Looking beyond the D.U.S.T. – building resilient rangeland communities

Abstract

The role of towns and small business is poorly understood, yet towns are vital for the long-term viability of communities in rural and remote Australia. This case study in the central western region of Queensland (CWQ) examines the impacts of drought on rural towns and how to build a resilient regional community and alleviate hardship. Evidence was collected during drought from town businesses through surveys, interviews and a public meeting in 2017. Towns in CWQ are especially exposed to the risks of drought, as approximately half of the businesses are directly linked to agriculture. Townspeople are major contributors to social cohesion and resilience in rural and regional communities, which are often service and maintenance centres of nationally important infrastructure such as roads for inter-state freight transport and tourism. Drought and declining grazier incomes have led to reduced spending in towns. Populations have dropped sharply, as itinerant agricultural workers leave the region. The complex economic and social flow-on impacts of drought have resulted in lower socioeconomic resilience. The majority of community members interviewed expressed a desire to build secure livelihoods, which echoes other research where existing and new rangelands livelihoods are seen as contributing to the success of the nation, a common global desire. Local organisations in CWQ display innovative business and community strategies. Future actions need to support and build on these initiatives. A framework with the acronym D.U.S.T. has been developed, with associated actions aimed at building resilience in these communities. D.U.S.T. is appropriate for this often-dusty region, and stands for: D. Decide to act; U. Understand the context; S. Support and develop local capacities and institutions; and T. Transform regional governance. The key for decision-makers is to work with local people who understand the contextual complexity and local needs. Actions need to be based on principles of adaptability, equity and inclusiveness, and working with the whole of the community. Building on existing collaborations and innovations as well as transforming governance and secure funding arrangements are needed. Lessons from the communities in CWQ may help other rural and remote regions build resilience to cope with the unpredictable financial, social and environmental future.

Challenges, solutions and research priorities for sustainable rangelands

“…The socioeconomics of Australian rangeland communities are strongly dependent on land used in pastoralism, tourism, mining and conservation, and increasingly for Indigenous cultural connection and renewable energy generation (Foran et al 2019;Kelly and Phelps 2019). Although there are numerous potential viable land uses under stable economic, social and environmental conditions, rangelands are vulnerable to major environmental disturbances such as floods and droughts, unstable market forces and other externalities (Phelps and Kelly 2019).…”

“…Rangeland regions tend to have strong social capital, although it has been eroded by declining populations (Kelly and Phelps 2019). Social capital is critical to resilient communities, including trust, knowledge, leadership and the capacity to collaborate (Walker and Salt 2012), and can be enhanced through approaches such as 'two-eyed seeing' (Bartlett et al 2012) and others outlined in Theme 4.…”

“…Typically, government investment in rangeland regions is intermittent and linked to drought, disasters such as flooding and bushfires, or other crises that resonate with Australia's larger urban populations. Rangeland industries and communities have long been calling for more sustained and reliable investments based on locally led demands, aspirations and strategies (Kelly and Phelps 2019). Governments should be encouraged to incentivise the building up of reserves of key natural resources (e.g.…”

A call for collaboration: linking local and non-local rangeland communities to build resilience

“…The CWQ case study region Background CWQ straddles the Tropic of Capricorn, from west of the Great Dividing Range to the Northern Territory and South Australian borders (see fig. 1 in Kelly and Phelps 2019). Compared with other rangeland regions mining occupies a relatively minor area (see Appendix 2 in Foran et al 2019), and there is less land under Indigenous ownership or direct management than the rangelands of Western Australia or South Australia (see fig.…”

“…In this commentary paper we call for stronger links between the local and non-local rangeland communities for mutually beneficial outcomes, including building greater resilience for biophysical and socioeconomic rangeland systems. A call for greater collaboration in rural areas is not new, with examples from overseas (Cofré-Bravo et al 2019) and in Australia (McAllister et al 2008;Dale 2018;Foran et al 2019;Kelly and Phelps 2019). We contribute to this discussion by using central-western Queensland (CWQ) as a case study region and provide examples of effective collaboration and networks which contribute to resilience.…”