The book advances knowledge about climate change adaptation practices through a series of case studies. It presents important evidence about adaptation practices in agriculture, businesses, the coastal zone, community services, disaster management, ecosystems, indigneous populations, and settlements and infrastructure. In addition to 38 case studies across these sectors, the book contains horizon-scoping essays from international experts in adaptation research, including Hallie Eakin, Susanne Moser, Jonathon Overpeck, Bill Solecki, and Gary Yohe. Australia's social-ecological systems have a long history of adapting to climate variability and change, and in recent decades has been a world-leader in implementing and researching adaptation, making this book of universal relevance to all those working to adapt our environment and societies to climate change.

Jean Palutikof is the Director of the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF) where she has built a national program of adaptation research, communication and partnerships. Prior to joining NCCARF she managed the production of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report for Working Group II (Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability). Her research interests focus on climate change impacts, and the application of climatic data to economic and planning issues. Sarah Boulter is a Research Fellow with NCCARF where she works on synthesis and communication of adaptation research. Her research background includes studies of biodiversity and reproductive ecology of forested systems and the impacts of climate change. Jon Barnett is a Professor and Australian Research Council Future Fellow in Geography at The University of Melbourne. He is a political geographer who researches the impacts of and responses to environmental change on social systems in Australia, East Asia and the South Pacific. David Rissik is Deputy Director (General Manager) of the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility responsible for the day-to-day management of the Facility and the Synthesis and Integrative Research Program. He has interest and experience in the delivery of applied research to practitioners in ways that are easily accessible and useful. His research background is in coastal and estuarine ecology and management.

List of Contributors ix Acknowledgements xv 1 Introduction to the book 1 Jean P. Palutikof Sarah L. Boulter Jon Barnett and David Rissik 2 Adaptation as a field of research and practice: notes from the frontiers of adaptation 6 Jean P. Palutikof Jon Barnett Sarah L. Boulter and David Rissik SECTION 1 Frameworks for enabling adaptation 21 3 Thoughts on the context of adaptation to climate change 23 Gary Yohe 4 Reflections on disaster loss trends global climate change and insurance 26 John Mcaneney Ryan Crompton Rade Musulin George Walker Delphine Mcaneney and Roger Pielke Jr 5 Designing spatial adaptation planning instruments 34 Andrew Macintosh Jan Mcdonald and Anita Foerster 6 Public risk perceptions understandings and responses to climate change 43 Joseph P. Reser Graham L. Bradley and Michelle C. Ellul 7 Bridging the gap between researchers and decision-makers 51 Danielle C. Verdon-Kidd Anthony S. Kiem and Emma K. Austin SECTION 2 M anaging ecosystems under climate change 61 8 The challenge of biodiversity adaptation under climate change 63 Jonathan T. Overpeck 9 Management options for bird conservation in the face of climate change 68 Donald C. Franklin April E. Reside and Stephen T. Garnett 10 Methods to prioritise adaptation options for iconic seabirds and marine mammals impacted by climate change 77 Alistair J. Hobday Lynda E. Chambers and John P.Y. Arnould 11 Climate adaptation and adaptive management planning for the Macquarie Marshes: a wetland of international importance 95 Gilad bino richard t. Kingsford and Kim Jenkins 12 Conservation of Australian plant-dwelling invertebrates in a changing climate 107 Melinda L. Moir SECTION 3 Farming 117 13 Agricultural adaptations: social context and complexity 119 John Morton 14 Farmer decision-making under climate change: a real options analysis 122 Greg Hertzler Todd Sanderson Tim Capon Peter Hayman Ross Kingwell Anthea Mcclintock Jason Crean and Alan Randall 15 Broadacre farmers adapting to a changing climate 130 Ross Kingwell Lucy Anderton Nazrul Islam Vilaphonh Xayavong Angela Wardell-Johnson David Feldman and Jane Speijers 16 Growth opportunities for marine fisheries and aquaculture industries in a changing climate 139 Alistair J. Hobday Rodrigo H. Bustamante Anna Farmery Aysha Fleming Stewart Frusher Bridget S. Green Lilly Lim-Camacho James Innes Sarah Jennings Ana Norman-López Sean Pascoe Gretta T. Pecl Éva E. Plagányi-Lloyd Peggy Schrobback Oliver Thebaud Linda Thomas and E. Ingrid van Putten 17 Water tariffs and farmer adaptation: the case of Goulburn-Murray Water Victoria Australia 156 Bethany Cooper Lin Crase and Nicholas Pawsey 18 The role of water markets in helping irrigators adapt to water scarcity in the Murray-Darling Basin Australia 166 Sarah Ann Wheeler Adam Loch and Jane Edwards SECTION 4 Coasts 175 19 Raising the seas rising to greatness? Meeting the challenge of coastal climate change 177 Susanne C. Moser 20 A framework for modelling the risks of climate-change impacts on Australian coasts 181 Colin Woodroffe Dave Callaghan Peter Cowell David Wainwright Kerrylee Rogers and Roshanka Ranasinghe 21 Navigating from climate change impacts to adaptation actions in coastal ecosystems 190 Wade L. Hadwen and Samantha J. Capon 22 Enhancing the resilience of seaports to a changing climate 200 Darryn Mcevoy and Jane Mullett 23 Equity economic efficiency and institutional capacity in adapting coastal settlements 208 Cameron S. Fletcher Bruce M. Taylor Alicia N. Rambaldi Ben P. Harman Sonja Heyenga K. Renuka Ganegodage Felix Lipkin and Ryan R. J. Mcallister 24 Who should do what? Public perceptions on responsibility for sea-level rise adaptation 216 Elissa Waters and Jon Barnett SECTION 5 Building resilience among vulnerable groups 225 25 The 'turn to capacity' in vulnerability research 227 Hallie Eakin 26 The limits to adaptation: a comparative analysis 231 Jon Barnett and Jean P. Palutikof 27 Adaptation to extreme heat and climate change in culturally and linguistically diverse communities 241 Alana Hansen Monika Nitschke and Peng Bi 28 Experiences of resettled refugees during the 2011 Queensland floods 250 Ignacio Correa-Velez Celia Mcmichael Sandra M. Gifford and Augustine Conteh 29 Vulnerability to climate change among disadvantaged groups: the role of social exclusion 258 Arusyak Sevoyan and Graeme Hugo 30 Adapting the community sector for climate extremes 266 Emily Hamilton and Karl Mallon SECTION 6 Indigenous experience of climate change 281 31 Continuity and change: Indigenous Australia and the imperative of adaptation 283 Meg Parsons 32 Housing households and climate change adaptation in the town camps of Alice Springs 289 Ralph Horne and Andrew Martel 33 Indigenous experiences and responses to Cyclone Tracy 297 Katharine Haynes Deanne K. Bird and Dean B. Carson 34 Indigenous governance and climate change adaptation: two native title case studies from Australia 307 Tran Tran Jessica K. Weir Lisa M. Strelein and Claire Stacey 35 Indigenous adaptation to climate change: the Arabana 316 Melissa Nursey-Bray Deane Fergie Veronica Arbon Lester-Irabinna Rigney Rob Palmer John Tibby Nick Harvey Lucy Hackworth and Aaron Stuart SECTION 7 Settlements and housing 327 36 Contextualising the challenge of adapting human settlements 329 William D. Solecki 37 Climate change and the future of Australia's country towns 332 Andrew Beer Selina Tually Michael Kroehn John Martin Rolf Gerritsen Mike Taylor Michelle Graymore and Julia Law 38 Robust optimisation of urban drought security for an uncertain climate 342 Mohammad Mortazavi-Naeini George Kuczera Anthony S. Kiem Lijie Cui Benjamin Henley Brendan Berghout and Emma Turner 39 How to cope with heat waves in the home 354 Wasim Saman Stephen Pullen and John Boland 40 Pathways for adaptation of low-income housing to extreme heat 364 Guy Barnett R. Matthew Beaty Jacqui Meyers Dong Chen and Stephen Mcfallan 41 Climate change adaptation in the rental sector 372 Lesley Instone Kathleen J. Mee Jane Palmer Miriam Williams and Nicola Vaughan SECTION 8 A daptation and disaster management 381 42 Practical adaptation: past present and future 383 Ian Burton 43 Community resilience to disaster in four regional Australian towns 386 Helen J. Boon 44 Sink or swim? Response recovery and adaptation in communities impacted by the 2010/11 Australian floods 395 Deanne K. Bird David King Katharine Haynes Pamela Box and Tetsuya Okada 45 Disaster risk management and climate change adaptation revisited 407 Michael Howes SECTION 9 Business 415 46 Adaptation to climate change by business organisations 417 Frans Berkhout 47 Capacities of private developers in urban climate change adaptation 422 Heather Shearer Jago Dodson Eddo Coiacetto and Pazit Taygfeld 48 Ensuring small business continuity under a changing climate: the role of adaptive capacity 429 Natasha Kuruppu Pierre Mukheibir and Janina Murta 49 Investing in adaptive capacity: opportunities risks and firm behaviour 437 Jason West Index 445