Embedding biodiversity research into climate adaptation policy and practice

Victoria Graham*, Tony Auld, Linda Beaumont, Linda Bell, Suzanne Dunford, Rachael Gallagher, Nola Hancock, Michelle R. Leishman, Polly Mitchell, Leigh Staas, Lesley Hughes

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    1 Citation (Scopus)
    76 Downloads (Pure)

    Abstract

    Addressing climate change risks requires collaboration and engagement across all sectors of society. In particular, effective partnerships are needed between research scientists producing new knowledge, policy-makers and practitioners who apply conservation actions on the ground. We describe the implementation of a model for increasing the application and useability of biodiversity research in climate adaptation policy and practice. The focus of the program was to increase the ability of a state government agency and natural resource practitioners in Australia to manage and protect biodiversity in a changing climate. The model comprised a five-stage process for enhancing impact (i) initiation of research projects that addressed priority conservation policy and management issues; (ii) co-design of the research using a collaborative approach involving multiple stakeholders; (iii) implementation of the research and design of decision tools and web-based resources; (iv) collaborative dissemination of the tools and resources via government and community working groups; and (v) evaluation of research impact. We report on the model development and implementation, and critically reflect on the model's impact. We share the lessons learnt from the challenges of operating within a stakeholder group with diverse objectives and criteria for success, and provide a template for creating an environmental research program with real world impact.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)4935-4945
    Number of pages11
    JournalGlobal Change Biology
    Volume27
    Issue number19
    Early online date25 Jun 2021
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Oct 2021

    Keywords

    • adaptation
    • biodiversity
    • climate change
    • communication
    • engagement
    • knowledge transfer
    • research-implementation space
    • roadmap

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