Community urged to take part in local climate adaptation survey

Residents are being asked to take an online survey to help with planning for the region’s climate change future.

The Shire of Augusta-Margaret River consultation comes amid workshops preparing for the local government’s first-ever climate adaptation plan.

Sustainability planning officer Katie Biggs told the Times it was a new move for the shire.

“Our climate adaptation plan will consider priority areas including local food networks, urban greening, advocating for improving housing stock, protection for coastal assets, emergency response planning, building community connections, support for the vulnerable, and improving water use efficiency and water resource planning,” she said.

“This is quite a new area for local governments, particularly regional ones, so we are expecting to learn a lot along the way and hope that this first iteration will be a great starting point for us to build on over time.”

A Shire spokesperson said it was important to think ahead about ways to adapt to climate change and extreme weather events.

But doing so could also bring benefits including greater urban greening and more tree plantings.

The survey is hosted on the shire’s YourSay website and open to submissions until 5pm on Thursday, April 4.