Bright spots take out top science prize
A team of scientists led by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (Coral CoE) won one of the nation’s top science awards at tonight’s ‘Oscars of Australian science’, the Eureka P
ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
James Cook University Townsville
Queensland 4811 Australia
Phone: 61 7 4781 4000
Email: info@coralcoe.org.au
Abstract: Industrial developments in the coastal zone are often associated with rapid social and environmental changes, and as such they are key catalysts for public debate around economic development and environmental conservation (such as “coral versus coal” narratives). While public decision making increasingly incorporates local knowledge and attitudes, ensuring that industrial development in the coastal zone reflects both the needs and priorities of local communities, and the social-ecological context, remains a challenge. Alternative forms of public decision making, such as public deliberation, provide an avenue for exploring and reconciling community priorities on industrial development, but they are yet to be widely applied. The need for such methods is however, increasingly urgent as resource-dependent communities in the coastal zone evaluate both the immediate impacts and benefits of industry, as well as the longer-term effects of climate change. Using case studies from northern Australia, this seminar explores social-ecological impacts and community perspectives on industrial development in coastal regions, and discusses current practice and prospects for deliberative decision making in these contexts. The seminar examines how local communities perceive the benefits and impacts associated with heavy industry, and explores community views on future development in Australia’s north.
Biography: Dr Claudia Benham is an environmental social scientist, and Lecturer in Environmental Management at JCU. Her work explores the linked ecological and social dimensions of coastal environments. Claudia previously worked for the Australian Government in environmental impact assessment and marine conservation planning. Her work appears in international journals including Marine Policy and Sustainability Science.
A team of scientists led by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (Coral CoE) won one of the nation’s top science awards at tonight’s ‘Oscars of Australian science’, the Eureka P
An analytical tool will be used to assess the climate risks facing historic World Heritage sites in Africa—the ruins of two great 13th century ports and the remains of a palace and iron-making indus
A world-first study on the Great Barrier Reef shows crown-of-thorns starfish have the ability to find their own way home—a behaviour previously undocumented—but only if their neighbourhood is stoc
An international team of scientists has found leaving more big fish in the sea reduces the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) released into the Earth’s atmosphere. When a fish dies in the ocean it si
Abstract: Invasive species management can be the the subject of debate in many countries due to conflicting ecological, ethical, economic, and social reasons, especially when dealing with a species s
Abstract: Ocean acidification, the increase in seawater CO2 with all its associated consequences, is relatively well understood in open oceans. In shelf seas such as the Great Barrier Reef, processe
Abstract: The backdrop of legends and movies, the deep sea has always been unfathomable because we had no idea what existed there. Once thought to be barren of life, we now know this couldn’t be
Abstract: Coral reefs provide economic and environmental services for millions of people but undergoing significant ecological decline due to local (i.e., sedimentation, land-based pollution, invas
Abstract: Increasing human populations around the world’s coastline have caused extensive loss, degradation and fragmentation of coastal ecosystems. Swift losses of coastal ecosystems have been rec
Abstract: CHE is not a particular theory or a single approach but a collection of lines of research that address human-environmental interactions in coastal and marine systems at the local scale
Abstract: How can we care about something we never see or experience? Virtual reality has the potential to connect people with far-away places, and is an effective medium to generate empathy and sel
Partner Research Institutions
ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
James Cook University Townsville
Queensland 4811 Australia
Phone: 61 7 4781 4000
Email: info@coralcoe.org.au