Understanding and enhancing resilience

The relationship between natural hazards and communities has traditionally been viewed from a vulnerability perspective, where communities are at varying levels of vulnerability and helplessness. Australia’s recently adopted National Strategy for Disaster Resilience takes an internationally progressive approach in the application of a disaster resilience paradigm.

This method gives communities greater options and diversity in managing natural hazards, and places the preparation, prevention, response and recovery in the context of societies learning from and adapting to change.

The NSDR recognises four characteristics of disaster resilient communities: 1) they function well while under stress 2) they adapt successfully 3) they are self-reliant and 4) they have strong social capacity. However important questions are raised. How would progress towards the development of these characteristics be assessed and how should investments to develop disaster resilience be prioritised, evaluated, and reported?

This cluster of research projects will:

• develop an Australian Natural Disaster Resilience Index for assessing, evaluating, reporting and planning for resilience to natural hazards under the NSDR and
• develop a framework for understanding the ownership of risks from bushfires and natural hazards at the institutional level in order to improve risk governance through a range of measures, including investment strategies, resilience and risk mitigation.