Climate Change Adaptation in the Coorong and Lower Lakes

Author: NCCARF
Year: 2012

This factsheet summarises key findings from a case study on limits to adaptation in the Coorong and Lower Lakes Region. The most important limit or barrier to climate change adaptation and a key current stress concerns water availability and associated arrangements for sharing water at national, state and local levels. In this Region, adaptations to upstream water extraction and to climate change are inextricably intertwined. Five key adaptation options have been identified, being: 1) to increase environmental flows into the Lakes and Coorong, 2) to manage water more actively through engineering interventions such as weird and channels, 3) to strengthen the barrages to reduce the impact of sea level rise, 4) to focus on better catchment management within the region, and 5) to create better, longer-term governance structures which can develop greater community consensus on long-term objectives. This factsheet contains further information on the current stressors, and future climate scenarios and impacts. This is one of the six case studies conducted for NCCARFs Limits to Adaptation project to explore the underlying causes and potential to transcend limits in particular regions.

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