ISER Impact Story - Professor Melissa Nursey Bray

Harnessing the power of community engagement to transform climate change adaptation policy 

Professor Nursey-Bray is transforming how communities influence environmental decision-making as the Deputy Director of Sustainability Research at ISER and leader of the Adaptation, Community, Environment (ACE) research group. 

As our climate changes and new threats to biodiversity emerge, government, industry, and community groups must join forces to address emerging challenges. Community engagement is a vital part of environmental decision-making, and if done well can be a major contributor to a project’s success. However, the process can be extremely challenging, taking a highly skilled, diverse team to execute. With significant contributions to major environmental reports and resource management strategies, Professor Nursey-Bray and her team are at the forefront of finding innovative solutions to these pressing challenges. 

“My research focuses on understanding how communities interact with environmental decision-making – understanding factors like values, knowledge, power, and culture, and how they can be integrated into environmental policy and governance. We’re exploring the role of social learning, communication, and collaboration in enhancing the adaptive capacity and resilience of communities,”Professor Melissa Nursey-Bray

Solutions that are co-led and heavily informed by community experiences have a higher chance of efficacy once implemented. Professor Nursey-Bray has driven several significant projects delving into this, including most recently a comprehensive review of methods for community engagement with Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Since local communities rarely interact with or witness the value of MPAs, it can be difficult to gain support for their ongoing funding and management. To address this, Professor Nursey-Bray’s team performed a case study of offshore South Australian MPAs, and systematically assessed public attitudes and depth of knowledge of MPAs. They used these findings to deploy impactful engagement activities centred around the “Fab Five” – five iconic native species that make their homes in South Australian waters: the Australian sea lion, giant Australian cuttlefish, white-bellied sea eagle, great white shark, and the southern right whale. Using the Fab Five as ambassadors for South Australia’s protected waters, the team created a highly visual and virtually-enabled space for cross-cultural engagement, as well as opportunities to build community support for MPAs and enhance marine conservation.  

Another aspect of environmental management involves how governments communicate with communities about the impacts of climate change on their local environment. Commissioned by the Victorian Marine and Coastal Council, Professor Nursey-Bray’s team used their expertise to develop an evidence-based approach to this challenge, reviewing the scientific literature on climate change communication and creating a roadmap to guide the Council on rolling out their own tailor-made communication strategy.  

Professor Nursey-Bray has also led the development of many Indigenous resource management strategies, including an impactful project creating climate adaptation options with the Arabana people in South Australia. Working with the Arabana people, the team incorporated a significant amount of Indigenous knowledge of the region, as well as important cultural perspectives into solutions for a range of community-identified issues, including the establishment of cultural camps and revitalisation programs. 

Effective engagement with communities is a core part of ISER’s mission, with the Institute providing a platform for partnerships with government, industry, and community groups. In this context, Professor Nursey-Bray brings significant expertise and a diverse track record of impact to the ISER umbrella.