mf16244 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 68 (10) ◽

pp. 1803 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

C. M. Finlayson ◽

S. J. Capon ◽

D. Rissik ◽

J. Pittock ◽

G. Fisk ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Wetland Management ◽

Management Policy ◽

Wetland Condition ◽

Ramsar Convention ◽

Policy Context ◽

Vulnerability To Climate Change ◽

The Face ◽

Potential Adaptation ◽

Wetland Policy

Drawing on the experience and lessons of wetland researchers and managers in Australia and New Zealand, we examined the implications of climate change for wetland policy and management, and identified potential adaptation responses and the information needed to support these. First, we considered wetland vulnerability to climate change, focusing on wetland exposure and sensitivity. We then outlined the existing policy context for dealing with climate change, with an emphasis on the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. We then considered how the objectives and targets for wetland management can be set in the face of climate change, how management can be adapted to climate change given the uncertainties involved, and how we can monitor and evaluate wetland condition in the face of climate change. We concluded with a set of principles to guide adaptation of wetland conservation and management policy to climate change.

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Securing well-being with the advent of climate hazards

International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management ◽

10.1108/ijccsm-04-2014-0048 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 175-193 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Eugene Loh Chia ◽

Anne Marie Tiani ◽

Denis Jean Sonwa ◽

Alba Saray Perez-Teran ◽

Berenger Tchatchou

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Climate Variability ◽

Forest Ecosystems ◽

Local Level ◽

Well Being ◽

Content Type ◽

Vulnerability To Climate Change ◽

The Face ◽

Development Goals ◽

Resource Systems

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the contribution of forests resource systems to the different aspects of community well-being, the implications of climate variability on the different sources of well-being and further identifies direct and indirect social and policy opportunities relevant for communities to enhance their capabilities in the face of climate variability and change in the Tri-National de la Sangha landscape of Cameroon. Design/methodology/approach – It illustrates on data collected from focus group discussions and from 151 households randomly selected in three villages to operationalize the conceptual links between community well-being and vulnerability. Findings – The study shows that vulnerability to climate change interferes with community strategies to achieve well-being, in addition to non-climatic processes which are both internal and external to communities. The study further indicates that healthy forest ecosystems provide opportunities for the local folks to build assets, improve food security, improve health and reduce risks. However, this requires capacity building and the channeling of resources to the local level, in addition to win–win sectoral policy amendments. Research limitations/implications – Biophysical methods required to complement community perceptions on the suitability of forest resource systems to climate variability. Practical implications – This paper argues that appropriate strategies which aim at improving well-being needs to capture the role of forest ecosystems, climate change risks and uncertainty and macroeconomic and social processes. Originality/value – This study contributes to the literature on the relationship between climate risk and the well-being of forest communities. This is relevant for practitioners and policy makers to reflect on the risk of climate change and the rationale for conserving forest resources for community well-being in the post-2015 Millennium Development Goals conclusions.

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Vulnerability to climate change in Igloolik, Nunavut: what we can learn from the past and present

Polar Record ◽

10.1017/s0032247406005122 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 42 (2) ◽

pp. 127-138 ◽

Cited By ~ 83

Author(s):

James D. Ford ◽

Barry Smit ◽

Johanna Wandel ◽

John MacDonald

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Indigenous Communities ◽

Future Climate ◽

Future Climate Change ◽

Vulnerability To Climate Change ◽

Starting Point ◽

The Face ◽

Societal Changes ◽

Inuit Knowledge ◽

Biophysical Changes

Significant and rapid climate change is predicted for Arctic regions. These changes are expected to have implications for indigenous communities. This paper argues that the starting point to understand how future climate change may affect communities is analysis of past and present experience of, and response to, climate variability and change. Using a vulnerability approach, the paper provides an historical account of changing vulnerability to climate-related risks among Inuit in Igloolik, Nunavut. The research demonstrates that Inuit in Igloolik have been highly adaptable in the face of climatic stresses. This adaptability has historically been facilitated by traditional Inuit knowledge, resource use flexibility and diversity, group mobility, and strong social networks. However, societal changes, and more recently biophysical changes, have increased the susceptibility of people to climatic risks and have undermined certain aspects of adaptive capacity. The research indicates that the implications of future climate change will be influenced by the interaction between biophysical and societal changes, will vary over time in response to forces internal and external to the community, and will be differentiated among social groups.

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Australia's Biodiversity and Climate Change

10.1071/9780643098190 ◽

2009 ◽

Cited By ~ 71

Author(s):

Will Steffen (Lead Author)

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Biodiversity Conservation ◽

Policy Development ◽

Institutional Design ◽

Management Policy ◽

Human Society ◽

Policy Makers ◽

Changing Climate ◽

Australian Alps ◽

The Face

Australia's unique biodiversity is under threat from a rapidly changing climate. The effects of climate change are already discernible at all levels of biodiversity – genes, species, communities and ecosystems. Many of Australia's most valued and iconic natural areas – the Great Barrier Reef, south-western Australia, the Kakadu wetlands and the Australian Alps – are among the most vulnerable. But much more is at stake than saving iconic species or ecosystems. Australia's biodiversity is fundamental to the country's national identity, economy and quality of life. In the face of uncertainty about specific climate scenarios, ecological and management principles provide a sound basis for maximising opportunities for species to adapt, communities to reorganise and ecosystems to transform while maintaining basic functions critical to human society. This innovative approach to biodiversity conservation under a changing climate leads to new challenges for management, policy development and institutional design. This book explores these challenges, building on a detailed analysis of the interactions between a changing climate and Australia's rich but threatened biodiversity. Australia's Biodiversity and Climate Change is an important reference for policy makers, researchers, educators, students, journalists, environmental and conservation NGOs, NRM managers, and private landholders with an interest in biodiversity conservation in a rapidly changing world.

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Climate Impact Assessments With a Lens on Inequality

The Journal of Environment & Development ◽

10.1177/1070496518774098 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 27 (3) ◽

pp. 267-298 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Marco V. Sánchez

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Human Capital ◽

Welfare Effects ◽

Climate Impact ◽

Human Welfare ◽

Production Factors ◽

Vulnerability To Climate Change ◽

The Face ◽

Basic Services ◽

New Research

Climate impact assessments inform climate change discussions. Integrated use of biophysical and economic models made it possible to move from assessments exclusively focused on the physical impacts, to assessments that incorporate the prospective effects on human welfare. Effects on poverty and livelihoods are better understood. However, even though structural inequalities exacerbate exposure and vulnerability to climate change, the nexus between climate change and inequality remains underresearched. We suggest ways to feature inequalities prominently in climate impact assessments hoping to encourage new research. We suggest how to use modeling capability to explore how existing inequalities may worsen in the face of climate hazards, through perturbation of natural resource systems, unemployment of production factors, a lack of access to human capital and basic services, and socioeconomic attributes that place people at a disadvantage. We also point to the policy analysis that one can develop and areas to improve it going forward.

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