Ecological grief literacy: Approaches for responding to environmental loss

Environmental losses are increasingly evoking ‘‘ecological grief’’ among environmental and conservation professionals. Ecological grief is a natural but difficult psychological experience, and a risk to well‐being. Despite this, there are currently few resources available to support environmental professionals and their organizations to reduce the risks to well‐being and cope effectively with ecological grief. As a result, environmental professionals who experience this risk in the workplace are unlikely to be equipped with the knowledge, skills, or context to support themselves, colleagues, or peers, in experiences of ecological grief. In this paper, we provide information, guidance, and examples of workplace support for ecological grief. Drawing on insights from the field of grief and bereavement, we identify peer support and organizational responses as key supportive factors for those experiencing ecological grief. We also present a new concept, ‘‘ecological grief literacy,’’ to guide effective peer and organizational support. While peers have the potential to provide interpersonal support and connection for ecological grieving, it is essential that the organizations that employ environmental professionals enact policies and practices that provide structures, resources, and contexts to enable environmental professionals to effectively support ourselves and each other.


INTRODUCTION
The accelerated pace of environmental degradation is leading to markedly increased levels of emotional distress among people who live and work alongside declining ecosystems (Comtesse et al., 2021;Freeling & Preston, 2019;Galway et al., 2019;Gordon et al., 2019;Newby, 2021, Box 1), a response that has been termed ecological grief (Cunsolo & Ellis, 2018).Grief for the environment is a "natural and legitimate response to ecological loss" (Cunsolo & Ellis, 2018), but it can be debilitating and contribute to mental ill-health (Charlson et al., 2021).Environmental professionals often have direct and continuous exposure to evidence of global change, an understanding of the trajectory of environments that are deteriorating, and frequently, a values-based, mission-oriented career aimed at

Example of ecological grief from an environmental professional
"I was in no way equipped to deal with the potential extinction of my study species. . .In many places, no birdsong remained . . .The most difficult time was returning to a nesting site of the glossy black cockatoo which I knew well.I found nest trees burnt to the ground.Their plastic artificial nest hollows, built to encourage breeding, were a melted mess."(Teixeira, 2020).
conserving species at threat of extinction and habitats in danger (Boon, 2022;Clayton, 2018;Conroy, 2019).Indeed, conservation science is itself a crisis discipline (Soulé, 1985(Soulé, , 1991)).Science and scientists are viewed as "dispassionate observers" (Attanasio, 2020), and impartial and separate from emotions (Batavia et al., 2021), although the emotional dimension of conservation work has been recognized for decades (see Windle, 1992).An international survey of 2311 conservation professionals found that more than one in four reported moderate or severe levels of psychological distress, with higher levels of distress associated with experiencing challenging working conditions, lower levels of social support, poorer health, being early career, being female, and having reduced optimism about both life in general and conservation outcomes (Pienkowski et al., 2023).Scholars have begun to highlight the lack of institutional support for those experiencing the emotional effects of ecological losses at work (Attanasio, 2020;Gordon et al., 2019;Teixeira, 2020).
As Boon (2022) argues, ecological grief experienced by conservation and other environmental professionals differs from that experienced by the general public; it may be considered a workplace health and safety risk.Psychosocial hazards in the workplace-aspects of work with the potential to cause psychological or physical harm, such as exposure to traumatic experiences and material-are increasingly being recognized as a risk to both mental and physical health of employees, and a responsibility for governments and employers to mitigate (World Health Organization, 2022).Recently, most Australian jurisdictions have adopted legislation aiming to ensure that employers mitigate these risks when they are unavoidable aspects of work (Safe Work Australia, 2022).While legis-lation and nonstatutory policies to protect mental health in the workplace are more piecemeal globally (see, e.g., Makarevičien ė et al., 2023), there is a growing understanding that alongside the inherent importance of protecting worker health and safety, there are cobenefits to investing in workplace mental health protection and support.These include improving organizational functioning, financial and productivity benefits, the attenuation of staff turnover, loss of expertise, rates of physical and psychological injury, illness, and disability (e.g., Kelloway et al., 2023).
Addressing the effects of experiencing environmental loss, including ecological grief, is therefore urgent for individuals, managers, and supervisors, and critically, a responsibility for senior leadership in organizations where environmental professionals work (including universities, government and nongovernment organizations that employ conservation professionals, private companies, and consultancies).Knowledge and support around ecological grieving has the potential to reduce psychological distress and burnout, enhance personal resilience, and sustain effective environmental action (Cunsolo et al., 2020;Pihkala, 2020;Randall, 2009;Verlie et al., 2021).Policies and strategies are thus needed to bring ecological grief into focus in a way that enables supportive and compassionate responses.

Toward ecological grief literacy
In the field of grief and bereavement research, Breen et al. (2022) highlight the need for a whole of community movement towards "grief literacy," whereby all grievers benefit from information about grief and loss, and access to appropriate, compassionate, nonjudgemental social support.To Breen et al. (2022), grief literacy comprises three key dimensions-knowledge, skills, and values.Specifically, it involves "[t]he capacity to access, process, and use knowledge regarding the experience of loss [including] knowledge to facilitate understanding and reflection, skills to enable action, and values to inspire compassion and care" (Breen et al., 2022, p. 427).Importantly, these three dimensions of grief literacy are embedded in networks of social support and operate through the interdependence of people within their own sociocultural contexts.
Applying the concept of grief literacy to the context of ecological loss, we call for the promotion of "ecological grief literacy"-which we define as the knowledge, skills and values that promote understanding of and action toward providing compassionate support for those experiencing ecological grief, including ourselves.Underpinning this call to action is the need for organizations, through leadership and management, to engage with their responsibility to protect employees from psychosocial hazards through workplace policies and practices.This will mitigate the risk of ecological grief support being left to individuals or team members, thus placing even more pressure on those experiencing the grief.Here, we take inspiration from research on grief following bereavement (Aoun et al., 2015(Aoun et al., , 2020;;Breen et al., 2022;Randall, 2009), and discuss how the unique characteristics of ecological grief shape the need for varied types of support.

Grief and bereavement-Lessons relevant to ecological grief
We experience many types of losses across our lives, including jobs, relationships, and most significantly, the death of those close to us.Grief is a natural response to loss, and can be associated with emotional, physical, social, cognitive and behavioral, and financial and spiritual domains (Neimeyer & Cacciatore, 2016;Sallnow et al., 2022).There are many ways in which people respond to and express grief across gender, race, and culture, and indeed by the same individual over time.There is no ''best'' or ''right'' way to respond to loss and what is helpful for one person may not work at all for another (Doka, 2019;Neimeyer & Cacciatore, 2016).
One of the most significant predictors of adaptation to loss following bereavement is the experience of social support (Burke & Neimeyer, 2013).Social support refers to being cared for, having assistance available, and being part of a social network providing different types of mutual support, for example, emotional, practical, or informational (Marmot & Wilkinson, 2005;Taylor, 2011).The public health model of bereavement risk and support needs is an approach to grief support that recognizes the value of existing personal, family, and community resources (Aoun et al., 2015; Figure 1).Support from family and friends is relevant to all people experiencing bereavement.For people at risk of complications from bereavement, community and peers can provide additional support.For people with complicated grief or other complex psychosocial needs, professional mental health support may also be indicated (Aoun et al., 2015).The model illustrates that bereavement support is not one-size-fits-all, and that the nature of the loss can influence the type and level of support needed.
While the experience of ecological grief shares many similarities with the experience of grief following bereavement, there are important differences both in the nature of the loss and the experience of support (see Figure 1).Ecological losses are ongoing and cumulative, and uncertain in terms of when, where, and how they will occur.Cunsolo and Ellis (2018) identify ecological grief as a type of disenfranchised grief-referring to experiences where grief from a significant loss is not acknowledged as valid and there is little cultural support for shared grief (Doka, 2019; e.g., experiences of miscarriage or disability).While climate change and biodiversity loss are key concerns for many, the ongoing nature of ecological loss, and the strong personal and identity-based attachments of environmental professionals to species and places under threat, means that family and friends may not be able to provide necessary support (Attanasio, 2020;Gordon et al., 2019).
Here, we adapt the public health model of bereavement support to propose a model of support for ecological grief.In our diamond model (Figure 1, lower right), the widest level of the diamond signifies the greatest potential for support is from colleagues or peers who share the experience of working with the natural environment.The use of peer support-involving people with similar life circumstances and experiences providing social, emotional, or practical support-is increasing across a range of workplace settings, including health and disaster response contexts, with consistent evidence that peer support is associated with benefits for people both receiving and providing the support (Bartone et al., 2019;Feuer, 2021).People with shared experiences are able to promote a sense of connection, and provide empathic understanding, a strengths focus, and valuable information and perspectives (Bartone et al., 2019).We suggest that support from family and friends may play a less prominent role than peer support, but note that this varies among families and friend groups, and environmental professionals often count many colleagues in their friendship groups.
The narrow top of the diamond represents support from mental health and other professionals.As with the public health model of bereavement support (Aoun et.al. et al., 2015;Figure 1, left), this additional level of support may only be needed by a minority of those experiencing ecological grief.Key factors that have the potential to mitigate mental health impacts of ecological grief for environmental professionals include the opportunity to experience a sense of supportive community with shared goals, and to engage in collective action (Clayton, 2018), and an experience of satisfaction with one's contribution to conservation (Pienkowski et al., 2023).These findings support our proposed model, highlighting the importance of peers and shared experiences.We note that this representation of support for ecological grief is where we see potential, but not necessarily actual, current support.An ecological grief literacy approach would harness that potential (Figure 2).

Ecological grief literacy: Knowledge, skills, and values
Building on Breen et al. (2022), Table 1 provides an overview of the knowledge, skills, and values that the authors propose as dimensions of ecological grief literacy.This list synthesizes bereavement literature (as outlined above), and was refined through a workshop for conservation scientists, led by the authors in October 2021 (see Boxes 2 and 3).Supporting Information A provides information, tools, and practical strategies for peer and self-support, with an expanded list of the dimensions in Table 1, to provide a foundation for building ecological TA B L E 1 Dimensions of ecological grief literacy (adapted from Breen et al., 2022).

Knowledge
Ecological grief is a valid and normal form of grief, even if some in the broader community may not recognize it.Lack of community recognition means that connecting with peers may be a valuable source of social support.Social support is often especially helpful for adapting to loss events, and should be offered in a way that fits the needs and preferences of the person.People can experience grief in many different ways, with no right or wrong ways, no set stages or time frames.
Many different emotions may be involved, or not.It is important to know how to find information, that there are a range of potential approaches to choose from, many models of processing grief, and different types of support available.The aim is not to ''get rid of'' or ''be done with'' grief.Experiencing grief in a safe way and place is key to processing emotions, if that is needed and wanted.Warning signs of more complicated issues include when distress is ongoing and debilitating.There are multiple options for professional support.
Ability to ask questions in a sensitive manner.Strategies such as those based in compassion neuroscience to remain grounded when experiencing strong emotions.Ability to help individuals needing support to find resources and appropriate help, being able to ask for help for yourself.
Values Support for grief is underpinned by an ethic of care, fostering community, and interconnectedness in relationships.Acknowledgment that everyone is vulnerable at times.Recognizing and valuing differences between people, including needs, preferences, and choices.grief literacy.Supporting Information B is a list of and links to groups taking various approaches to grief, ecological grief, and mental health.These resources are useful for both formal and informal peer and self-support.
Promoting ecological grief literacy so that it effectively contributes to mitigating risks to the mental health of environmental professionals will require strong and proactive engagement from the organizations in which people learn, work, and connect with each other (see Figure 2).In an ecological grief-literate organization, employees, managers, and senior leaders would have the knowledge, skills, and confidence about how to support themselves and their colleagues, and know where and when to seek appropriate additional support (such as referrals to ecological grief literate mental health professionals).Importantly, those in a leadership role would also validate and normalize the experience of ecological grief by transparently supporting these actions.Support would include mechanisms in place to facilitate peer support, such as ongoing education about ecological grief and ways to support oneself and others; providing the physical space, time, and information needed for colleagues to connect to each other; ensuring opportunities for team members to explore their grief in safe and supported ways; and allowing time and scope for any adjustments and adaptations needed during and after experiencing ecological grief.Fostering a workplace culture of safeness-a sense of internal safeness and support to do things that might be daunting-would underpin these activities and processes.
Psychosocial safety-mitigating the interacting risks from multiple psychosocial hazards such as job demands, poor support, interpersonal power imbalances, and traumatic experiences (Gordon et al., 2019;Safe Work Australia, 2022) must also be considered in any support offered.There is the opportunity to transfer evidence-based knowledge from other fields about workplace initiatives to support grief and distress, and apply best practice in such approaches.For example, the effectiveness and even safety of psychological debriefing shortly after a critical incident has been called into question-particularly approaches that do not engage natural workplace support such as peers (Brooks et al., 2019;Feuer, 2021).
Given the emerging nature of this field, there is scope for the development of formalized workplace training and programs in ecological grief literacy and peer support, for example, in collaboration with professional health and social care organizations with expertise about ecological grief (e.g., Climate Psychology International).Codesign of peer support approaches within a specific workplace context, and involvement of workplace staff in (co)facilitating peer support activities are essential for the approach to be appropriate, acceptable, and as effective as possible within the workplace.Those facilitating peer support interventions need to be adequately trained, supported, and supervised (Price et al., 2022), including both in the provision of general mental health and workplace well-being support, and specific knowledge and skills in ecological grief.Time spent on codesign and facilitation by current staff must also be resourced; unreasonable workloads and being expected to do unpaid work are themselves psychosocial workplace hazards.
Acknowledging that people will have different ways of grieving that may change over time, sometimes involving others and sometimes not, is critical.For example, one person might talk to their peers or friends about what they are feeling, while another may go for a run, or spend time in nature.Another option might be to mark a species or loss event with a memorial gathering, while others may seek solace in literature or music.Some people might use all of these approaches and others, over time (see Supporting Information A for a list of possible approaches).Doka and Martin (2011) identified different patterns of grieving; intuitive grieving: when people find support in being able to express their emotions; and instrumental grieving: involving more active and/or cognitive approaches.Importantly, while intuitive and instrumental grieving are ends of a spectrum, most people identify with a blend of both types.Key ecological grief models provide knowledge and understanding of potential internal processes of ecological grief to explore, which people might find helpful whatever their experience (e.g., Pihkala, 2022;Randall, 2009).
Below, we provide two examples of how peer support for ecological grief can be operationalized as part of a movement toward ecological grief literacy in an organization, including both informal (Box 2) and formal (Box 3) approaches.
There are limits to what a small group can achieve, for example, the workshop reached only a subgroup of the researchers in the larger conservation research group, and had no scope for continued support.People in senior leadership positions at organizations that employ environmental professionals are responsible for mitigating psychosocial hazards around ecological grief in the workplace, and in some cases, this responsibility is enshrined in law.To achieve this, policies and practices must be appropriately designed, adequately resourced and rigorously evaluated.
Central to any initiatives is codesign with the environmental professionals involved, to identify priority actions and to ensure meaningful benefits that are tailored to the context of each workplace (Figure 2).For instance, every person has unique experiences with land and environment.Among First Nations people, connection to traditional land and Country is central to well-being, and colonization practices continue to cause harm in part by damaging these connections.Engaging in traditional practices to care for the land are seen as beneficial for both people and land (Taylor-Bragge et al., 2021) and Indigenous ways of being, knowing, and doing have the potential to inform transformative organization practices (Buergelt et al., 2022) and enrich ecological grief literacy.

Example of informal peer support for ecological grief
The author group originally formed to codevelop a workshop on the topic of ecological grief, wellbeing, neuroscience, and compassion psychology.As part of this, we reviewed the literature and discussed research in ecological grief, theories of loss and bereavement, and compassion science approaches to coping with loss and stress.We consulted with ecologists who had experienced dramatic ecological loss events, as well as community and clinical psychologists.The workshop was built around practices and research that were evidence based, had been personally helpful to our own ecological grieving processes, and the environmental scientists in the group felt would be appropriate and acceptable to the workshop invitees (see Box 3 for details).After the workshop, we decided to continue our ''community of practice'' in this area, including occasional lunch or coffee meetings where we check in with each other about our lives, work, and grief.We talk about how we cope with ecological grief, referencing theories, peer-reviewed articles, writings, meditations, and other practices that have been helpful to us in promoting our own resilience.
Other stakeholders ideally situated to contribute to developing ecological grief literacy initiatives include conservation professional bodies, key bodies on health and climate change, mental health professionals specializing in ecological grief, along with expertise from disciplines such as organizational, community and clinical psychology, human geography, social science, research translation, and implementation science.An iterative process of rigorous, interdisciplinary research, evaluation, and dissemination is needed, drawing on best practice in other related fields (e.g., health and disaster response), to guide organizational leaders in the adoption of effective policies and practices as quickly as possible and with the best use of resources.

CONCLUSION
Ecological grief is a natural response to ecological degradation and destruction, and is an increasing part of the working lives of many environmental and conservation professionals, but there are few formalized organizational

Example of formal peer support: An ecological grief workshop
Conservation and biodiversity research scientists attended a workshop funded by the Centre for Conservation and Biodiversity Science (CBCS) at the University of Queensland in October 2021.The workshop was cofacilitated by two members of CBCS, as well as a community psychologist and environmental psychology researcher, who both had experience in workshop facilitation.After acknowledging the First Nations owners of the land, facilitators set guidelines for the session, including confidentiality and protocols for distress support (directions to a quiet place participants could retreat to, and that a designated facilitator would check in).Both CBCS and external facilitators, as well as an early career researcher guest speaker, talked about their varied experiences with ecological grief.Following a discussion exercise about participants' connection to nature and their experience with ecological grief, the workshop provided information about grief, ecological grief, and guided discovery exercises to apply neuroscience and compassion psychology to approaching the difficult emotions of grief (e.g., breathing and guided imagery exercises).There were opportunities to connect with colleagues in small groups and larger groups including with the facilitators, and meditations aimed at mindfulness of body sensations, so that the time spent acknowledging and experiencing grief could be approached in a gentle, compassionate way (or in a personalized way that suited different participants).To this end, we asked participants for feedback on the content and ideas for next steps.
Following the workshop, we shared with participants a list of references, exercises, and other resources (see Supporting Information B for a selection).We encouraged participants to set up their own ecological grief support groups of friends and colleagues.
responses to provide appropriate support, and the emotional dimensions and risks associated with conservation work are rarely discussed.The lack of a general societal understanding for this type of grief leaves many feeling disconnected and disenfranchised.Organizations and employers have both a responsibility to mitigate the psychosocial risks associated with environmental loss, and an opportunity to support the well-being of environmental professionals, who are doing essential work during ongoing global environmental crises.We contend thatas part of a suite of workplace initiatives-peers, friends, and colleagues have the potential to provide much of the support helpful for environmental professionals to manage the grief associated with ecological crises.Ecological grief literacy provides a framework for evidence-based actions that can be used within organizations so that individuals can support themselves and their peers, to maintain their well-being and continue their critical work.

F
Experiences and models of support for grief following bereavement and ecological losses.Lower left: Public health model of bereavement support (Aoun et al., 2015, Aoun, 2020).Lower right: Diamond model of ecological grief support.F I G U R E 2 Policies and practices for ecological grief-literate organizations, intersecting with the diamond model of ecological grief support.