Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200100190
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$379,729.00
Summary
The effectiveness of impact investing for biodiversity conservation. This project aims to evaluate the effectiveness of impact investing for biodiversity conservation. Over $150 billion of private capital is invested worldwide to deliver social and environmental “impact” alongside a financial return. Impact investing promises “win-win-wins” for investors, governments and biodiversity alike, but also risks exacerbating accountability failures, transaction costs and conflicts of interest within hi ....The effectiveness of impact investing for biodiversity conservation. This project aims to evaluate the effectiveness of impact investing for biodiversity conservation. Over $150 billion of private capital is invested worldwide to deliver social and environmental “impact” alongside a financial return. Impact investing promises “win-win-wins” for investors, governments and biodiversity alike, but also risks exacerbating accountability failures, transaction costs and conflicts of interest within highly complex governance networks. This project seeks to discover factors that enable or inhibit the effectiveness of impact investing using a governance perspective. Project outcomes are expected to inform how impact investing may be harnessed to improve biodiversity conservation while minimising perverse outcomes.Read moreRead less
Rethinking the public inquiry on science, technology and environmental change. The project aims to strengthen public inquiry as a policy tool in governance transitions about controversial science and technology. The adequacy of public inquiry in Australia as an authoritative ‘advisory mechanism’ on the promising benefits and (socio-) environmental effects of ‘big’ science and technology is a growing public policy problem. The project will review whether the public inquiry is too decoupled from g ....Rethinking the public inquiry on science, technology and environmental change. The project aims to strengthen public inquiry as a policy tool in governance transitions about controversial science and technology. The adequacy of public inquiry in Australia as an authoritative ‘advisory mechanism’ on the promising benefits and (socio-) environmental effects of ‘big’ science and technology is a growing public policy problem. The project will review whether the public inquiry is too decoupled from governance and environmental change. Through transdisciplinary participatory conduits, a deeper inquiry capacity is expected to address important national challenges of sustainability, economic and social prosperity, energy security, climate change and international competitiveness.Read moreRead less
Integrating measures of Indigenous land management effectiveness. Land management is the fastest growing Indigenous employment sector in Australia yet methods for assessing its effectiveness are poorly developed. This project will work with Indigenous land managers and their major environmental service delivery partners to develop and agree on measures of land management effectiveness to meet multiple objectives.
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR200200186
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$230,583.00
Summary
Water resources management: past transformations for future sustainability. This project aims to develop a more systemic understanding of how culture, technology and institutional regulations have together transformed water resources management in Australia since the 1850s. Water resources in Australia have suffered multiple environmental and socio-economic crises. This project will identify the cultural and technological factors that have historically influenced allocations and access to water ....Water resources management: past transformations for future sustainability. This project aims to develop a more systemic understanding of how culture, technology and institutional regulations have together transformed water resources management in Australia since the 1850s. Water resources in Australia have suffered multiple environmental and socio-economic crises. This project will identify the cultural and technological factors that have historically influenced allocations and access to water resources for economic development, and the institutional regulations needed for tackling contemporary water crises. A deeper understanding of how public attitudes, institutions and socio-economic drivers redefined water resources management will help shape Australia’s capacity to prepare for a sustainable future. Read moreRead less
What's the catch? Social and environmental sustainability of seafood. This project aims to improve the social and environmental sustainability of wild caught seafood globally. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of seafood trade and sustainability using interdisciplinary approaches that account for social sustainability concepts and the displacement of fishing impacts. Expected outcomes include innovative approaches that can improve the traceability and sustainability of s ....What's the catch? Social and environmental sustainability of seafood. This project aims to improve the social and environmental sustainability of wild caught seafood globally. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of seafood trade and sustainability using interdisciplinary approaches that account for social sustainability concepts and the displacement of fishing impacts. Expected outcomes include innovative approaches that can improve the traceability and sustainability of seafood and new international collaborations. This should provide significant benefits to the ocean, by proposing innovative ways for protecting the ocean through improving the sustainability of trade policies, and to the billions of people that depend on a healthy ocean for their health and livelihood. Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190101583
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$370,000.00
Summary
How social networks and power shape adaptive action. This project aims to determine how social networks affect adaptive action in response to the potential effects of climate change. The project will provide a longitudinal study that tracks individuals and a governance institution before and after a global coral bleaching event to explicitly demonstrate key factors that facilitate or inhibit adaptive action at multiple scales. This project will significantly improve our understanding of how adap ....How social networks and power shape adaptive action. This project aims to determine how social networks affect adaptive action in response to the potential effects of climate change. The project will provide a longitudinal study that tracks individuals and a governance institution before and after a global coral bleaching event to explicitly demonstrate key factors that facilitate or inhibit adaptive action at multiple scales. This project will significantly improve our understanding of how adaptive capacity translates into adaptive action, and the role of social networks and power in shaping adaptive responses. This project will contribute practical guidance on how to build adaptive capacity among both individuals and governance institutions.Read moreRead less
Delivering Benefits from Nature in a Highly Connected World . This project aims to improve knowledge of the implications of global flows of ecosystem services (the benefits people receive from nature) for achieving sustainable land use by developing novel predictive models and decision tools. The project is significant because it will resolve the complex challenge of assessing land use strategies when land use change has impacts on ecosystem service provision locally and globally. Expected outco ....Delivering Benefits from Nature in a Highly Connected World . This project aims to improve knowledge of the implications of global flows of ecosystem services (the benefits people receive from nature) for achieving sustainable land use by developing novel predictive models and decision tools. The project is significant because it will resolve the complex challenge of assessing land use strategies when land use change has impacts on ecosystem service provision locally and globally. Expected outcomes will be new evidence for the effect of land use change on the global distribution of ecosystem service benefits and how ecosystem services trade-off against each other. This should provide significant benefits by enabling better assessment of land use policy in an increasingly highly connected world.Read moreRead less
Life in the Shipping Lane; The Cost of Increasing Disturbance to Whales. This project aims to quantify the increasing risk of ship strike to humpback whales in Moreton Bay, and predict the impact of chronic disturbance to nursing calves. The research builds on pilot findings identifying Moreton Bay as a resting area for migrating humpback whales. Using empirical and modelling approaches, this research responds directly to the Federal Government strategy for mitigating ship strike, which explicit ....Life in the Shipping Lane; The Cost of Increasing Disturbance to Whales. This project aims to quantify the increasing risk of ship strike to humpback whales in Moreton Bay, and predict the impact of chronic disturbance to nursing calves. The research builds on pilot findings identifying Moreton Bay as a resting area for migrating humpback whales. Using empirical and modelling approaches, this research responds directly to the Federal Government strategy for mitigating ship strike, which explicitly flags Moreton Bay as an 'area of concern'. The project has been developed in collaboration with traditional owners and industry, and is expected deliver optimal mitigation measures for the region. Findings further carry implications for similar functional habitats along Australia's humpback whale migratory corridors.Read moreRead less
A legal framework for managing mangrove ecosystem services. This project aims to examine legal and policy challenges, together with expert opinion, to generate a legal framework that recognises and protects the multiple ecosystem services provided by mangroves. Global rates of mangrove loss are of great concern because of the significant ecosystem services they provide in coastal environments. In the Australian context it is important that national and state legal frameworks operate efficiently ....A legal framework for managing mangrove ecosystem services. This project aims to examine legal and policy challenges, together with expert opinion, to generate a legal framework that recognises and protects the multiple ecosystem services provided by mangroves. Global rates of mangrove loss are of great concern because of the significant ecosystem services they provide in coastal environments. In the Australian context it is important that national and state legal frameworks operate efficiently to manage and protect these valuable resources. The framework developed in this project will be adaptable to provide significant benefits to other fragile ecosystems in Australia.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220101339
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$453,969.00
Summary
Ecological grief, wellbeing and resilience in the Great Barrier Reef . Adaptation to environmental change is a critical societal challenge that increasingly involves psycho-social factors such as ecological grief – the distress caused by loss of important environments. This project aims to understand how social factors such as place attachment and environmental values interact with broader environmental and institutional changes to shape community resilience to ecological grief in the Great Barr ....Ecological grief, wellbeing and resilience in the Great Barrier Reef . Adaptation to environmental change is a critical societal challenge that increasingly involves psycho-social factors such as ecological grief – the distress caused by loss of important environments. This project aims to understand how social factors such as place attachment and environmental values interact with broader environmental and institutional changes to shape community resilience to ecological grief in the Great Barrier Reef region. This will be the first comprehensive, interdisciplinary study to understand how ecological grief influences community wellbeing and identify local adaptation responses. The project will provide a basis for policy making that seeks to foster strong and resilient communities in Australia and globally.Read moreRead less