Extreme weather and unintended consequences in climate adaptation interventions for biodiversity

Climate change is increasing extreme weather, placing growing pressure on Australia’s threatened species. This thesis explores how extreme weather events such as droughts, floods and heatwaves affect the success of climate adaptation interventions, particularly in agricultural landscapes. By assessing hundreds of climate adaptation interventions for biodiversity and drawing on expert knowledge, this thesis shows that many actions are impacted by extreme weather, and interventions can also produce unintended positive and negative outcomes for biodiversity, farming, social capital and governance. The findings highlight the importance of better planning, monitoring, and risk management to improve conservation outcomes under a changing climate.