Dr Hartmut Fuenfgeld

Position

Senior Research Fellow

School /
Work Unit

Global, Urban and Social Studies

Contact Details

+(61 3) 9925 0916

hartmut.fuenfgeld@rmit.edu.au

Location

Building: 15
Level: 4
Room: 19

City Campus

College/Portfolio

Design & Social Context

Dr Hartmut Fuenfgeld

Key activities

Hartmut Fuenfgeld is a Research Fellow in RMIT University’s Climate Change Adaptation Program. His research focuses on local and regional-level planning and decision-making for responding to climate change.

Qualifications

  • DipGeogr, Dr phil Heidelberg (Germany)
  • Cert MH Risk Assessment Twente (Netherlands)

Professional memberships

  • Institute of Australian Geographers
  • German Association for Applied Geography

Accomplishments

  • Led the development of a pioneering local government capacity building program on climate change adaptation at ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability Oceania.
  • Delivered research, training and advisory services to UN Habitat, UN ISDR, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the Rockefeller Foundation and other international organisations.
  • PhD in human geography. Dissertation on the impacts of political violence on social vulnerability and natural resource management institutions in war-affected northeastern Sri Lanka (Batticaloa).
  • Country experience: Germany and other EU countries, Australia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Zambia, Ghana.

Research overview

Hartmut currently is Chief Investigator in the project ‘Implementing tools to increase adaptive capacity in the community and natural resource management sectors’, funded by the State Government of Victoria through the Victorian Centre for Climate Change Adaptation Research (VCCCAR). The project aims to (i) generate knowledge on the needs and capacities of government service providers and funded agencies in Victoria to implement adaptation methodologies and tools;(ii) identify barriers, issues, solutions and opportunities within these organisations to implement adaptation; (iii) uncover the features of an engagement program that supports adaptation, based on tested adaptation tools, to inform future investment in policy and program development. The collaborative project works closely with Victorian Catchment Management Authorities, community service organisations, and Primary Care Partnerships.

Prior to this Hartmut was primary researcher in an interdisciplinary 18-month project that explored approaches and methodologies for local and regional climate change adaptation planning in order to develop in a decision-making ‘navigator’ to better inform adaptation policy and practice by Victorian authorities at various administrative levels. The project produced a proof-of-concept of a flexible online guidance framework for climate change adaptation, called the ‘Climate Change Adaptation Navigator’.

See : http://www.adaptation-navigator.org.au for more information.

Recent and significant publications

Books

  • Fünfgeld, H. (2007): Fishing in muddy waters: Socio-environmental relations under the impact of violence in Eastern Sri Lanka. Studies in Development Geography, ed. H.G. Bohle and T. Krings. Vol. 32. Saarbruecken: Verlag für Entwicklungspolitik. 296 p.
  • Fünfgeld, H. (2006): Integrating proactive conflict transformation into development practice: Experiences with project-based training in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka. Conflict and Development Studies. Vol. 4. Colombo: Social Policy Analysis and Research Centre. 167 p.
  • Fünfgeld, H. (2004): Dezentralisierung und Local Governance in Sambia: Von Wem, Für Wen? Entwicklungsperspektiven in der ländlichen Peripherie. [Decentralisation and local governance in Zambia: Development perspectives from the rural periphery]. Wissenschaftliche Reihe der Initiative Südliches Afrika. 2004, Bonn: Initiative Südliches Afrika e.V. 128 p. [in German]

Book chapters

  • Mehrotra, S., J. Carmin , A. Fenech , H. Fünfgeld , Y. Labane , J. Li , R. Roggema, F. Thomalla and C. Rosenzweig (2012, forthcoming): Adapting to climate change in global cities. In: Palutikof, J, M. Parry, et al. (eds.): Climate Adaptation Futures - Proceedings of the 2010 International Climate Change Conference. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons.
  • Fünfgeld, H., B. Webb and D. McEvoy (2012): The significance of adaptation framing in local and regional climate change adaptation planning initiatives in Australia. In: K. Otto-Zimmermann (ed.): Resilient Cities: Cities and Adaptation to Climate Change. Proceedings of the Global Forum 2011. Heidelberg: Springer.
  • Georgi, B., A. Kazmierczak and H. Fünfgeld (2012): Creating the knowledge base for resilient cities – a multi-level approach In: K. Otto-Zimmermann (ed.): Resilient Cities: Cities and Adaptation to Climate Change. Proceedings of the Global Forum 2011. Heidelberg: Springer.
  • Fünfgeld, H. (2011): Introduction: approaches to climate change adaptation in cities. In: K. Otto-Zimmermann (ed.): Resilient Cities: Cities and Adaptation to Climate Change. Proceedings of the Global Forum 2010. Local Sustainability Vol. 1. (pp. 399-400). Heidelberg: Springer.
  • Idris, E. and H. Fünfgeld (2011): Climate change risk management for a suburban local government: the case of Kogarah, Australia. In: K. Otto-Zimmermann (ed.): Resilient Cities: Cities and Adaptation to Climate Change. Proceedings of the Global Forum 2010. Local Sustainability Vol. 1. (pp. 365-78). Heidelberg: Springer.

Refereed journal articles

  • Fünfgeld, H. and D. McEvoy (submitted): Local climate change adaptation planning: why framing matters. Nature Climate Change.
  • Fünfgeld, H. and D. McEvoy (submitted): Resilience as a useful concept for climate change adaptation? Planning Theory and Practice – Interface.
  • Fünfgeld, H. and D. McEvoy (submitted, 1st review): Framing considerations in climate change adaptation policy. Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy.
  • McEvoy, D., K. Bosomworth and H. Fünfgeld (submitted): Resilience and Climate Change: the importance of framing. In: Planning Practice and Research. Accepted paper for special issue on ‘Deconstructing Resilience’.
  • Fünfgeld, H. (2010): Institutional challenges to climate risk management in cities. In: Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 2(3): 156-160.
  • Bohle, H.G. and H. Fünfgeld (2007): The political ecology of violence in Eastern Sri Lanka. In: Development and Change, 38(4): 665-687.
  • Korf, B. and H. Fünfgeld (2006): War and the commons: Assessing the changing politics of violence, access and entitlements in Sri Lanka. In: Geoforum 37(3): 391-403.

Conferences

  • The state of climate change adaptation planning in Victoria. Invited speaker. Royal Society Victoria Symposium: Climate Change Science and Impacts on Victoria. Melbourne, 20-22 September 2012.
  • What is leadership in climate change adaptation? Invited key note speaker. Metropolitan Council Connections Plenary workshop – Leadership and Climate Change Adaptation. Municipal Association of Victoria. Melbourne, 16 August 2012.
  • Implementing adaptation tools and capacity building. Presentation / session coordination. University-government partnerships turning adaptation research into policy and practice: VCCCAR Annual Forum 2012, Victorian Centre for Climate Change Adaptation Research. Melbourne, 25 June 2012.
  • Framing the adaptation process in local government – an introduction to the VCCCAR Adaptation Navigator tool. Presentation / session coordination. University-government partnerships turning adaptation research into policy and practice: VCCCAR Annual Forum 2012, Victorian Centre for Climate Change Adaptation Research. Melbourne, 25 June 2012.
  • Flexible guidance on adaptation planning and decision-making: the Adaptation Navigator application. Presentation. Climate Adaptation in Action: 2012 National Adaptation Conference, National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF). Melbourne, 26-28 June 2012.
  • Collaborative adaptation: How university partnerships turn adaptation research into policy and practice. Panellist. Climate Adaptation in Action: 2012 National Adaptation Conference, National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF). Melbourne, 26-28 June 2012.
  • Training practitioners and students for climate adaptation action: lessons and options. Panel session coordinator and chair. Resilient Cities 2012 – 3rd Global Forum on Urban Resilience and Adaptation. Bonn, Germany, 12-15 May 2012.
  • The Adaptation Navigator: a flexible adaptation planning framework for local governments. Presentation. Resilient Cities 2012 – 3rd Global Forum on Urban Resilience and Adaptation. Bonn, Germany, 12-15 May 2012.
  • Climate change risk assessment: foundations and process. Key note speaker. Metropolitan Council Connections - Adapting Risk for a Changing Climate. Municipal Association of Victoria. Melbourne, 29 July 2011.
  • Framing local adaptation: context-specific approaches for adaptation policy and practice. Presentation. Resilient Cities 2011: Second World Congress on Cities and Climate Change Adaptation. Bonn, Germany, 3-5 Jun 2011.
  • A climate-resilient Bendigo. Presentation/session coordination. VCCCAR Annual Forum 2011. Victorian Centre for Climate Change Adaptation Research. Bendigo, 2-3 May 2011.
  • Strategic local government planning and decision-making for climate change adaptation: experiences from local councils in Australia. Presentation. NCCARF International Climate Change Adaptation Conference: Preparing for the unavoidable impacts of climate change. Gold Coast, 29 Jun-1 Jul 2010.
  • Building resilience to climate change in Asian cities. Invited panellist. Resilient Cities 2010: First World Congress on Cities and Climate Change Adaptation. Bonn, Germany, 28 May-1 Jun 2010.
  • Adaptive and Resilient Communities (ARC) program and adaptation toolkit. Presentation. Resilient Cities 2010: First World Congress on Cities and Climate Change Adaptation. Bonn, Germany, 28 May-1 Jun 2010.
  • Key climate risks and potential responses: working with Local Government on climate change adaptation. Invited presentation. Climate Change Adaptation Forum: managing the risks and building resilience. Sydney, 26 Nov 2009.
  • Adapting to climate change: opportunities for community-sector organisations. Invited presentation. Protecting Social Equity: When The Going Gets Tough. Victorian Council of Social Service Congress 2009, Melbourne, 6-7 Aug 2009.
  • ICLEI Oceania’s Work on Adaptation and Resilience Building. Presentation. Connecting Leaders: Advancing Local Action for Sustainability. ICLEI World Congress 2009. Edmonton, Canada, 14-18 Jun 2009.
  • Climate change risk management in local governments: The Adaptive and Resilient Communities Program. Invited presentation. Working with climate change: an adaptation symposium. Department of Sustainability and Environment, 3-4 Jun 2009, Melbourne.

Other

Peer reviews

Conducted for (in 2011/12): Climate Policy; Landscape and Urban Planning, Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension; Resilient Cities; Disasters; National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF).

Staff work

More information