Environmental crises, including natural disasters, habitat loss, and environmental degradation, require new approaches to engaging communities in decision-making. This project investigates how AI-supported immersive technologies can strengthen community engagement before, during, and after crises, enabling more inclusive and multispecies-informed responses.

Funded by the Sydney Environment Institute Collaborative Research Grant Scheme, the project contributes new knowledge on the design and use of AI-supported VR and AR simulators to support decision-making. Through its innovative engagement approach, it supports multidisciplinary collaboration on urgent environmental and social challenges.

The research will establish best practices for technology-enhanced environmental resilience planning, ensuring that engagement processes are more inclusive, transparent, and responsive. It also lays the foundation for scalable, multispecies-informed community engagement frameworks, offering new ways to integrate interactive, evidence-based approaches into planning and policy development across Australia.