The North West Tasmanian Regional Drought Resilience Plan (RDRP) has been built on community discussions and shaped by our regional Project Advisory Group. The vision for North West Tasmania is:

To build drought resilience using knowledge, communication and collaboration to take practical, useful and innovative action.

The vision for the North West Tasmanian Regional Drought Resilience Plan is supported by six themes. These are below.

1. The interconnected nature of drought: North West Tasmania and stakeholders have the knowledge, awareness, and understanding of drought's interconnected impacts across ecosystems, agriculture, and communities, and take action to build resilience.
2. Drought governance: North West Tasmania has coordinated, integrated and appropriate governance structures to lead, plan and resource drought resilience actions.
3. Community self-reliance: North West community has knowledge, networks, access to services and support to become better prepared for climate variability and drought.
4. Land management: North West land managers have knowledge, access to services and funding, and ability to take action to strengthen drought and climate variability preparedness.
5. Industry and infrastructure: North West community has industry and infrastructure that is well coordinated, appropriate and engaged in increasing drought resilience.
6. Globally significant ecological communities and Aboriginal cultural landscapes: North West Tasmania’s globally significant ecological communities and cultural landscapes are protected, actively managed and exist for future generations by coordinated, well resourced and innovative action.

Under each theme is a set of action areas to guide community efforts in building drought and climate resilience.

The action areas are listed below. Help prioritise these by selecting the top five actions you feel should be delivered first.

Theme 1: The interconnected nature of drought:

1.1 Knowledge and education: Increase knowledge and awareness of drought and climate variability through education, training, tools, guides, communication and knowledge creation and sharing.

1.2 Climate and environmental solutions: Coordinate and collaborate on policy, strategy and action planning for climate adaptation.

1.3 Community and social resilience: Build community resilience by supporting local networks, behaviour change actions and diversification.

Theme 2: Drought governance:

2.1 Coordinated drought resilience planning: Collaborate with government, industry and private stakeholders to create unified drought and climate adaptation strategies.

2.2 Financial and economic preparedness: Ensure communities have access to financial support and guidance, and strategic funding to build economic resilience and enhance community drought preparedness.

2.3 Community mobilisation and communication: Encourage communication and collaboration between local government, all sectors and community members to ensure coordinated actions and problem-solving.

2.4 Research and capacity building: Undertake further research and knowledge sharing to address gaps in regional drought preparedness and improve access to financial incentives like carbon and biodiversity markets.

Theme 3: Community self-reliance

3.1 Social connectivity and community building: Support actions to foster strong social networks and community bonds that enhance collective resilience during drought.

3.2 Mental health and wellbeing support: Support initiatives to improve mental health awareness, support systems, and reduce stigma in rural communities affected by drought.

3.3 Localised and participatory approaches to drought resilience: Prioritise community-centred strategies that incorporate local knowledge, Indigenous perspectives and youth engagement to address unique resilience needs.

3.4 Economic resilience and food security: Strengthen local economies and secure food supply through local markets, shorter supply chains, and community education on food security.

3.5 Community-led water management: Encourage water-sensitive urban design, water conservation and efficient water usage within communities to build awareness and prepare urban areas for drought conditions.

Theme 4: Land management:

4.1 Land management and adaptation: Explore climate-adaptive practices for farms, forests and natural landscapes to enhance resilience to drought and climate change impacts.

4.2  Fire preparedness and education: Improve fire detection, response and community preparedness, including training on culturally informed and ecologically aware fire management.

4.3 Water planning and management: Prioritise strategies to enhance water storage, efficiency, and quality to ensure reliable water resources during drought periods.

4.4 Technological innovation: Encourage the use of innovative technologies and digital tools to monitor, mitigate and adapt to drought conditions and other climate variability.

4.5 Socio-ecological resilience: Facilitate meaningful ways community members can take action to care for country.

Theme 5: Industry and infrastructure:

5.1 Strengthening local agricultural economies: Explore opportunities to build economic resilience and support sustainable farming practices.

5.2 Adaptation, research and innovation: Focus on long-term climate strategies and cross-sector innovation to support stakeholders in adaptive change.

5.3 Infrastructure development: Enhance critical transportation and logistics infrastructure to support uninterrupted access to markets and resources.

5.4 Drought-resilient water systems: Undertake coordinated and detailed water infrastructure planning for resilient water sources, including household water supplies and sustainable irrigation practices to support long-term water management.

5.5 Corporate social responsibility: Advocate for local corporate social responsibility that supports drought and climate resilience.

Theme 6: Globally significant ecological communities and Aboriginal cultural landscapes:

6.1 Adaptive land management and biodiversity: Develop adaptive land management practices to preserve biodiversity and ensure long-term ecosystem resilience in the face of climate change.

6.2 Water and fire management: Address water scarcity and prepare for fire risks to protect and conserve globally significant ecological communities.

6.3 Indigenous knowledge and community engagement: Encourage knowledge sharing and use of Aboriginal land management practices, such as cultural burning, to enhance ecosystem resilience.

6.4 Drought monitoring and species protection: Establish clear drought monitoring indicators and triaged next steps to protect species and maintain biodiversity during periods of extreme environmental stress.

6.5 Addressing knowledge gaps: Work to address knowledge gaps and build community and broader stakeholder understanding and support for innovative ecological adaptation and intervention approaches.