The pilot Integrated Regional Vulnerability Assessment (IRVA) in NSW took place in south-eastern NSW—the region covering the Snowy Mountains, the Southern Tablelands and the South Coast.

Over 6 months, more than 150 regional decision makers from State and Local Government worked together to understand the vulnerability of the region to the projected effects of climate change. They considered potential impacts for the South-East community in terms of health, water, landscapes, primary industries, tourism, infrastructure and emergency management.

The findings were published in two reports:

• South East NSW IRVA Vol. 1 (PDF 634 KB) identifies regional climate-change vulnerabilities and canvasses action to reduce them through a coordinated response.
• South East NSW IRVA Vol. 2 (PDF 1.24 MB) presents the detailed results of workshops held during the process.

In 2014, the Enabling Adaptation in the South East (EASE) project was delivered. It engaged with 134 regional state and local government officers, the ACT Government, federal agencies and research institutions to prioritise cross sectoral impacts of climate change, and opportunities to respond that would minimise impacts on local communities. Climate change adaptation pathways for key South East systems have been developed for:

Large regional towns Agricultural service centres

Coastal development Potable water supply

Emergency management Alpine tourism

Coastal tourism  Public land management

Coastal ecosystem management Off-reserve conservation

Extensive grazing Irrigated dairying

• Enabling Adaptation in the South East Report (PDF 4.47 MB) presents the detailed results of workshops held during the EASE process.

For further information on the South East IRVA and the EASE process, contact adapt.NSW@environment.nsw.gov.au.