MAINSTREAMING CLIMATE CHANGE INTEGRATED LANDSCAPE ASSESSMENT, DECISION-SUPPORT & TOOL KIT

This briefing document describes the 'From Farms to Regions' project, which developed and tested an integrated landscape assessment and decision-support tool kit to mainstream climate change adaptation into regional planning. Using southeastern Ontario as a primary study area, the project combined qualitative stakeholder engagement with quantitative geospatial modelling via the Envision platform to evaluate future agricultural and environmental scenarios through 2035.

• The project utilized a collaborative framework involving analysts, modellers, stakeholders, and decision-makers to identify and mainstream adaptation actions. This process aimed to create a shared framework for diverse interests, identify sectoral trade-offs to increase adaptive capacity, and integrate qualitative and quantitative data iteratively.
• In southeastern Ontario, stakeholders identified three primary drivers of change: climate change, markets and the economy, and governance and policy. Climate change was categorized as an overarching driver affecting all other factors, with 'critical uncertainties' forming the basis for alternative future scenarios.
• The project employed the Envision modelling framework, a dynamic GIS-based spatial engine, to simulate landscape characteristics and evaluate alternative future scenarios. This platform integrated diverse sectoral models, including those from the National Agri-Environmental Health Analysis and Reporting Program (NAHARP) and the National Agri-Environmental Standards Initiative (NAESI).
• Five distinct scenarios were developed to project the region's state by 2035: a Business-as-Usual (BAU) baseline, 'Targeting foreign markets' (dominated by large specialized farms), 'Promoting the bioeconomy' (focusing on energy and pharmaceuticals), 'Moving towards greener agriculture' (emphasizing environmental performance and local/North American markets), and 'Living locally' (characterized by smaller farms and diversified agri-landscapes).
• Modelling outcomes indicated that the 'Living locally' scenario provided the highest support for a wide variety of species and the lowest risks to phosphorus loads, while the 'Targeting global markets' scenario resulted in negative impacts on habitat and the highest risk loads for phosphorus.
• Stakeholders identified over 50 adaptation actions, grouped into five clusters: farm-level production adjustments, new risk-management tools like crop insurance, support for ecosystem goods and services to act as buffers, provision of GIS and weather forecasting tools for planners and farmers, and public awareness and education to support cultural shifts in policy-making.
• To track the mainstreaming of adaptation into policy, the project proposed indicators across three levels: strategic planning (e.g., cross-sectoral participation), agricultural sectors (e.g., shift in crop varieties), and general mainstreaming (e.g., number of municipal plans including adaptation actions).

APA

Waldick, R., Bizikova, L., Bolte, J., MacDonald, D., Zaytseva, A., Lindsay, K., White, D., Gasser, P. Y., Mitchell, S., Vache, K., & Swanson, D. (2015). MAINSTREAMING CLIMATE CHANGE INTEGRATED LANDSCAPE ASSESSMENT, DECISION-SUPPORT & TOOL KIT. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/mainstreaming-climate-change-toolkit-briefing-note.pdf

Chicago

Waldick, Ruth, Livia Bizikova, John Bolte, Dan MacDonald, Anna Zaytseva, Kathy Lindsay, Denis White, et al. MAINSTREAMING CLIMATE CHANGE INTEGRATED LANDSCAPE ASSESSMENT, DECISION-SUPPORT & TOOL KIT. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2015. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/mainstreaming-climate-change-toolkit-briefing-note.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{waldick2015mainstreaming, author = {Waldick, Ruth and Bizikova, Livia and Bolte, John and MacDonald, Dan and Zaytseva, Anna and Lindsay, Kathy and White, Denis and Gasser, Pierre Yves and Mitchell, Scott and Vache, Kellie and Swanson, Darren}, title = {{MAINSTREAMING CLIMATE CHANGE INTEGRATED LANDSCAPE ASSESSMENT, DECISION-SUPPORT \& TOOL KIT}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2015}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/mainstreaming-climate-change-toolkit-briefing-note.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }