East Gippsland Regional Catchment Strategy: Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Plan Version Reviewers Final for Board Strategy Manager Convenor Climate Change Plan Committee & EGCMA Board Contents East Gippsland Regional Catchment Strategy: ........................................................................................ 1 Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Plan.................................................................................... 1 Foreword ................................................................................................................................................. 4 1. Introduction and planning context ..................................................................................................... 5 1.1 Background ................................................................................................................................... 5 1.2 Planning Principles ........................................................................................................................ 7 1.3 Purpose and Scope ........................................................................................................................ 7 1.3.1 What is included in the Plan .................................................................................................. 8 1.3.2 What is not included in the Plan ............................................................................................ 8 1.4 Strategic context ........................................................................................................................... 9 1.4.1 Legislation and policy ............................................................................................................. 9 1.4.2 Roles and Responsibilities .................................................................................................... 10 1.4.3 Important terms and definitions .......................................................................................... 12 2. Approach ........................................................................................................................................... 15 2.1 Bringing together knowledge and science to inform planning ................................................... 15 3. Drivers of change .............................................................................................................................. 21 3.1 Current and future climate ......................................................................................................... 21 3.2 Direct and indirect effects of future climate .............................................................................. 23 3.3 Socio-economic factors ............................................................................................................... 24 3.3.1 Influences on landholder adaptation to climate change ..................................................... 25 4. Climate change issues, impacts and potential adaptation options .................................................. 25 4.1 Existing approaches to adaptation ............................................................................................. 26 4.2 Soils and agricultural land ........................................................................................................... 27 4.3 Waterways – rivers and inland wetlands .................................................................................... 30 4.4 Coasts, estuaries and coastal wetlands ...................................................................................... 32 4.5 Native vegetation ........................................................................................................................ 33 4.6 Aboriginal cultural values ............................................................................................................ 35 5. Adaptation Plan................................................................................................................................. 36 5.1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 36 5.2 Adaptation Plan for priority RCS assets ...................................................................................... 37 5.3 Adaptation Plan for the East Gippsland ‘Areas of focus’ ............................................................ 44 5.3.1 East Gippsland Lowlands ...................................................................................................... 44 5.3.2 East Gippsland Uplands ................................................................................................. 47 2 5.3.3 East Gippsland Plains .................................................................................................... 50 6. Mitigation options ............................................................................................................................. 52 6.1 Carbon farming ........................................................................................................................... 53 6.2 Soil carbon ................................................................................................................................... 53 6.3 Vegetation ................................................................................................................................... 55 6.4 Blue carbon ................................................................................................................................. 56 6.5 Carbon options assessment for priority assets ........................................................................... 57 7. Implementation, monitoring and evaluation ................................................................................... 60 7.1 Implementation approach ......................................................................................................... 60 7.2 Monitoring and Evaluation ......................................................................................................... 61 8. References ........................................................................................................................................ 63 Appendices ............................................................................................................................................ 65 Appendix 1. Legislation and Policy .................................................................................................... 65 Commonwealth policy context ..................................................................................................... 65 State policy context....................................................................................................................... 65 Appendix 2. Detailed approach and methods .................................................................................. 66 Vulnerability and threat assessment ............................................................................................ 66 Assessment of climate change impact on threats to natural assets. ........................................... 69 Adaptation pathways .................................................................................................................... 71 Appendix 3. Vulnerability assessment maps .................................................................................... 74 Appendix 4. Adaptation pathways workshop results ....................................................................... 84 Lowlands Adaptation Options Analysis ......................................................................................... 85 Uplands Adaptation Options Analysis ........................................................................................... 87 Plains Adaptation Options Analysis .............................................................................................. 89 Appendix 5. Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) approved methods ................................................... 91 Appendix 6. Soil carbon potential options ........................................................................................ 93 3 Foreword From Swifts Creek to Dargo, Mallacoota to Meerlieu, and everywhere in between, people living in East Gippsland are no strangers to living with a variable climate. The East Gippsland Catchment Management Authority (EGCMA) has led the development of a regional plan for Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation to help understand the consequences that arise for primary producers and the regional community as a result of climate variability. Developing the Plan has provided an opportunity to listen to local community members and gain an appreciation of how climate variability impacts on individuals and the ways in which people are responding to changes in weather patterns. A variable and changing climate poses both challenges and opportunities for local producers and the broader community. Recognising valuable local knowledge, together with research and case studies, has enabled the CMA to develop options for land and natural resource managers to consider when making decisions about the future management of the region’s natural resources. The Plan: Describes what farmers, communities and organisations in East Gippsland are currently doing to adapt to seasonal variability. Highlights the likely impacts from climate change and variability across East Gippsland.