About us
The Resilient Hills & Coasts is a partnership between councils, Landscape Boards, Regional Development Australia and the South Australian Government, working together to strengthen our communities, economies and environments, against the impacts of climate change.
Since 2014, we have worked together to strengthen the resilience of our communities, economies, and natural and built environments to a changing climate. The Resilient Hills and Coasts is one of several Regional Climate Partnerships across South Australia.
The partnership developed the Regional Climate Action Plan 2025-2030 for the Adelaide Hills, Fleurieu Peninsula and Kangaroo Island region of South Australia, and is now implementing the plan. It identifies five focus areas for us to concentrate our efforts:
- Resilient and Biodiverse Landscapes;
- Climate Ready Housing;
- Community Resilience;
- Climate Risk Management; and
- Telling the Story.
21 February 2025: Launch of the Regional Climate Action Plan 2025-2030.
Deputy Premier, the Hon. Susan Close (front) with Rita and Michael Lindsay (First Nations Representatives) and the RH&C Steering Committee members
Our Projects
We have been involved in a range of projects aimed at building community climate resilience, such as:
Sustainable Homes
- The Homes for Tomorrow project, an initiative of Mount Barker, Alexandrina, Light and Onkaparinga Councils. It aims at increasing awareness and promoting the uptake of sustainable and resilient housing, providing residents, homebuyers, and developers with the knowledge and tools to make informed, sustainable housing choices, and why it pays to build better.
- Expert Webinars: These webinars help you find practical ways to reduce energy bills and make your home more comfortable. Learn from industry experts, Renew, and download the webinar series. Topics include winter and summer energy efficiency, electric vehicles, buying green power, all electric homes, solar and batteries, sustainable building and renovations, and more.
- My Cool Home: Our region is experiencing more extreme weather events, including longer, hotter and more frequent heatwaves, with less annual rainfall, and more intense storm events. Our challenge is to adapt our existing homes and buildings for climate change. Our partners from Adapt-West have developed a 3D interactive house and garden walk-through and the My Cool Home assessment tool.
- Where We Build What We Build project, which looks at how to build homes that are resilient to climate change.
You Can’t Arb That (Tree FAQs)
We often encounter common beliefs and challenges, and are asked similar questions from our community relating to urban trees and their management. So, we’ve come up with 21 FAQs and answers to help your curiosity!
The "You Can't Arb That" video series, a joint project of over 25 partners under the leadership of Resilient East and Resilient South, features engaging 90 second interviews with arborists from various local councils answering frequent questions and misconceptions they receive.
Bushfire & Biodiversity
The bushfires of 2019-2020 had a devastating impact in our regions. To address the ongoing risk of bushfire, particularly in the context of climate change, our Bushfire and Biodiversity project considers preparedness and resilience while ensuring our biodiversity and nature is protected and maintained. The project aims to better understand the latest knowledge and best practise, plus outlines future steps to build a balance between bushfire and resilience in our region. You can find more information on our website: Bushfire & Biodiversity — Resilient Hills & Coasts.
Other key projects include:
- Low carbon transition efforts, including solar installation, LED lighting and electric vehicle fleets, as well as exploring options for a Community Energy Program.
- Coastal hazard mapping and adaptation initiatives with Kangaroo Island and Alexandrina Councils.
- Promotion of water sensitive urban design and urban greening.
- Climate Risk Governance Assessments for five Councils, to integrate climate risks into local government planning.
Our Achievements
The Resilient Hills & Coasts has made significant progress in driving climate resilience across the region. Through collaboration, we’ve attracted 1.2 million in external funding, undertaken 28 projects and over 40 advocacy and engagement items since 2014.
Our progress to date can be found in our Backcast report 2024, with a summary in the One page snapshot.
If you would like more information about Resilient Hills & Coasts, please visit the website https://www.resilienthillscoasts.com/, or get in touch via email hello@resilienthillscoasts.com.
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