Recent revisions of Australia’s National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas (NRSMPA) have further biased protection of biodiversity away from commercially useful waters, thereby forgoing another opportunity for large-scale marine conservation. The NRSMPA includes State, Territory, and Commonwealth MPAs, with the latter component undergoing significant revisions from 2012, to 2015 and 2018 (Figure 1). Figure … Continue reading Representation does not necessarily reduce threats to biodiversity: Australia’s Commonwealth marine protected area system, 2012–2018
Stakeholders get together to think about the future of the Fitzroy River catchment, Kimberley, Western Australia
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
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
Using multiple methods to understand the nature of relationships in social networks
Effective natural resource management (NRM) often depends on collaboration through formal and informal relationships. Social network analysis (SNA) provides a framework for studying social relationships and is becoming a common tool for conservation practitioners. Simply put, social network analysis is a way of mapping who collaborates and for what, so that the patterns of collaborations … Continue reading Using multiple methods to understand the nature of relationships in social networks
New paper: Redefining community based on place attachment in a connected world
Who cares about the Great Barrier Reef? Many people, and according to a paper published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, some of the most passionately connected individuals can come from far away places, across the globe. Effective environmental policy requires public participation in management, typically achieved through engaging community … Continue reading New paper: Redefining community based on place attachment in a connected world
Purpose, policy, and practice: Intent and reality for on-ground management and outcomes of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
A complex and increasing range of environmental and legal policy initiatives have been established to conserve biodiversity by improving management of human activities and their impacts on marine environments. These policies include international agreements, laws and conventions along with those at the national and local level, and span many sectors including conservation, fisheries, and agriculture. … Continue reading Purpose, policy, and practice: Intent and reality for on-ground management and outcomes of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
Conversation Piece – The Coral Sea: an ocean jewel that needs more protection
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Bob Pressey, James Cook University; Alana Grech, Macquarie University, and Trevor J Ward, University of Technology Sydney The federal government is considering changes to Australia’s marine reserves to implement a national system. This week The Conversation is looking at the science behind marine … Continue reading Conversation Piece – The Coral Sea: an ocean jewel that needs more protection
Queensland’s native vegetation remains threatened with decline following vote in Parliament
Queensland’s Vegetation Management Act, 1999 was constituted to address growing concerns over the effects of broad-scale clearing of native vegetation, but also to encourage the ecologically sustainable use of land and maintain regional biodiversity. The Act largely dictates the aegis under which land clearing can occur by regulating clearing of vegetation communities (mapped as “regional … Continue reading Queensland’s native vegetation remains threatened with decline following vote in Parliament
Does tourism really suffer at sites listed as World Heritage In Danger?
A recent article in The Conversation explores the possible impact for tourism on the Great Barrier Reef given the potential for listing of the Reef as World Heritage in Danger. Jon Day (PhD candidate in the ARC Centre for Coral Reef Studies) outlines the impacts for tourism at three other famous World Heritage destinations - … Continue reading Does tourism really suffer at sites listed as World Heritage In Danger?