Ensuring Resilience of Natural Resources under Exposure to Extreme Climate Events

Brent Jacobs, Louise Boronyak-Vasco, Kristy Moyle and Peat Leith
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Brent Jacobs: Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology, PO Box 123, Broadway 2007, Australia
Louise Boronyak-Vasco: Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology, PO Box 123, Broadway 2007, Australia
Kristy Moyle: South East Local Land Services, PO Box 9, Braidwood 2622, Australia
Peat Leith: Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, University of Tasmania, Hobart 7001, Australia

Resources, 2016, vol. 5, issue 2, 1-21

Abstract: Natural resources directly support rural livelihoods and underpin much of the wealth of rural and regional Australia. Climate change manifesting as increasing frequency and or severity of extreme weather events poses a threat to sustainable management of natural resources because the recurrence of events may exceed the resilience of natural systems or the coping capacity of social systems. We report the findings of a series of participatory workshops with communities in eight discrete landscapes in South East New South Wales, Australia. The workshops focused on how natural resource management (NRM) is considered in the Prevent-Prepare-Respond-Recover emergency management cycle. We found that NRM is generally considered only in relation to the protection of life and property and not for the intrinsic value of ecosystem services that support communities. We make three recommendations to improve NRM under extreme climate events. Firstly, the support to communities offered by emergency management agencies could be bolstered by guidance material co-produced with government NR agencies. Secondly, financial assistance from government should specifically target the restoration and maintenance of green infrastructure to avoid loss of social-ecological resilience. Thirdly, action by natural resource dependent communities should be encouraged and supported to better protect ecosystem services in preparation for future extreme events.

Keywords: natural resource management; extreme climate events; emergency management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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