Engaging Australian Surf Lifesaving in coastal hazard and climate change adaptation with stakeholder driven modelling

Australia’s beaches, an iconic playground and social hub for coastal communities, are threatened by coastal hazards and by the impacts of climate change. In particular, Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) has assets, facilities and personnel exposed to coastal hazards and climate change, including numerous surf life saving clubs (SLSCs), which can impact its capacity of providing beach and water safety for Australian beaches. This research employed a range of methods to identify climate change adaptation options and to identify mechanisms to enhance adaptive capacity, combining a range of system‐oriented, stakeholder‐based techniques, including system thinking conceptual modelling, structural analysis, system dynamics and Bayesian modelling. These techniques were employed in a series of workshops with local SLSCs and SLSA’s head office and were designed to engage stakeholders and gather data for analysis. A range of adaptation options and adaptive capacity determinants were identified and tested. The final result is a set of actions to improve the adaptive capacity of the selected case studies, with implication for other SLSCs at the national level. The research shows how systemic, participatory approaches are effective in identifying critical issues and possible solutions to adapt to current coastal hazards and future climate change.