Adapting Australia's unique environment to climate change

The Australian Government has developed a new National Climate Resilience and Adaptation Strategy – positioning Australia to better anticipate, manage and adapt to our changing climate.

Read more about the National Climate Resilience and Adaptation Strategy.

Key strategies and programs include

National Climate Resilience and Adaptation Strategy

The National Climate Resilience and Adaptation Strategy sets out what the Australian Government will do to support efforts across all levels of government, businesses and the community, to better anticipate, manage and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Australia’s Strategy for Nature

Australia’s Strategy for Nature provides a shared roadmap to better understand, care for and sustainably manage nature to 2030. It includes explicit consideration of climate change adaptation and resilience, including in the management of species and ecosystems.

National Landcare Program

The National Landcare Program provides a range of measures to support natural resource management, sustainable agriculture and to protect Australia’s biodiversity.

Threatened Species Strategy

The Threatened Species Strategy 2021-31 sets our forward plan for action to protect and recover Australia’s threatened plants, animals and ecological communities. One of the eight action areas focuses on climate change adaptation and resilience.

Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan

The Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan is Australia’s long-term strategy for protecting the Great Barrier Reef. The focus is on reducing local and regional pressures to support the Reef’s health and build its resilience to climate change.

Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program

The Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program will put the Great Barrier Reef at the cutting edge of global efforts to help coral reefs adapt to climate change.

Bushfire recovery for wildlife and their habitat

We are supporting recovery and building the resilience of native wildlife and their habitats impacted by the 2019-20 extreme fire events. Important work is happening across bushfire-affected regions to support long-term recovery in a changing climate.

National Soil Strategy

The National Soil Strategy sets out how Australia will value, manage and improve its soil for the next 20 years. It will support Australia’s commitment towards a more sustainable future and build resilience in our communities and agricultural sector to adapt to climate change.

Future Drought Fund

The Future Drought Fund is helping Australian farms and communities be more resilient to the impacts of drought. It includes the Drought Resilience Self-Assessment Tool and Climate Services for Agriculture program to provide accessible and relevant climate information for farm businesses.

Oceans Leadership Package

The Oceans Leadership Package aims to restore blue carbon ecosystems like seagrass and mangroves to build resilience to climate change and help adapt natural, social and built systems. The program plays a key role improving the health of coastal environments and protecting native species and habitat.

Nature-based solutions

Nature-based solutions (NbS)  are actions that protect, manage, or restore ecosystems in ways that provide benefits to communities and ecosystems at the same time. The Government is developing natural capital metrics, environmental economic accounts and market-based approaches to provide incentives to invest in environmental management and protection, including against climate risks. This work will help scale government investment by shaping private sector capital flows.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities

We are committed to empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in climate adaptation to achieve better outcomes for their communities. For example, through access to funding for cultural burning under the Emissions Reduction Fund and supporting climate adaptation activities led by the Torres Strait Regional Authority.