Phase 1
The National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF) was established in 2008 by the Australian Government. It consisted of a consortium of eight universities and the Queensland Government, led by Griffith University from its Gold Coast campus. With a national mandate, NCCARF’s mission was to develop and communicate the knowledge needed by decision-makers to adapt effectively to climate change. NCCARF was initially funded for a period of five years with a budget of $50 million.
During this first phase, NCCARF managed a research program of $30 million with around 100 research projects based at universities throughout Australia, operated eight networks to build capacity in the research and end-user communities, and carried out numerous communication and outreach activities, including one international and three national conferences for adaptation researchers and practitioners. NCCARF Phase 1 ended in 2013.
Phase 2
The Australian Government committed funding of $9 million for NCCARF to undertake a Phase 2 Program. This was designed to support national capacity development in adaptation, and deliver guidance to help local decision-makers manage climate risks, especially in the coastal zone. Phase 2 ran from 2014 to 2017.
The principal deliverables for the Phase 2 Program were:
a) A tool to guide local and state governments and other organisations to make better decisions about managing risks from climate change and sea-level rise in the coastal zone. This was ultimately named CoastAdapt.
b) Relevant and accessible climate adaptation material synthesising research information for policy and decision makers.
c) Operation of four National Adaptation Networks in natural ecosystems, settlements and infrastructure, social, economic and institutional dimensions and vulnerable communities (including human health).
Phase 3
There have always been questions around the longevity of CoastAdapt and NCCARF. How could sustainable funding be achieved in the long-term? The Australian Department of the Environment and Energy funded a project to address this question. From June 2017 to June 2018 we explored potential funding mechanisms for CoastAdapt that would allow it to continue as a trusted up-to-date (in terms of both policy and science) resource to support coastal adaptation. In the absence of external funding, CoastAdapt is now maintained and the science and policy contexts updated by Griffith University.
Much of the valuable research completed since 2008 is still available on this website. You are encouraged to use it, and share it, since adaptation to climate change is more critical now than ever.