Climate change responses and adaptation pathways in Australian coastal ecosystems: Synthesis report

Climate change represents a major threat to coastal ecosystems and communities. In many areas around the Australian coast, the combined projected threats of sea level rise, increased temperatures and reduced rainfall will place unprecedented stress on species, ecosystems and human settlements and industries. Given that even the strictest climate change mitigation policies are unlikely to halt or reduce the threat that climate change currently poses to coastal ecosystems, consideration is needed as to how species, ecosystems and human communities might be able to adapt to anticipated changes.

The Coastal Ecosystems Responses to Climate Change Synthesis (CERCCS) Project represents a major Synthesis and Integration project commissioned by the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF) and undertaken by staff at Griffith University, the University of the Sunshine Coast, James Cook University and CSIRO. The focus of the project was on conducting a broad-scale assessment of climate change threats to coastal ecosystems of Australia and identifying potential adaptation pathways to inform decision-making and future research.