All in Socio-Economic

An assessment of social and economic values of Australia’s tropical rivers: A scoping report to Land & Water Australia’s Tropical Rivers Program

superuser — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 00:24:48 +0000

This project involved a preliminary’ assessment of the social and economic values associated with Australia’s tropical rivers undertaken for subsequent Land & Water Australia investment in its Tropical Rivers Program.

IDs and People

Program:

Tropical Rivers Research and Development

Research Type:

Research Project

LWA Project Code:

CSE29

Host Organisation:

Land and Water Australia

Subjects

Subjects:

Socio-Economic

Tropical Rivers

Keywords:

Rivers

Tropical

Current Activities

Status:

Complete

Identifying and characterising the social assets of Australia

superuser — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 05:43:15 +0000

The term ‘social assets’ describes those characteristics of the social system which enable the longer term conservation, repair or replenishment of natural assets (NRM outcomes), and comprises those characteristics of the social system which include specific social entities, such as resource managers, NRM organisations and institutions; the attributes or characteristics of social entities, which may also reflect their capacity to adopt sustainable management practices; and the relationships and partnerships amongst social entities, including the capacity of social entities to influence others in the achievement of sustainable NRM outcomes. This report informs NRM practitioners and policy makers on the role different social assets play in achieving NRM outcomes.

IDs and People

Program:

Social and Institutional Research Program

Program Theme:

Community Participation

LWA Project Code:

NHT Project 61826A

Subjects

Subjects:

NRM Processes

NRM Regions

Socio-Economic

Keywords:

Social

Asset

Current Activities

Status:

Complete

Dr Neil Barr

superuser — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 04:32:39 +0000

Dr Neil Barr is the leader of the Rural, Social Research Team with the Department of Primary Industries, Victoria.

Why do some country football teams find it hard to survive? Why are Beaut Blokes weekends so popular? Why are some small country towns dying and others thriving? Will the corporate farm supersede the family farm? What is the ‘grass change’? Where does the city end and the country begin? What are the environmental concerns of farmers? Why are wind generators so controversial? How do we shape the countryside and its environment by what we choose in the supermarket?

IDs and People

Program:

Innovation

Program Theme:

Senior Research Fellowships

Research Type:

Senior Research Fellow

Researchers:

Dr Neil Barr

Subjects

Subjects:

People (General)

Socio-Economic

Project Information

Summary:

These are just some of the questions that researcher Neil Barr is being asked by rural communities in an effort to understand, explain and manage change in their communities.

The nature of Dr Barr’s rural social research work is changing as he responds to a growing number of requests to explain his research.

‘From once seeing these requests as an interruption to the work of a researcher, I am now seeing these requests as the reason for my career,’ said Dr Barr.

‘As a researcher, I find I am learning as much from the community as they learn from me. Their questions increasingly set my own preferred research agenda.’

The increasing need for explanations of the commercial applications and social implications of his research is changing the nature of Dr Barr’s career as a researcher.

The various reports of Dr Barr and his colleagues do not fill the expansive gap that remains beyond the reach of personal involvement. These reports are not always accessible, are often written for a specialised audience and most importantly, do not offer an holistic interpretation of the present and future of farming and rural communities.

The House on the Hill Book

This book is a result of the Land & Water Australia Senior Research Fellowship award which allowed Dr Barr the breathing space to complete a manuscript based on his experiences as a rural social researcher.

On the land and in country towns, the battle to survive goes on forever. Increasingly, the worlds needs food and fibre, but squeezes out the communities which provide them. Young people leave, farmers sell up, towns die, football teams amalgamate, communities keep reinventing themselves.

What’s going on? What can we do? Neil Barr looks close up and he looks at the big picture. What affects real people on the land affects everybody.

Current Activities

Status:

Complete

Breaking through the Equity Barrier in Environmental Policy

superuser — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 01:34:25 +0000

The main hypothesis underlying this study was that judgments of equity or fairness are sensitive to context, but not in a random way. We designed a two-pronged approach for equity judgments regarding water allocation policies in Western Australia.

IDs and People

Program:

Social and Institutional Research Program

Program Theme:

Innovation Call

Market Based Instruments

Research Type:

Research Project

LWA Project Code:

UWA37

Host Organisation:

University of Western Australia

Researchers:

Steven Schlizzi

Subjects

Subjects:

Governance and Markets

Socio-Economic

Project Information

Summary:

Breaking through the Equity Barrier in Environmental Policy

Current Activities

Status:

Pending

Developing a Cultural and Conservation Economy for Northern Australia

superuser — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 04:51:59 +0000

The project examined the suitability of Canada’s Ecotrust ‘conservation economy’ model for enhancing sustainable development in rural and remote Indigenous communities in Australia.

IDs and People

Program:

Social and Institutional Research Program

Program Theme:

Indigenous Natural Resources Management

LWA Project Code:

ACF1

Researchers:

Dr Rosemary Hill

Subjects

Subjects:

Indigenous

Socio-Economic

Project Information

Summary:

The project examined the suitability of Canada’s Ecotrust ‘conservation economy’ model for enhancing sustainable development in rural and remote Indigenous communities in Australia. Three community case studies and a broad regional case study were undertaken to ensure the research was grounded in remote Indigenous peoples’ experiences.

Current Activities

Status:

Pending

Sustainable Northern Landscapes and the Nexus with Indigenous Health: Healthy Country, Healthy People

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:42:30 +0000

The Sustainable Northern Landscapes and the Nexus with Indigenous Health: Healthy People, Healthy Country project was undertaken at the behest of Traditional Owners in central Arnhemland in collaboration with a transdisciplinary team of medical, ecological and social researchers.

IDs and People

Program:

Social and Institutional Research Program

Program Theme:

Indigenous Natural Resources Management

Research Type:

Research Project

Research Scale:

State

Legacy (KMS) Project ID:

NTU7

Host Organisation:

Northern Territory University

Researchers:

Stephen Garnett

David Bowman

Subjects

Subjects:

Landscapes

Biodiversity

Conservation

Landscape Management

Indigenous

Socio-Economic

Keywords:

Indigenous health

ICNRM

indigenous cultural

indigenous NRM

indigenous rangers

Project Information

Summary:

Outcomes:

he project concludes that a range of benefits may arise from Indigenous NCRM. These include improved environmental outcomes, health benefits, and other socio-cultural benefits. Indigenous NRM is a significant initiative in remote areas of northern Australia requiring further support and investment.

Without active management by Indigenous people, northern landscapes will continue to degrade.
Threatening processes include poor fire management and the impacts of exotic plants and animals.
Indigenous people have demonstrated their determination to be active in the landscape. One of the most powerful recent expressions of that determination is the Indigenous ranger movement.
Indigenous participants involved in active management of natural and cultural resources have better physical health than their counterparts who have been less involved.
Associated health outcomes include major reductions in risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes that not only severely disrupt Indigenous society but also require large public expenditure for treatment.
The broader Australian society benefits from increased activity of Indigenous people in northern landscapes, by mitigating adverse environmental outcomes and potentially reducing public health outlays.
The signals are sufficiently strong to warrant immediate and recurring investments to support Indigenous resource managers.

National policy analysis is required to:

Ensure that investments of this sort are not undermined by contradictory Indigenous policy in such areas as support for outstations, remote housing, education and definitions of legitimate work.
Review current investments to ensure that their scale is congruent with the seriousness of both the environmental and human problems confronted in remote and regional north Australia, with and the anticipated benefits of this integrated approach.
Develop governance procedures so that investment success is measured in terms of cultural and natural resource management outcomes, and health outcomes, and not simply process-related targets.

More information

Professor Stephen Garnett

School for Environmental Research
Charles Darwin University Darwin NT Australia 0909
Phone: +61 8 8946 7115
Email: stephen.garnett@cdu.edu.au
Website: www.cdu.edu.au

Current Activities

Status:

Complete

Location

State & NRM Region:

Northern Territory

Locations:

Arnhem Land

Resources

External Links:

Healthy country, healthy people (EurekAlert! 7 May 2007)