ARV Climate Change Strategy development commences

Alpine resorts around the world understand the significant threat that climate change poses to these unique and sensitive environments, as well as to the communities that live and work in them.

These impacts are already becoming apparent – a warming climate, declining or sporadic snowfalls, changing ocean and weather patterns, and extreme climatic events.

Our Victorian resorts are already experiencing climate change induced pressures including increased prevalence of storm activity, altered fire regimes, changes to rainfall and, water availability. All of these require changes in how we prepare for, respond to a climate-changed future.

ARV’s role in leading climate change adaptation

The Letter of Expectations under which ARV was established articulates ARV’s role in leading the alpine sector in prioritising preparedness and resilience planning to manage the impacts of climate change, and to progressively build climate change considerations into all ARV decision-making.

A key tool for doing this is ARV’s 10 year Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, which will establish a roadmap for helping our Victorian alpine resorts moderate potential harm to the environment and to our stakeholders, staff and visitors.

The Climate Change Adaptation Strategy will detail practical actions that ARV will take to adapt to climate change to protect individuals, communities, infrastructure and natural systems, and increase the overall resilience of the resorts.

To ensure the science-based strategy is effective, it will be all-resorts focused  and values driven so that adaptation actions are tailored to the alpine sector’s unique context and the communities that will be impacted.

Stakeholder input is critical to the success of ARV’s Climate Change Strategy

The first 3-5 years of the strategy will focus on practical, affordable and achievable actions within ARV’s remit, control and influence. A key part of this is stakeholder input and commitment to the strategy, as climate change adaption cannot successfully be dealt with in isolation.

To this end, ARV will be working closely with stakeholders in the development of the strategy, via an engagement process facilitated by an external consultant with expertise in climate change strategy.

ARV will be issuing a Request for Quotations for this work in February, with selection of the successful consultant expected by the end of March 2024.

Stakeholder engagement is then expected to start in April and will involve targeted discussions and facilitated workshops with major stakeholders, ratepayers, businesses, resort communities and neighbouring local government areas.