Abstract
In the epoch of the Anthropocene change, complexity, and uncertainty create a demand for new systems of water management and governance. One such management model that is rapidly gaining traction amongst both scholars and practitioners is the concept of water resilience. Although increasing attention has been paid to the overarching theoretical and applied issues surrounding water resilience, few have examined individual attitudes and perceptions towards this concept. In this paper, we examine to what extent individuals endorse – that is, agree with and see the importance of using - social-ecological resilience as a framework for management and governance of water resources. We approach the problem and promise of water governance in this way because individuals’ mindsets (and shifts in mindsets) offers one of the most effective leverage points for larger system change. To explore water resilience endorsement, we developed a scale (i.e., a water resilience scale) that was designed to capture individual endorsement of each of the seven principles of social-ecological water resilience. Three additional sets of questionnaires were also used to examine whether individual characteristics (i.e., demographics, psychological factors, and environmental attitudes) predict water resilience endorsement. Overall, there was considerable societal endorsement of water resilience. However, the degree to which individuals endorsed the concept of water resilience differed as a function of demographics, psychological characteristics, and attitudes toward the environment. Future research should examine the nuances of endorsement and consider targeted approaches to influence endorsement levels by using the predictor variables as a basis for engaging and shifting mindsets.
Highlights
In the epoch of the Anthropocene change, complexity, and uncertainty create a demand for new systems of water management and governance
It is important to understand what motivates individuals to endorse water resilience because acceptance and endorsement of a new approach at the individual level enables its further legitimization and communication in broader society[17,18,19], thereby leading to transformation in governance. We approach these questions from the perspective of individual endorsement of water resilience, recognizing that individuals can effect change at a much broader level in social-ecological systems, and that individual traits such as empathy e.g.21, spirituality e.g.22, and political values e.g.23 can be used as a mechanism for building water resilience endorsement[24,25]
To develop effective mechanisms for building water resilience endorsement, we first need to understand the individual characteristics that may be associated with varying levels of endorsement
Summary
In the epoch of the Anthropocene change, complexity, and uncertainty create a demand for new systems of water management and governance. It is important to understand what motivates individuals to endorse water resilience because acceptance and endorsement of a new approach at the individual level enables its further legitimization and communication in broader society[17,18,19], thereby leading to transformation in governance (including new sets of rules, values, and practices[20]) We approach these questions from the perspective of individual endorsement of water resilience, recognizing that individuals can effect change at a much broader level in social-ecological systems, and that individual traits (or ‘inner worlds’) such as empathy e.g.21, spirituality e.g.22, and political values e.g.23 can be used as a mechanism for building water resilience endorsement[24,25]. The specific objectives of this research are to: 1) Develop and test a “water resilience scale” for assessing endorsement of water resilience principles; 2) Describe the level of water resilience endorsement of the Canadian and US public; and, 3) Identify individual differences that predict levels of water resilience endorsement
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