A Community-Centred Approach to Climate Adaptation Planning for Biodiversity: Lessons for Stakeholder Learning From a Case Study in the Northern Rivers Region of New South Wales, Australia

Abstract

Climate change is intensifying pressures on biodiversity, creating complex and uncertain socio-ecological challenges for conservation. Participatory planning processes are widely advocated, yet empirical evidence on effective design remains limited. This study reports on findings from a community-centred workshop series on adaptation planning for biodiversity in Australia's Northern Rivers region. Findings show how iterative, deliberately designed processes integrating tailored climate and ecological data, stakeholder knowledge and decision-support tools can build practical capacity for adaptation planning and offer transferable insights for other regions.