CLEA talked to 13 people who know the networks in the community environment sector in the NE, and asked them about networks around climate change. We fed back to them what they said in this report.
Then we asked then what they heard in this data, and what they thought it meant for strengthening networks. After a bit of back-and-forth, five starting points emerged:
Strengthen cross-local networks— the early movers tend to be out on their own in their own locality, and they are stronger if they can connect to companions in other localities;
Understand what’s happening at your place— develop a way people can make sense of what’s happening as the climate changes, on their property, in their locality, for their farming system;
Make stories of shifts in thinking more public— personal stories of how I changed what I think open the way from denial to adaptation, and encourage people;
Coordinate and target messages, information and events—there would be more bang for buck if there was more discussion between paid staff and committees of management across the region;
Support collaboration between Landcare Networks in the region—and use this to get behind community-led approaches to strengthening networks.
Check out the detail here.