Uncovering community engagement networks for adaptation

Illustration of person drawing lines between other people

The rapid development of adaptation as a mainstream strategy for managing the risks of climate change has resulted in the global emergence of a broad range of adaptation policies and management strategies. The success of these initiatives is largely dependent on their acceptance and uptake by local communities, which remains a significant challenge.

Accordingly, policy-makers require novel approaches to overcome barriers to community engagement so as to enhance the likely success of community engagement pathways.

This project, funded under the NSW Adaptation Research Hub (DPIE) demonstrates the value of using social network analysis to reveal the underlying knowledge network structures. This approach makes it possible to identify key individuals within a community who can disseminate adaptation information quickly across broad geographic ranges. By utilising this approach, policy-makers globally will be able to increase the extent to which adaption initiatives are accepted and adhered to by local communities, thus increasing their success.

RESEARCH OUTPUTS

Community based perspectives on climate change and adaptation in the Shoalhaven region (2015) (Report)

Engaging local communities in climate adaptation: a social network perspective from Bega Valley, New South Wales, Australia (2015) (Report)

Engaging local communities in climate adaptation: a social network perspective from Orange Valley, New South Wales, Australia (2016) (Report)

Social network analysis: a primer on engaging communities on climate adaptation in New South Wales, Australia (2017) (Report)

Exploring networks of the New South Wales Government Bushfire Risk Management Research Hub (2019) (Report)

Engaging communities in climate adaptation: the potential of social networks (2016) (Report)

Uncovering Engagement Networks for Adaptation in Three Regional Communities: Empirical Examples from New South Wales, Australia (2021) (Report)

The Emergence of Relationality in Governance of Climate Change Adaptation (2020) (Report)