Enhancing Community-scale Social Resilience: what is the connection between healthy communities and healthy waterways?

Abstract

Qualitative research undertaken in a regional centre of northern Queensland revealed how community members with an interest in water quality see themselves and others being pro-active in maintaining healthy waterways. Interview analysis revealed that respondents saw social resilience to changing water quality as contingent upon personal perceptions of water quality; the ability of a whole community to respond to changes in water quality; and individual behaviour change. Many participants explained that, in general, individuals would not take responsibility for maintaining healthy waterways unless there were personal consequences for not acting. We relate these data to current literature linking individual attitudes to community pro-environmental behaviour. We conclude that certain conditions usually prevail before a whole community will take up environmentally responsible behaviour. These conditions include a latent level of social capital, collective social learning, agency coordination, sufficient resources, and personal significance.

Keywords:

• Water quality
• community activeness
• social resilience
• social capital
• social learning
• willingness to act

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all of the participants who generously agreed to be interviewed for this study, and for the help and support from our colleagues at the University of Queensland and CSIRO. The research was funded by a Commonwealth Government Marine and Tropical Science Research Facility grant, Project 4.9.7.2.