The climate of Australia is changing and will continue to change. These changes will have significant impacts on Victoria's wetlands, not only via direct effects on hydrology but also indirectly through changes to myriad related processes such as sedimentation, erosion, nutrient cycling, salinisation and ecological connectivity. Coastal wetlands are especially susceptible to climate change because of their position near to the ocean and thus their exposure to rising sea levels and storm surges.
To better understand the vulnerability and adaptive capacity of Victorian coastal wetlands to climate change, the Victorian Government’s Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) and Jacobs Group Australia developed a Decision Support Framework (DSF) to guide wetland managers through a vulnerability and adaptive capacity assessment for coastal wetland systems likely to be affected by climate change.
The DSF is a three step approach, the first being identification of the type of coastal wetland under study. This decision uses a combination of spatial data and local site knowledge. The second step assesses potential impacts from the different components of climate change, and is supported by a suite of conceptual models. The final step requires wetland managers to identify site-specific constraints to management and to develop management objectives based on wetland value and existing local and regional objectives. They then draw from a suite of actions that could be useful for the wetland to adapt to climate change.
The Powlett River estuary in West Gippsland was used as a case study to demonstrate the approach used in the DSF. The DSF and its supporting report can be used to help guide investment and inform wetland managers about the diversity of impacts climate change will have on coastal wetlands, how those wetlands might respond, and the suite of management responses available to mitigate undesirable changes.