Researchers
Students
Alumni
ManagementAdrian Arias
PhD Graduate
James Cook University
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
ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
James Cook University
Email: adrian.arias@my.jcu.edu.au
Adrian grew up in and around saltwater in Costa Rica. He gained his undergraduate degree in Biology with emphasis on sustainable development; later completed a master’s degree in Natural Resource Management at JCU. After some years in Costa Rica he worked with a wide range of marine issues such as fisheries, tourism, coastal reforestation, science communication and marine spatial planning. Back again in JCU Adrian is a member of Program 6, supervised by Prof. Bob Pressey. His project examines marine conservation planning in Costa Rica and will focus on marine protected area design and, compliance and enforcement.
Avoiding and reversing ‘paper parks’: integrating fishers’ compliance into conservation efforts
Adrian’s project looks into compliance as related to natural resource use. Natural resource management is inherently about influencing peoples’ behaviour towards nature; therefore adequate user compliance is critical for conservation and sustainability. Adrian focuses on fishers’ compliance with marine protected areas (MPAs); however, his work is applicable to a broad range of activities in both marine and terrestrial environments. To understand compliance Adrian is drawing on knowledge from diverse fields such as psychology and political science, and complementing it with empirical data from case studies in his native Costa Rica. This work will not only contribute to science, it will considerably enhance the social and environmental effectiveness of MPAs.
Principal supervisor: Professor Bob Pressey
Supervisory committee: Prof. Joshua Cinner, Dr. Jorge Álvarez-Romero, Dr. Alastair Birtles
Reports in recent years that marine protected areas (MPAs) aren’t effective in saving coral reefs from the damaging effects of global climate change have led some to argue that such expensive interv
Scientists from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (Coral CoE) at The University of Western Australia (UWA) have found that some corals are able to combat the effects of ocean acidifi
Thanks to mom and dad, baby reef fish may have what it takes to adjust to hotter oceans. In a rapidly changing climate, the decline of animal populations is a very real concern. Today, an internati
A new study published online today in Nature shows that corals on the northern Great Barrier Reef experienced a catastrophic die-off following the extended marine heatwave of 2016. “When corals b
Abstract: The current diversity of ecological systems is a result of complex interactions between biotic and abiotic regulators acting in space and time. While abiotic processes tend to influence
Abstract: Connectivity between coral reefs is critical to ensure their resilience and persistence against disturbances. It is driven by ocean currents, which often have very complex patterns with
Abstract: Two epigenomic targets that potentially link environmental exposures to chemical and physical agents early in development to adult disease susceptibility are imprinted genes and those w
Abstract: Small-scale fisheries provide an important source of food and income security, particularly for poor rural communities. As coastal populations and their demands continue to grow, reconc
Abstract: Marine social-ecological systems are threatened by multiple and overlapping human pressures resulting in long-term trajectories of environmental degradation and decline. Governance and mana
Abstract: Increased attention to the social dimensions of environmental governance has led to the emergence of ‘social meta-norms’ that promote the best ways of governing for environmental and
Abstract: Market-based instruments, such as ecolabelling, can incentivise sustainable fisheries management through improved market access and price premiums. However, such instruments are rarely us
Abstract: To address the ongoing environmental and climatological crises of climate change, and how it will alter ecosystems across the globe, will require new and innovative environmental governan
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