ABSTRACT
Localisation or locally led recovery has been increasingly recognised as advantageous in strategic crisis management and resilience building. Since 2019, Australia has faced two major crises: a climate emergency with swift bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic with strict international and state border closures. The unprecedented scale of economic impacts and disruptions to mobility prompt us to rethink and refocus on the local relationships, values and knowledge as a better, more sustainable, and equitable path to a collective recovery. A case study of the Binna Burra Lodge, Australia’s longest-established nature-based resort, illustrates the complex effects of back-to-back disasters and the powerful occasion for sensemaking initiatives as part of an innovative localised recovery. This chapter reflects on the localised recovery approach that activates public memories, leverages stakeholder communications (#Bringbackbinnaburra), and strengthens community solidarity and social capital. Sensemaking initiatives enabled a process of situational awareness to understand connections among the people, the place and the events to navigate the uncertain and complex environment (Maitlis, 2005). This case also discussed myriad initiatives that generate a shared understanding and coordinated action in volatile and frightening conditions. By mobilising local relationships, Binna Burra enabled meaningful community connections with the land and promoted equitable recovery. Locally led recovery provides a holistic, grounded approach; it provides an opportunity to give stakeholders a voice and return agency over their adaptation to systemic disruptions.
