Network governance and climate change adaptation: collaborative responses to the Queensland floods

Abstract This research examines ways to build adaptive capacity to climate change, through a case study of organisations that participated in the response to Queensland’s major flood disaster in Queensland in 2010/11. The research applied a network governance approach, including social network analysis and qualitative investigations, to the communities of Rockhampton, Emerald and Brisbane. The study was designed to compare social networks across a range of different geographical; functional; and institutional and regulatory contexts.Primary data were obtained from organisations involved in disaster management and water management, through a telephone survey conducted March – September 2012. The network analyses examined collaboration and communication patterns; changes in the network structure from routine management to flood operations; similarities and differences between the geographic regions, and whether collaboration was correlated with trust. A cultural values analysis was then performed to identify the key values of the network actors in each region. Two workshops were conducted in Rockhampton and Brisbane to disseminate the findings to stakeholders, as well as to obtain feedback through group activities.A total of 63 organisations participated in the study. As the network analyses and visualisations indicated that the Rockhampton and Emerald networks were tightly interconnected, a single ‘Central Queensland’ (CQ) network was used for all subsequent analyses. In both Brisbane and CQ, slightly higher levels of collaboration amongst organisations were recorded during flood periods compared with routine operations; and organisations tended to provide, as well as receive, information and/or resources from their collaborators. Overall, both networks appeared to feature high trust, with only a low level of difficult ties (problematic relationships) being reported.The cultural analyses identified patterns of common values amongst participating organisations. In Brisbane, respondents placed a high value on shared information systems and resources; shared communication and language; as well as on collaboration and flexibility. In the CQ network, there was a greater emphasis on local solutions, community wellbeing and longitudinal issues (such as post-disaster supply chains for recovery). The workshop activities suggested that the current structure of Local Disaster Management Groups was heavily influential on broader network participation; and that defining an ‘effective’ disaster response was a complex issue.This study has demonstrated that a network governance approach can provide new ways of understanding the core elements of adaptive capacity, in areas such as enablers and barriers to adaptation, and translating capacity into adaptation. The key implications for policy and practice include the need for stakeholders to drive adaptation to climate change through collaboration and communication; the need for stakeholders to share a common goal and language; the need for better engagement with community, diversity and Indigenous organisations; the need to establish collaboration outside of disaster events; and the need for network governance systems to play an important role in helping to facilitate climate change adaptation. The areas identified for future research included further methodological development and longitudinal studies of social networks, understanding effective modes of communication, and the influence of the changing nature of regional Australian communities on climate change adaptation.Please cite this report as:Kinnear, S, Patison, K, Mann, J, Malone, E, Ross, V 2013, Network governance and climate change adaptation: collaborative responses to the Queensland floods, National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility, Gold Coast, pp. 113.This research examines ways to build adaptive capacity to climate change, through a case study of organisations that participated in the response to Queensland’s major flood disaster in Queensland in 2010/11. The research applied a network governance approach, including social network analysis and qualitative investigations, to the communities of Rockhampton, Emerald and Brisbane. The study was designed to compare social networks across a range of different geographical; functional; and institutional and regulatory contexts.Primary data were obtained from organisations involved in disaster management and water management, through a telephone survey conducted March – September 2012. The network analyses examined collaboration and communication patterns; changes in the network structure from routine management to flood operations; similarities and differences between the geographic regions, and whether collaboration was correlated with trust. A cultural values analysis was then performed to identify the key values of the network actors in each region. Two workshops were conducted in Rockhampton and Brisbane to disseminate the findings to stakeholders, as well as to obtain feedback through group activities.A total of 63 organisations participated in the study. As the network analyses and visualisations indicated that the Rockhampton and Emerald networks were tightly interconnected, a single ‘Central Queensland’ (CQ) network was used for all subsequent analyses. In both Brisbane and CQ, slightly higher levels of collaboration amongst organisations were recorded during flood periods compared with routine operations; and organisations tended to provide, as well as receive, information and/or resources from their collaborators. Overall, both networks appeared to feature high trust, with only a low level of difficult ties (problematic relationships) being reported.The cultural analyses identified patterns of common values amongst participating organisations. In Brisbane, respondents placed a high value on shared information systems and resources; shared communication and language; as well as on collaboration and flexibility. In the CQ network, there was a greater emphasis on local solutions, community wellbeing and longitudinal issues (such as post-disaster supply chains for recovery). The workshop activities suggested that the current structure of Local Disaster Management Groups was heavily influential on broader network participation; and that defining an ‘effective’ disaster response was a complex issue.This study has demonstrated that a network governance approach can provide new ways of understanding the core elements of adaptive capacity, in areas such as enablers and barriers to adaptation, and translating capacity into adaptation. The key implications for policy and practice include the need for stakeholders to drive adaptation to climate change through collaboration and communication; the need for stakeholders to share a common goal and language; the need for better engagement with community, diversity and Indigenous organisations; the need to establish collaboration outside of disaster events; and the need for network governance systems to play an important role in helping to facilitate climate change adaptation. The areas identified for future research included further methodological development and longitudinal studies of social networks, understanding effective modes of communication, and the influence of the changing nature of regional Australian communities on climate change adaptation

Do we really drive as we feel?

Learning to drive has been conceptualised as a series of stages which take the learner from mastery of the basic mechanics of driving, through anticipation of other road user's behaviour, to the development of a driving style consistent with the skill achieved in the first two stages (Parker & Stradling, 2002). Deery (1999) suggests that hazard perception is one of the main skills to be acquired in the second stage and that this skill is poorly developed in the inexperienced (and usually young) driver

Histological changes in the kidney produced by the action of drugs

Apart from physiological investigations numerous re- searches both pathological and pharmacological have been made on the action of drugs on the .kidneys. These organs, being the main excretory glands of the body, occupy a peculiar position with regard to the action of drugs. Every or nearly every substance ab- sorbed into the blood is excreted wholly or in part by then, consequently they are not unfrequently act- ed upon, and, if the substance be present in large amount, they may undergo considerable change.Some particular drugs, especially of the irritant class, have a marked influence, and in large doses cause congestion and inflammation; but others, whose predominant action is elsewhere, frequently affect the kidneys also. It is not difficult to understand why this is so. At the present day the tendency is to regard the action of drugs, broadly speaking, as a general one, and doubtless in the majority of instances this is in the main correct; for once a drug is in solution in the blood it bathes all tissues alike, and the difference between the fundamental living basis of different cells is not so great that the majority of drugs can demonstrate it. In other words the selective action of most drugs simply means preponderating effect. When excessive doses of drugs are given their action becomes widely diffuse, they tend to become protoplasmic poisons and affect most of the tissues. The kidneys owing to their position are readily affected; but it must be admitted that they possess a peculiarly resistant structure. The renal cells may however, if Albrechts°z investigations are correct, be modified by comparatively simple means, for after the inject- ion of strong saccharine solutions into the intestine he found distinct changes in the renal cells on the following day

Colour in visualisation for computational fluid dynamics

Colour is used in computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations in two key ways. First it is used to visualise the geometry and allow the engineers to be confident that the model constructed is a good representation of the engineering situation. Once an analysis has been completed, colour is used in post-processing the data from the simulations to illustrate the complex fluid mechanic phenomena under investigation. This paper describes these two uses of colour and provides some examples to illustrate the key visualisation approaches used in CFD

Moving with the times: amending the ICSID rules

ICSID is amending its rules for resolving international investment disputes. This Perspective outlines changes proposed by the ICSID Secretariat in August 2018, which draw on input from governments, the private sector and the public. The proposals update ICSID’s existing rules for arbitration, conciliation and fact-finding, and introduce new mediation rules

Vascular risk and depression in outpatients at Groote Schuur Hospital memory clinic

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 59-67).Background and Objective: Depression in the elderly has been linked with stroke, and with white matter lesions, particularly in frontal-subcortical regions responsible for mood regulation. Such evidence of vascular disease has in turn been associated with vascular risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension, smoking, high cholesterol and heart disease. The vascular depression hypothesis (Alexopoulos et al., 1997) proposes that individuals with late-onset depression and vascular risk factors have more apathy, fewer ideational symptoms, and more functional and cognitive impairment. Recent studies offer only limited support for this proposal, perhaps due to lack of comparability of studies, lack of control for factors such as age, medical co-morbidity and functional impairment, and exclusion of patients with cognitive impairment. The current study aimed to test the vascular depression hypothesis in a non-Western sample by examining (a) whether a specific depression symptom profile exists in patients with vascular risk factors, and (b) the relationship between vascular risk, depression and cognitive and functional ability. Method: Retrospective data were gathered from 184 individuals (age>= 55, MMSE >= 17) who had been evaluated at the Groote Schuur Hospital Memory Clinic. Correlational and multiple regression analyses tested relationships between a cumulative vascular risk index, scores on the Cornell Scale for Depression and the Bristol Activities of Daily Living Scale, physical evidence of heart disease and 4 executive function tests (Trail Making Test, category fluency, CLOX I, and an initiation/perseveration index). Results: Vascular risk and depression were significantly related, even after controlling for age and functional impairment. However, using a vascular risk model of vascular depression, the data provided no further support for the vascular depression hypothesis either in terms of (a) a specific depression profile, or (b) the impact of vascular risk and depression on cognitive and functional impairment. There were, however, significant relationships between heart disease and executive function measures, and between all cognitive measures and ADL functioning. Conclusion: The current findings imply there may be a threshold of severity of vascular burden before clinically significant symptoms become apparent. However, the findings may also be explained by a common underlying mechanism (either biological or psychosocial) linking vascular disease and depression. Prospective longitudinal studies are required to clarify causal mechanisms

Implentation of a School-Based Science Programme : a Case Study

This paper tells the story of the first two years of a science programme which was planned and implemented by the staff of a local primary school. The programme formed the core of a submission for government funding as a school-based innovation. The study describes the degree to which the submission\u27s aims were achieved and attempts to analyse the factors contributing to the project\u27s outcomes