Home>Resources>Recovery Capitals (ReCap) Guide>ReCap: Natural Capital

This page is part of the Guide to Disaster Recovery Capitals. The seven recovery capitals are deeply interrelated – click through to explore them all.

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Natural Capital Green Line

Connection

WHAT WE KNOW

Many disasters damage the natural environment, causing grief for many people(3). Others, such as pandemics, can impact mental health by restricting connection with nature(4,5). However the regeneration of nature can provide solace, and connection to the natural environment has been associated with better post-disaster mental health and wellbeing(3–6). For Aboriginal peoples these experiences can be particularly profound due to the deep connections between land, culture, history, colonisation and identity(7,8).

CONSIDER

  • Involve residents and groups in the co-development of local practices to restore, protect and connect with the environment and the land.
  • Recovery approaches should be respectful of the history, culture, strengths and circumstances of affected Indigenous communities, including deep connectedness to the land. This involves enabling communities to lead their own recovery; developing respectful, trusting relationships and collaborations; and considering the significance of land, trauma, healing and resilience.
Natural Capital Green Line

Climate change

WHAT WE KNOW

There is growing evidence of the physical, psychological, and spiritual health impacts from the threat of climate change (including ‘ecoanxiety’ and ‘solastalgia’)(9,10). Further investigation of the interplay with disaster recovery is needed, given the importance of a sense of safety, hope and self- and community-efficacy in recovery(11).

CONSIDER

  • How might increasing anxiety about climate change influence people’s recovery and mental health?
Natural Capital Green Line

Risks and barriers

WHAT WE KNOW

Certain features of the natural environment can increase exposure to risk e.g. proximity to bushland or floodplains(12–14). The natural environment can also pose barriers to recovery e.g. lack of services in remote locations(15); insurance difficulties in high-risk areas(16); lack of financial resources for recovery if local industries such as tourism are highly dependent on the natural environment(17).

CONSIDER

  • What features of the natural environment increase exposure to risk, or pose barriers to recovery? What mitigation strategies are in place, or need to be developed?
Natural Capital Green Line

Restoration

WHAT WE KNOW

Restoration of and reconnection with the natural environment can be a source of solace(3–5). It can also provide other benefits including financial boost to local economies(17).

CONSIDER

  • How might local activity in industries such as tourism and agriculture be fostered? Explore opportunities to make these livelihoods more resilient and sustainable through recovery.
  • Consult with local Traditional Owners and other communities to create diverse opportunities to protect, restore and connect with nature. Attention should be paid to appropriate engagement with places of particular significance to Indigenous peoples.
Natural Capital Green Line

Remaining and relocating

WHAT WE KNOW

Connection to the natural environment is an important part of people’s sense of place, and as such people may be more likely to remain in the community after a disaster event(6,18).

Decisions about relocation may be further complicated for Aboriginal peoples whose rights, interest and connection to Country remain specific to the disaster-affected area(8), and who may experience negative effects of relocating including an inability to maintain proper relations with Country(19,20).

CONSIDER

  • Restore local features (such as walks and parks) and initiate diverse and accessible opportunities to enable people to engage with the spiritual and cultural significance of nature in their lives.
  • Prioritise supports for Indigenous peoples to remain on Country.

References

  1. Emery M, Fey S, Flora C. Using community capitals to develop assets for positive community change. CD Practice. 2006;13:1–19.
  2. Jacobs C. Measuring success in communities: The community capitals framework. 2011;
  3. Block K, Molyneaux R, Gibbs L, Alkemade N, Baker E, MacDougall C, et al. The role of the natural environment in disaster recovery: “We live here because we love the bush”. Health & Place. 2019 May 1;57:61–9.
  4. Zabini F, Albanese L, Becheri FR, Gavazzi G, Giganti F, Giovanelli F, et al. Comparative study of the restorative effects of forest and urban videos during COVID-19 lockdown: Intrinsic and benchmark values. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020;17(21):8011.
  5. Pouso S, Borja Á, Fleming LE, Gómez-Baggethun E, White MP, Uyarra MC. Contact with blue-green spaces during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown beneficial for mental health. Science of The Total Environment. 2021;756:143984.
  6. Boon HJ. Disaster resilience in a flood-impacted rural Australian town. Natural Hazards. 2014 Mar;71(1):683–701.
  7. Williamson B, Weir J, Cavanagh V. Strength from perpetual grief: how Aboriginal people experience the bushfire crisis. The Conversation. 2020;
  8. Williamson B, Markham F, Weir J. Aboriginal peoples and the response to the 2019–2020 bushfires, Working Paper No. 134/2020. Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research, Australian National University, Canberra; 2020.
  9. Berry HL, Bowen K, Kjellstrom T. Climate change and mental health: a causal pathways framework. International journal of public health. 2010;55(2):123–32.
  10. Hayes K, Blashki G, Wiseman J, Burke S, Reifels L. Climate change and mental health: Risks, impacts and priority actions. International journal of mental health systems. 2018;12(1):28.
  11. Hobfoll SE, Watson P, Bell CC, Bryant RA, Brymer MJ, Friedman MJ, et al. Five essential elements of immediate and mid-term mass trauma intervention: Empirical evidence. Psychiatry. 2007;70(4):283–315.
  12. Syphard AD, Keeley JE, Massada AB, Brennan TJ, Radeloff VC. Housing arrangement and location determine the likelihood of housing loss due to wildfire. PLoS ONE. 2012 Mar 28;7(3).
  13. Crompton RP, McAneney KJ, Chen K, Pielke RA, Haynes K. Influence of location, population, and climate on building damage and fatalities due to Australian bushfire: 1925-2009. Weather, Climate, and Society. 2010 Oct;2(4):300–10.
  14. Wenger C. Building walls around flood problems: The place of levees in Australian flood management. Vol. 19, Australian Journal of Water Resources. 2015. p. 3–30.
  15. Sorensen T, Epps R. An overview of economy and society. Prospects and Policies for Rural Australia, Longman Cheshire, Melbourne. 1993;7–32.
  16. van den Honert RC, McAneney J. The 2011 Brisbane Floods: Causes, Impacts and Implications. Water. 2011 Dec 9;3(4):1149–73.
  17. Himes-Cornell A, Ormond C, Hoelting K, Ban NC, Zachary Koehn J, Allison EH, et al. Factors Affecting Disaster Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Using the Community Capitals Framework. Coastal Management. 2018 Sep 3;46(5):335–58.
  18. Gibbs L, Gallagher HC, Block K, Snowdon E, Bryant R, Harms L, et al. Post-bushfire relocation decision-making and personal wellbeing: A case study from Victoria, Australia. In: Adenrele Awotona, editor. Planning for Community-based Disaster Resilience Worldwide: Learning from Case Studies in Six Continents. London and New York: Routledge; 2016. p. 333–56.
  19. Thomassin A, Neale T, Weir JK. The natural hazard sector’s engagement with Indigenous peoples: a critical review of CANZUS countries. Geographical research. 2019;57(2):164–77.
  20. Zander KK, Petheram L, Garnett ST. Stay or leave? Potential climate change adaptation strategies among Aboriginal people in coastal communities in northern Australia. Natural Hazards. 2013;67(2):591–609.

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This resource has been developed through the Recovery Capitals (ReCap) project.
Artwork on this page by Oslo Davis and Frances Belle Parker.

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