Abstract
One of the key issues in Australia for sustainable management of the coastal zone is that the science of climate change has not been widely used by decision-makers to inform coastal governance. There exist opportunities to enhance the dialogue between knowledge-makers and decision-makers, and universities have a key role to play in researching and fostering better linkages. At the heart of these linkages lies the principle of more informed engagement between historically disparate groups. In Australia, the new ‘Flagship’ research programme, funded by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), emphasizes their partnering with universities in a more systematic and collaborative manner than previously achieved in such research projects. In order to address sustainability in general and coastal adaptation to climate change in particular, interdisciplinary learning needs to occur between the social and natural sciences; also, transdisciplinary understanding of that interaction needs to be fully developed. New methods of communicative engagement such as computer visualizations and animations, together with deliberative techniques, can help policy-makers and planners reach a better understanding of the significance of the science of climate change impacts on the coast. Deeper engagement across historically disparate groups can lead to the development of epistemological and methodological synergies between social and natural scientists, adaptive learning, reflexive governance, and greater analytical and deliberative understanding among scientists, policymakers and the wider public. This understanding can lead in turn to enhance coastal governance for climate adaptation on the coast.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Notes
- 1.
- 2.
- 3.
See the new journal ‘Sustainability Science’ published under the auspices of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. http://www.pnas.org/site/misc/sustainability.shtml
- 4.
References
Adger WN, Jordan A (eds) (2009) Governing sustainability. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Adger WN, Hughes T, Folke C, Carpenter S, Rockstrom J (2005) Social-ecological resilience to coastal disasters. Science 309(5737):1036–1039
Bammer G, McDonald D, Deane P (2007) Dialogue methods for research integration. Integration insights May (4). ANU. http://www.anu.edu.au/iisn/activities/integration_insights/integration-insight_4.pdf
Beatley T (2009) Planning for coastal resilience: best practices for calamitous times. Island Press, Washington, DC
Biermann F, Betsill MM, Gupta J, Kanie N, Liverman LD, Schroeder H, Siebenhüner B, with contributions from Conca K, da Costa Ferreira L, Desai B, Tay S, Zondervan R (2009) Earth System Governance: People, Places and the Planet. Science and Implementation Plan of the Earth System Governance Project. Earth System Governance Report 1, IHDP Report 20. Bonn, IHDP: The Earth System Governance Project
Church J, Hunter J, McInnes K, White N (2006) Sea-level rise around the Australian coastline and the changing frequency of extreme sea-level events. Aust Met Mag 55:253–260
Clarke W (2007) Sustainability Science: A room of its own. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, February 6, 104(6): 1737–1738
de Loë RC, Armitage D, Plummer R, Davidson S, Moraru L (2009) From Governmentto Governance: A State-of-the-Art Review of Environmental Governance. Final Report. Prepared for Alberta Environment, Environmental Stewardship, Environmental Relations. Guelph, ON: Rob de Loë Consulting Services
Dovers S (2005) Clarifying the imperative of integration research for sustainable environmental management. Journal of Research Practice 1(2). Article M1. Retrieved 25 March 2009, from http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/11/22
Eigenbrode SD, O’Rourke M, Wulfhorst JD, Althoff DM, Goldberg CS, Merrill K, Morse W, Nielsen-Pincus M, Stephens J, Winowiecki L, Bosque-Perez NA (2007) Employing philosophical dialogue in collaborative science. Bioscience 57(1):55–64
Guimarães Pereira A, Funtowicz S (2006) Knowledge representation and mediation for transdisciplinary frameworks: tools to inform debates, dialogues and deliberations. Int J Transdisciplinary Res 1(1):34–50
Howlett M (2001) The implementation gap: rhetoric and reality in Canadian natural resource and environmental policy. J Can Stud 36(3):159–172
Kellert SR (2003) Human values, ethics and the marine environment. In: Dollmeyer D (ed) Values at sea: ethics for the marine environment. Georgia, University of Georgia Press, Athens, pp 1–18
Kemp R, Parto S, Gibson R (2005) Governance for sustain able development: moving from theory to practice. Int J Sustain Develop 8(1/2):12–30
Loorbach D, Rotmans J (2006) Managing transitions for sustainable development. In: Olshoorn X, Wieczorek AJ (eds) Understanding industrial transformation: views from different disciplines. Springer, Dordrecht
May A (2002) Creating common purpose: the integration of science and policy in canada’s public service. CCMD, Ottawa
Modvar C, Gallopín G (2005) Sustainable Development: Epistemological Challenges to Science and Technology. Report of the Workshop on Sustainable Development: Epistemological Challenges to Science and Technology, 13–15 October 2004, Santiago, Chile. Santiago: Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Serie Seminarios y Conferencias 42
Nelson D, Neil Adger W, Brown K (2007) Adaptation to environmental change: contributions of a resilience framework. Ann Rev Environ Resour 32:395–419
Novotny H, Scott P, Gibbons M (2001) Re-thinking science. Knowledge and the Public in an Age of Uncertainty, Polity Press, UK
Guy PB, Pierre J (1998) Governance without government? rethinking public administration. J Public Adm Res Theory 8(2):223–243
Reid WV (2004) Bridging the science–policy divide. PLoS Biol 2(2):e27. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0020027
Richardson K, Steffen W, Schellnhuber HJ, Alcamo J, Barker T, Kammen D, Leemans R, Liverman D, Munasinghe M, Osman-Elasha B, Stern N, Wæver O (2009) Climate Change: Global Risks, Challenges & Decisions. Synthesis Report from Climate Congress, Copenhagen 2009, 10–12 March. pdf available at www.climatecongress.ku.dk
Rotmans J, Kemp R, van Asselt M (2001) More evolution than revolution: transition management in public policy. Foresight 3(1):1–17
Saner M (2007) Map of the interface between science and policy. Council of Canadian Academies, Ottawa
Scherr J, Barnhizer D (1997) Showdown at implementation gap: the failure of Agenda 21. Ecodecision Spring:33–36
Smith T (2010) Beyond knowledge: A neo-research approach to enhance climate change adaptation. In: Martin J (ed) Climate change responses across regional Australia: social learning and adaptation. VURRN Press, Victoria
Smith T, Smith D (2006) Institutionalizing Adaptive Learning for Coastal Management. In: Lazarow N, Souter R, Fearon R, Dovers S (eds) Coastal management in Australia: key institutional and governance issues for coastal natural resource management and planning. CRC for Coastal Zone, Estuary and Waterway Management, pp 115–120
Smyth D (1997) Saltwater country aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander interest in ocean policy development and implementation. Australian Government, Issues Paper, 6
Stocker L, Kennedy D (2009) Cultural models of the coast in Australia: towards sustainability. Coastal Manage 37:387–404, 5, September
Tribbia J, Moser S (2008) More than information: what coastal managers need to plan for climate change. Environ Sci Policy 11(4):315–328
van de Kerkhof M, Wieczorek A (2005) Learning and stakeholder participation in transition processes towards sustainability: methodological considerations. Technol Forecast Soc Change 72(6):733–747
Voβ J-P, Bauknecht D, Kemp R (2006) Reflexive governance for sustainable development. Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, UK
Vogel C, Moser SC, Kasperson RE, Dabelko GD (2007) Linking vulnerability, adaptation, and resilience science to practice: Pathways, players, and partnerships. Glob Environ Change 17(3–4):349–364
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2010 Springer Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Stocker, L. et al. (2010). Australian Universities, Government Research and the Application of Climate Change Knowledge in Australian Coastal Zone Management. In: Leal Filho, W. (eds) Universities and Climate Change. Climate Change Management. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-10751-1_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-10751-1_3
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-10750-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-10751-1
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawEducation (R0)