Adapting to climate change in land management: the role of deliberative workshops in enhancing social learning

Abstract

This paper explores how deliberative workshops might enhance social learning about climate change adaptation among land managers in northwest Europe (Scotland). To date, methods for enhancing social learning in the context of adaptation and climate change have been neglected. In this study, location specifi c agro-meteorological indicators for both observed and future climate data were produced. The indicators were used as a basis for discussion in four deliberative workshops. The workshops sought to raise awareness of climate change issues, ensure the validity and utility of the indicators, stimulate thinking about adaptive responses and increase land managers' capacity to adapt. Land managers' adaptations to climate change fell into four broad categories: changing what they do, how they do it, when they do it or the frequency with which they do it. This paper therefore refl ects on the use of deliberative workshops as an effective technique to enhance social learning regarding adapting to climate change.Social learning's normative goal, to improve the management of human and environmental interrelations, makes it appropriate to address challenges of climate change and land management. Agriculture and related systems remain the principal land-use sector by area for much of the world (Matthews et al., 2008d) and agriculture remains a key policy priority due to employment in the agri-food supply chain, security of food supply and environmental stewardship (Adger, 2001). Climate change is identifi ed as a key threat to rural communities in Scotland's Sustainable Development and Climate Change Strategies (Scottish Executive 2005. Scotland has responded to this challenge via its Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009. Climate change scenarios suggest the need for adaptation by land managers, as changes in weather will have considerable impact on management practices and yields. Land managers need to understand the nature of these changes and respond, drawing on a combination of local and the best available scientifi c knowledge.This paper describes how social learning was stimulated through deliberation over climate change trends and indicators. The paper begins by reviewing current work on climate change adaptation in agriculture before highlighting how this could be enriched by drawing on the social learning literature. The case study design and the methods used are described, before the fi ndings are discussed in terms of potential adaptation strategies and the role of workshops in enhancing social learning. The implications of these fi ndings in terms of policy are considered before the paper is concluded.

Wildfire risk, biodiversity and peri-urban planning in the Mt Lofty Ranges, South Australia

“…It was within such a context, that stakeholder workshops were undertaken with DEWNR managers of vegetation on public lands within the peri-urban space. That group of contemporary practitioners who must work between landholders, other agencies and decision-makers to manage potential conflicts in native vegetation management goals, deliberated with the authors on planning and practice to identify how reflections on risk and value are or could be integrated into policy (Burgess et al 2007;McCrum et al 2009). As part of their activities, many of the respondents also work in fighting wildfires within CFS brigades and preparing and managing prescribed burns in the region.…”

Provision of Climate Advice as a Mechanism for Environmental Governance in Swedish Agriculture

“…This parallels the civic model of environmental policy, as compared to the more instrumental information deficit model (Bulkeley and Mol, 2003). It also demonstrates the paradigmatic shift from knowledge transfer to knowledge exchange in extension and some of the rationality underpinning environmental governance (Blackstock et al, 2010;McCrum et al, 2009). …”

“…Framing AE within the context of environmental governance is, to the best of our knowledge, new to the literature, and positions AE services in-between, not primarily science and farming, but policy makers and farmers. Such deliberative policy implementation is motivated by the Habermasian ideal of "communicative rationality", whereby practice change can be achieved through dialogue and learning (Habermas, 1984;McCrum et al, 2009). This parallels the civic model of environmental policy, as compared to the more instrumental information deficit model (Bulkeley and Mol, 2003).…”

Participatory analysis for adaptation to climate change in Mediterranean agricultural systems: possible choices in process design

“…In addition, the research teams have to make sure the invited actors actually come. Successful approaches have included sending the invitation through a local actor with a good reputation (McCrum et al 2009), or building personal relations between the researchers and the actors (Thompkins et al 2008). The location and schedules of the workshops should also be carefully selected to make it easy for the actors to attend ).…”

“…This approach allows the researchers to carefully design the scenarios and particularly to incorporate simulations based on climate models (Eakin et al 2007, Poumadère et al 2008, Thompkins et al 2008. It also allows researchers to think about how to communicate and how to assess simulations based on climate models with the participants (McCrum et al 2009). In the centre of this continuum, Patel et al (2007) provided broad socio-economic scenarios for the Mediterranean region to support actors' exploration of scenarios at local level.…”