Social–ecological inventory in a postdisaster context: the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake, Aotearoa-New Zealand

Abstract

Natural hazards continue to have adverse effects on communities and households worldwide, accelerating research on proactively identifying and enhancing characteristics associated with resilience. Although resilience is often characterized as a return to normal, recent studies of postdisaster recovery have highlighted the ways in which new opportunities can emerge following disruption, challenging the status quo. Conversely, recovery and reconstruction may serve to reinforce preexisting social, institutional, and development pathways. Our understanding of these dynamics is limited however by the small number of practice examples, particularly for rural communities in developed nations. This study uses a social-ecological inventory to document the drivers, pathways, and mechanisms of resilience following a large-magnitude earthquake in Kaikōura, a coastal community in Aotearoa New Zealand. As part of the planning and implementation phase of a multiyear project, we used the tool as the basis for indepth and contextually sensitive analysis of rural resilience. Moreover, the deliberate application of social-ecological inventory was the first step in the research team reengaging with the community following the event. The inventory process provided an opportunity for research partners to share their stories and experiences and develop a shared understanding of changes that had taken place in the community. Results provide empirical insight into reactions to disruptive change associated with disasters. The inventory also informed the design of targeted research collaborations, established a platform for longer-term community engagement, and provides a baseline for assessing longitudinal changes in key resilience-related characteristics and community capacities. Findings suggest the utility of social-ecological inventory goes beyond natural resource management, and that it may be appropriate in a range of contexts where institutional, social, and economic restructuring have developed out of necessity in response to felt or anticipated external stressors.

Flood Impacts on Dairy Farms in the Bay of Plenty Region, New Zealand

“…To gain insight into the impacts of the flood, interviews and post-event survey were used as the primary methods for data collection. Due to the challenges of access immediately after the flood, the long-term emergent and accumulation of loss as well as important ethical concerns relating to carrying out research during disaster recovery [53][54][55], a post-event survey was only possible several months after the flood. Drawing on recommendations for best practice [35], the survey was designed to capture farmers' expert knowledge to develop a detailed picture of on-farm events before, during and after the flood event.…”

Linking the social, economic, and agroecological: a resilience framework for dairy farming

“…Research has identified that having an attachment to place and to the people living in that place can increase a person's "emotional investment in their community" making them more likely to adopt adaptation measures and more likely to work collaboratively to do so (Paton 2013, Ross and Berkes 2014, Cradock-Henry et al 2019b).…”

“…Having strong social networks facilitates these discussions. Social capital also provides social support in times of crisis (Smith et al 2011, Cradock-Henry et al 2019b). Trust in and participation with government and sector bodies A subset of social capital (vertical social capital).…”

“…Climate change presents an acute challenge for Aotearoa-New Zealand (NZ) because of, in part, its dependence on agriculture (Reisinger et al 2014, Cradock-Henry et al 2019b. Agriculture contributes nearly 8% of annual GDP and 80% of export earnings, much of which comes from dairying (Foote et al 2015).…”

Principles and process for developing participatory adaptation pathways in the primary industries

“…In some studies, pathways are used to better understand the process of adaptation, how and why change has occurred, the variability of response, and the influence of context and power relations (Fazey et al, 2015). In this article, we use adaptation pathways as a tool to facilitate engagement, build local capability and capacity, and explore potential adaptation practices (Butler et al, 2016;Bosomworth and Gaillard, 2019;Cradock-Henry et al, 2020a). This applied approach considers multiple possible futures ("pathways") and anticipates adjustments to plans as conditions change and new information is gathered (Haasnoot et al, 2013;Barnett et al, 2014;Cradock-Henry et al, 2018).…”