VCCCAR research workshops

What's happening? 

Four concurrent workshops showcasing results from recent VCCCAR research projects.

What is the aim? 

To explore the application of adaptation research to decision-making and consider future research needs. These workshops will draw on the experiences of researchers working with state and local government decision-makers and other stakeholders to discuss the role of climate change adaptation research in supporting decision-making and supporting community resilience. Participants will come away from the workshops with an enhanced knowledge of the latest VCCCAR research projects, their relevance to the Victorian Climate Change Adaptation Plan and an appreciation of what additional steps are needed to translate research into action. The aim is to promote discussion on the role of research in supporting decision-making in all sectors involved with the projects. 

What are the sessions about and who is involved?

Implementing tools to increase adaptive capacity in the community and natural resource management sectors. This workshop pulls together research findings and practical experiences of community sector organisations working with adaptation support tools and products, as part of a recently completed, VCCCAR-funded project. The emphasis of the workshop is on having a play with two of the tools found most useful by community service organisations, and hearing from them about how they used the tools in their respective organisational contexts, and what they learned in the process. The workshop is open to all interested in adaptation planning tools, irrespective which sector they work in.

Convener: Dr Hartmut Fünfgeld, RMIT University

Governance models for adaptation and natural disaster risk management: legal, regulatory, institutional and financial. This panel will discuss how to use governance to transition cities into adaptive cities, using an emergency scenario as the starting point. The panel will consider where we are now in terms of a city that facilitates adaptation and where we need to get to in order to realise this ambition, and what sorts of legal tools and models are used, or can be used, at each stage of the transformative process. Participants and attendees will gain new persepctives about the role of governance in facilitating adaptation, and learn about the legal tools and mechanisms that can be used to help transform our cities into future adaptive and resilient cities. 

Convener: Annette Wiltshire, University of Melbourne
Panel: will include representatives from local government, the University of Melbourne and the private sector. 

Decision taking under uncertainty: towards an efficient strategy to manage risk and uncertainty in climate change. This workshop will discuss the results of the research project 'Decision Taking in Times of Uncertainty’ and highlight key lessons from a case study in Gippsland focussed on strategic planning. It will explore alternative approaches to decision making that have an impact on the way in which visions are developed and decisions are made through the inclusion of a diversity of voices from a range of backgrounds, industries and institutional scales into the decision making process. The workshop will bring together stakeholder and community representatives to create a space for emerging ideas through an interactive ‘enquiry session’, to seek different perspectives on decision making and to inform a new vision of decision making in times of change.

Conveners: Assoc. Professor Jens Zinn and Patricia Fitzsimons University of Melbourne

Coproducing knowledge in research and policy. Participants in this workshop will examine the hallmarks of good (and bad) practice in co-producing knowledge for evidence-influenced policy. Policy makers and practitioners are encouraged to 'pair' with researchers (and vice versa), particularly those who have shared experiences, although anyone with an interest is welcome to attend. Experienced facilitators will ensure that participants come away with practical, hands-on skills in co-production.

Convenors: Dr Liam Smith, Monash University and Dr Eve Merton, La Trobe University

Program – Wednesday 19 March 2014

Click on the links to view the available powerpoint presentations from each session