How do you tell people about sea level rise impacts so that they hear?

As geographers, we are frequently communicating our work to others. We have been working hard to improve the quality of our communication efforts. Very recently we conducted a study in far northwest Tasmania in the Circular Head region that evaluated the vulnerability of 180 km of coastal foreshore habitats to sea level rise impacts. The overall study approach was based on the Environmental Condition Assessment Framework. We explicitly integrated a Communication Plan into the project from the start and this shifted the shape of the project in interesting ways. The Plan encouraged us to identify very precisely who the primary audience was and, therefore, what key messages to draw from the study findings. We generated communication media including graphical conceptual diagrams of the habitats and their associated ecosystem services. We then identified the impacts of sea level rise on the habitats and their associated human benefits. We carefully structured the key messages and were informed in this by a strategic frame analysis and the 7 Doors Model of social change. The approach and the resulting key messages will be presented and discussed.