Climate change engagement and communications practice review - phase 1 final report

This document serves as the final report for the project: Climate Change Engagement and Communications Practice Review (Phase 1). It provides an evidence-based synthesis and overview. The project focuses on the context of climate change and draws on bushfire as an evidence-based the lens through which change is explored.

The final report is designed as a comprehensive guide for land and fire agencies who engage with community about bushfire risk and preparedness by distilling research evidence into principles that guide better engagement practice i.e. perhaps being explicit about the engagement emphasis.

The project addresses three project Requirements:

• Requirement 1. Undertake a literature review of the known impacts of climate change on bushfire risk in Victoria and undertake a scan of the known impacts of climate change on bushfire risk in Victoria, linking impacts to the values that communities care about
• Requirement 2. Document best-practice approaches to climate change engagement and communication that aim to improve community understanding and encourage actions/behaviour change for risk reduction and resilience •
• Requirement 3. Co-design a tool with the project advisory team that supports reflection on practice in community engagement and communication for behaviour change in the context of change and uncertainty. Identify and document the skills, knowledge and capabilities that are useful in supporting this tool.

The project summarises key impacts from changing bushfire regimes to the environment and people.