Community Engagement for Novel Ecosystem Restoration and Assisted Adaptation Interventions: Observations and Lessons from the Australian Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program
Baresi, Umberto, Eberhard, Rachel, Vella, Karen, Gooch, Margaret, Piggott-McKellar, Annah, Calibeo, Diletta Luna, Lockie, Stewart, Taylor, Bruce, Bohensky, Erin, Brooksbank, Lokes, Curnock, Matthew, Graham, Victoria, Kong, Taryn, Lyons, Ilisapeci, Maclean, Kirsten, Paxton, Gillian, Schmitt, Kelli, Siehoyono Sie, Lintje, and Stone-Jovicich, Samantha (2025) Community Engagement for Novel Ecosystem Restoration and Assisted Adaptation Interventions: Observations and Lessons from the Australian Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program. Society and Natural Resources, 38 (6). pp. 626-645.
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Abstract
This paper presents learnings from community engagement and deliberation applied to ecosystem restoration and assisted adaptation in the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program, a major research and development program identifying and testing novel management interventions for Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Technical, social, and ecological complexities and uncertainties associated with the Program have a major bearing on both the need and character of community engagement and deliberation. Our research used qualitative analysis of documents, interviews, and group discussions to elicit transferable insights from a social research team embedded within the Program. Our findings demonstrate that adaptive and deliberative approaches anticipate and respond to complex and changing contexts by fostering open dialogue, building mutual trust, and integrating community feedback into decision-making. This practice actively recognizes the rights and interests of stakeholders and First Nation peoples, shaping stronger partnerships, supporting inclusive collaboration, and enabling flexible adjustments throughout research and development programs.
| Item ID: | 88678 |
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| Item Type: | Article (Research - C1) |
| ISSN: | 1521-0723 |
| Keywords: | Climate adaptation, deliberative processes, ecosystem restoration, first nation leadership, novel interventions |
| Copyright Information: | © 2025 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent. |
| Date Deposited: | 19 Jun 2026 04:32 |
| FoR Codes: | 41 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES > 4104 Environmental management > 410405 Environmental rehabilitation and restoration @ 100% |
| SEO Codes: | 18 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT > 1805 Marine systems and management > 180507 Rehabilitation or conservation of marine environments @ 100% |
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