In 2013 the Australian Government released funding for NRM groups across Australia to update their Regional NRM plans to incorporate climate change. The NRM’s of the Southern and South Western Flatlands West sub-cluster group (Northern Agricultural Catchments Council, South West Catchments Council, Wheatbelt NRM, Perth NRM, South Coast NRM and Peel-Harvey Catchment Council) share our experiences and promote some of the valuable tools that have come out of this process.

Each of the NRM groups approached the process of incorporating climate change into their NRM Plan differently, depending on their needs and the status of their plan. The greatest benefit of the project is the collaboration between NRM groups both within the cluster and all over Australia.  Planning for climate change is now embedded in all of our Regional Plans. 

From the outset one of the major issues that had to be addressed by all the NRM groups was getting the community onside. Climate change term was polarising and often disrupted the focus of the project. To progress set regional priorities and directions – we needed the community to believe in climate change.  A variety of successful strategies were developed to address this. 

The most successful tool in our cluster was the use of the Multi-Criteria Analysis Shell for Spatial Decision Support (MCAS-S). MCAS-S proved invaluable in allowing stakeholders to provide direct input into regional priorities.  Key priorities included areas for carbon bio-sequestration and biodiversity prioritisaiton.  The datasets created are a legacy which assist NRM's plan for future investment.