NESP Northern Australia Environmental Resources Hub’s project on multiple objective planning in northern Australia is guiding participatory scenario planning to construct and assess the outcomes of alternative development scenarios in the Fitzroy catchment, WA. The project’s planning team will meet three times to discuss possible development pathways for the Fitzroy catchment and their consequences. On July … Continue reading Stakeholders get together to think about the future of the Fitzroy River catchment, Kimberley, Western Australia
New paper: a systematic review of the socioeconomic factors that influence how marine protected areas impact on ecosystems and livelihoods
Marine protected areas (MPAs) are not always placed where they can maximise positive impacts on conservation and livelihoods. Whilst clear MPA guidelines are available that focus on biophysical criteria, less attention has been given to incorporating socioeconomic dimensions into the MPA planning process. A new paper, led by Me’ira Mizrahi and published in Society and … Continue reading New paper: a systematic review of the socioeconomic factors that influence how marine protected areas impact on ecosystems and livelihoods
The Conservation Planning Group is heading to New Zealand!
The Society for Conservation Biology Oceania is hosting its 5th Oceania Congress for Conservation Biology in Wellington, New Zealand. The conference, which takes place from July 3-5 2018, is an opportunity for scientists, managers, students, and other conservation professionals to meet, discuss, and share new findings and opportunities to address conservation challenges. Four members of … Continue reading The Conservation Planning Group is heading to New Zealand!
New paper: Who trusts whom in the Great Barrier Reef? Exploring trust and communication in natural resource management
Trust is an important element of social capital that is increasingly recognized as integral to effective natural resource management, yet the concept remains relatively unexplored in the environmental social sciences. In a new paper led by Tracy MacKeracher and co-authored by myself, Amy Diedrich and Nadine Marshall, we examined trust in the context of management of … Continue reading New paper: Who trusts whom in the Great Barrier Reef? Exploring trust and communication in natural resource management
The Conservation Planning Group go to IMCC5!
This week, members of The Conservation Planning Group will be travelling to the wonderful city of Kuching for the 5th International Marine Conservation Congress. The overall theme for this year's congress is set to be an exciting one: Making Marine Science Matter to stakeholders, policy makers, and practitioners for effective marine conservation. You can find details of … Continue reading The Conservation Planning Group go to IMCC5!
Implementation strategies for systematic conservation planning
The extent to which systematic conservation plans have effectively influenced management remains elusive, particularly regarding our understanding of the factors contributing to successful implementation. Several scholars have argued there is an important gap between planning and doing, sometimes even referring to it as the implementation crisis in conservation planning. Irrespective of the nature and size … Continue reading Implementation strategies for systematic conservation planning
Large-scale misrepresentations of conservation progress in the South Pacific
Aichi target 11 of the Convention on Biological Diversity calls for nations to protect 10% of their marine environment by 2020. However national progress towards to global conservation targets can only be assessed when the data employed are sound. This note recently published in the journal Marine Policy highlights the large-scale misrepresentation, by up to … Continue reading Large-scale misrepresentations of conservation progress in the South Pacific
Two comments in Science questioning the value of large marine parks
Members of the Conservation Planning Group were authors on two letters published today in the journal Science. Jessica Cramp comments on the effectiveness of a large shark reserve in Micronesia. The establishment of the reserve was received with fanfare from the conservation community and, if left in place as initially intended, would have increased protection for … Continue reading Two comments in Science questioning the value of large marine parks
Perceptions of Cyclone Preparedness: Assessing the Role of Individual Adaptive Capacity and Social Capital in the Wet Tropics, Australia
Given projections of future climate-related disasters, understanding the conditions that facilitate disaster preparedness is critical to achieving sustainable development. In a new paper led by Anushka Sandanam and co-authored by myself and Amy Diedrich, we examined whether people’s perceived preparedness for a future cyclone relates to their: (1) perceived individual adaptive capacity (in terms of flexibility … Continue reading Perceptions of Cyclone Preparedness: Assessing the Role of Individual Adaptive Capacity and Social Capital in the Wet Tropics, Australia