Using a resilience thinking approach to improve coastal governance responses to complexity and uncertainty: a Tasmanian case study, Australia

Javad Jozaei, Michael Mitchell, Sarah Clement

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    18 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Conventional approaches to environmental governance and management are limited in their responses to uncertainty and complexity of social-ecological system (SES) change. Prevailing neoliberal and efficiency-based mindsets tend to focus on avoiding risk and creating “fail-safe” systems. In the last decade, resilience thinking has emerged as a means to transition from risk-averse, and command-and-control governance approaches towards those that are more adaptive, innovative and collaborative. To examine the practical usefulness of a resilience thinking approach, we used a complex, multi-layered case study of Tasmanian coastal governance. Drawing on the diverse expertise and a variety of key governance actors, we identified crucial problems being experienced with the Tasmanian coastal governance regime and discussed potential contributions of resilience thinking to address them. Thematic analysis of the results revealed three major contributions: resilience thinking (1) provides a way to think about change and uncertainty; (2) is compatible with proactive and entrepreneurial leadership; and (3) effectively considers issues of scale in the decision-making process. We conclude by offering practical suggestions towards devolved leadership and improved cross-scale collaboration, and consider the possibility of a hybrid resilience and risk-based approach to coastal management and governance.

    Original languageEnglish
    Article number109662
    Pages (from-to)1-10
    Number of pages10
    JournalJournal of Environmental Management
    Volume253
    Early online date17 Oct 2019
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 01 Jan 2020

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Using a resilience thinking approach to improve coastal governance responses to complexity and uncertainty: a Tasmanian case study, Australia'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this