Tradeoffs in the Policy Process in Advancing Climate Change Adaptation: The Case of Australia's Great Eastern Ranges Initiative

Abstract

The first continental-scale climate change adaptation strategy for biodiversity conservation has been adopted in Australia. The Great Eastern Ranges Initiative (GERI), aims to bolster the resilience of biodiversity by enhancing connectivity in eastern Australia for species migration in a changing climate. The Initiative is now being carried out on the ground, and is among the earliest national-level adaptation strategies for biodiversity conservation advanced by policymakers. In this paper we explore the implications of the rapid progression of the Initiative through the policy process, providing insights useful for decision makers advancing adaptation policies elsewhere in the future.

Acknowledgements

Kelly Levin would like to express her gratitude to the Heinz Family Philanthropies and the Switzer Foundation. Brian Petersen would like to thank the Center for Tropical Research in Ecology, Agriculture and Development and the Environmental Studies Department at the University of California, Santa Cruz for their generous support.