The art of learning: wildfire, amenity migration and local environmental knowledge

Eriksen, Christine; Prior, Timothy (2011). The art of learning: wildfire, amenity migration and local environmental knowledge. International journal of wildland fire, 20(4), pp. 612-624. CSIRO Publishing 10.1071/WF10018

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Communicating the need to prepare well in advance of the wildfire season is a strategic priority for wildfire management agencies worldwide. However, there is considerable evidence to suggest that although these agencies invest significant effort towards this objective in the lead up to each wildfire season, landholders in at-risk locations often remain under-prepared. One reason for the poor translation of risk information materials into actual preparation may be attributed to the diversity of people now inhabiting wildfire-prone locations in peri-urban landscapes. These people hold widely varying experiences, beliefs, attitudes and values relating to wildfire, which influence their understanding and interpretation of risk messages – doing so within the constraints of their individual contexts. This paper examines the diversity of types of local environmental knowledge (LEK) present within wildfire-prone landscapes affected by amenity-led in-migration in south-east Australia. It investigates the ways people learn and form LEK of wildfire, and how this affects the ability of at-risk individuals to interpret and act on risk communication messages. We propose a practical framework that complements existing risk education mechanisms with engagement and interaction techniques (agency–community and within community) that can utilise LEK most effectively and facilitate improved community-wide learning about wildfire and wildfire preparedness.

Item Type:	Journal Article (Original Article)
Division/Institute:	08 Faculty of Science > Institute of Geography > Human Geography > Geographies of Disasters 08 Faculty of Science > Institute of Geography > Human Geography 08 Faculty of Science > Institute of Geography
UniBE Contributor:	Eriksen, Christine
Subjects:	900 History > 910 Geography & travel
ISSN:	1049-8001
Publisher:	CSIRO Publishing
Language:	English
Submitter:	Christine Eriksen
Date Deposited:	04 Sep 2023 12:14
Last Modified:	30 Apr 2024 17:26
Publisher DOI:	10.1071/WF10018
URI:	https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/185859