Defining spaces of resilience within the neoliberal paradigm: could French land use classifications guide support for risk management within an Australian regional context?

An effective response to future risk within socioecosystems will require the retention of local diversity, not just in more vulnerable communities on the margins but also in regions vital to industrialised countries. A case study is presented that examines agroecosystem vulnerability to climate change within an Australian multifunctional rural landscape adjacent to the city of Adelaide. The dominant neoliberal governance approach is struggling to account for the levels of risk apparent in the region, even though there is considerable evidence that changes in policy and practice are required. Land use planning mechanisms can explicitly and implicitly support adaptation to risk within vital agroecosystems by defining spaces of complexity and experimentation. A review of French land use policy suggests that appropriate classifications can facilitate support for local diversity and broaden the capacity of farming systems to adapt to risk. Such classifications of spaces valuable for socio-ecological resilience and innovation could become vital tools to integrate into neoliberal governance systems to support anticipatory adaptation to future socio-ecological risk.Douglas K. Bardsley and Pierre Pec

Generating narratives on future risk to inform regional climate change adaptation planning

This chapter uses the regional research projects as case studies to argue that adaptation decision-making must draw from logical narratives on future risk that are synthesised from all available sources, and that the space for future learning must remain. The South Australian research has focused on work with regional natural resource management (NRM) boards and practitioners to generate appropriate planned responses to climate change risk in both an urban core region and a remote indigenous region. The work in Asia analysed the potential impacts of climate change on human populations and its implications for migration patterns. In both cases, the analyses integrated a range of knowledge, including metric-based projections of future climatic and environmental conditions, and perceptions and analyses of historical, contemporary and possible future socio-ecosystems. The South Australian and Asian case studies briefly frame a discussion on the requirement to transform society to generate sustainable and resilient systems.Douglas K. Bardsley, Nathanael D. Wiseman and Graeme J. Hug

Planned retreat as a management response to coastal risk: A case study from the Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia

Australian coastal areas have been identified as highly vulnerable to climate change, with major projected impacts including sea level rise, extreme weather events, increased erosion, and a change in coastal processes and wave patterns. Such impacts would cause coastal settlements and ecosystems to face increasingly uncertain conditions. In response to increased risk, effective coastal management at local and regional scales is needed, with governing bodies providing significant leadership. This research explores the challenges of applying effective adaptation responses to projected climate change in vulnerable coastal systems on the South Coast of the Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia. In particular, the option of planned retreat as a management response to coastal risk is critically examined, with the incorporation of learning from Byron Bay, NSW. A mixed methods approach was undertaken by integrating documentary interrogation with the analysis of interview responses from key coastal managers. It was determined that despite the increase in adaptation planning and development of management strategy options to manage sea level rise on the Fleurieu Peninsula, there is a lack of implementation of adaptation responses. In addition, planning seems to focus largely on the implications of sea level rise on infrastructure, often overlooking other risks and possible ecological impacts. Inconsistencies in governance are reflected at all levels, indicating a need for comprehensive improvements to ensure the incorporation of appropriate risk responses into planning decisions. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.Rhiannon J. Niven, Douglas K. Bardsle