Drought Resilience Research and Literature Review

Case Study

Drought Resilience Research and Literature Review

Introduction

To support the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), and the Wheatbelt and Great Southern Development Commissions, develop a suite of Drought Vulnerability Assessments, we were commissioned to undertake a detailed review of drought-related material (academic, technical, policy, etc) and synthesised this into a comprehensive summary document, along with a socio-economic-environmental analysis of key local government areas in the Great Southern, Wheatbelt and Midwest to inform the development of Drought Vulnerability Assessments.

Woman looking thoughtfully at a document.

Situation

Foundations for Drought Vulnerability Assessments

DPIRD needed professional expertise to support their Policy Team to be ready to undertake Drought Vulnerability Assessments (DVAs) as part of their submission to the Federal Government’s Future Drought Fund.

There was a vast quantity of literature related to drought resilience (both Australian-based and internationally) and the agency needed a detailed review undertaken of this documentation to provide the foundations of the DVAs.

In addition to this, a socio-economic-environmental analysis of key local government areas of the Great Southern, Wheatbelt and Midwest was also needed.

Solution

Literature Review

With very tight timelines, we undertook a detailed review of drought-related material (academic, technical and policy) and synthesised this into a comprehensive summary document exploring drought resilience and adaptation. This was presented in a consistent and accessible format with accurate referencing of source documents.

Socio-Economic-Environmental Analysis

We undertook detailed assessments of 3 regional areas and 16 local government areas to provide insights into their commonalities and unique characteristics.