Foundational - Horizon Scanning for emerging research topics across the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth
Project Team: CLLMM Research Centre, Research Centre governance groups, community, First Nations, management agencies and researchers
Project overview
Horizon scanning is a well-established method for identifying relatively unknown and emerging threats and opportunities that allows sufficient lead time to establish research and develop management actions. The technique helps to gather, organise and prioritise existing and new evidence regarding emerging issues (future threats and opportunities) in a timely, structured and transparent manner. This horizon scanning represents the first opportunity for those with expertise to provide their perspectives on the emerging topics for the CLLMM region.
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Horizon scanning during this project will follow standard approaches to identify the most important topics. This will involve a modified Delphi technique to ensure transparency, repeatability and inclusivity of the process. Initially, an expert panel will be established to define the scope of the scanning (including timeframe), identify relevant stakeholder participants, and manage the engagement. Emerging topics will be identified by stakeholder participants submitting two to five topics that they consider novel, largely unknown, and likely to influence the CLLMM region over a defined future timeframe. Participants will be encouraged to canvas their networks and colleagues to maximise inclusion of ideas. These topics will be collated to allow scoring (each participant will confidentially scope all topics based on novelty, likelihood and importance) to achieve short-listing. Following reflection, stakeholder participants will have a second opportunity to consider and re-score the topics. The final list of topics will be presented across themes with summaries to articulate key aspects of the topic.
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This project will engage stakeholders to identify and prioritise emerging challenges, and opportunities that will shape the management of the CLLMM region into the future.
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The horizon scanning exercise will help to identify those topics, either as challenges or opportunities, that will shape research and management of the region in coming decades.
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First Nations culture and traditions are rooted within an ancient historical connection with country and countless generations of studying their local environment as a way of life. First Nations traditional ways of life, including land and water management, sustainable harvesting, and the conservation of local species can provide vital perspectives into the ways we manage the lands and waters into the future.
This project will provide opportunity for First Nations priorities to be identified, refined and documented for future reference withing research projects. By undertaking this project, First Nations people will be able to ensure ongoing research into culturally significant topics beyond those currently identified and being researched.
Identifying and documenting these priorities will contribute to reducing unnecessary engagement fatigue for First Nations people and organisations in the future.​
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Horizon scanning may assist in preparing for any of the key themes of restoration, mitigation, adaptation, and connection for First Nation people.
Cultural significance
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