Issue 221

A small island in Kimbe Bay

CSIRO researchers have revisited an ecosystem-based adaptation project in Papua New Guinea ’s Kimbe Bay that’s using Locally Managed Marine Areas to protect near-shore marine ecosystems - and discovered lessons about making future projects more effective.

Snow gums

Radical changes to our environment with climate change means we need to map adaptation pathways now that consider options and prepare us for future decisions.

Open cut coal mine

The world's use of finite resources continues to rise as global development continues. Can we help poorer nations raise their standard of living without exhausting all of our raw materials?

Hay bales in a field

Planning for climate adaptation means looking at possible solutions to people’s needs rather than focussing on the likely problems.

Blue gum plantation

Finding out which trees will thrive under high levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide is about to get faster and cheaper.

Small fish swimming over kelp beds

Kelp forests along hundreds of kilometres of Western Australia's coastline were wiped out in 2011 and have not recovered.

A woman holding a baby in front of a cyclone-damaged house in Vanuatu

We need to identify Pacific hotspots where climate change will exacerbate other stresses and act to support these places before a crisis happens.

Aerial view of the Atacama Desert in Chile

Australian water management expertise is informing management of water resources in Chile.

Grass fire in a lightly wooded area.

Programs to build Indigenous and scientific knowledge partnerships are tackling a range of contemporary sustainable development issues.