Sandpit to Seed
The TNQ Drought Hub is excited to be working with James Cook University researchers to help them move their research ideas that could improve agricultural adaption, sustainability and resilience towar...
Ellie Bock has been awarded a Masters degree after completing her Master of Philosophy (Society and Culture). Ellie’s primary advisor was Professor Allan Dale and her secondary advisor was Professor Hurriyet Babacan. Her thesis was titled Prescient Custodians: Biocultural Ecological Economics and Restorative Governance of the Wet Tropics.
The Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area (WT WHA) is considered the 3rd most vulnerable of all protected areas on Earth to global warming impacts (Le Saout et al. 2013). Arguably this vulnerability continues to escalate as a result of pervasive neoliberal paradigms and increasing greenhouse gas emissions.
A limited understanding of ecological economics and biocultural concepts characterizes the Wet Tropics region, particularly as these relate to established Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs) in this globally exceptional bioregion. WTWHA governance arrangements remained structurally little changed from their inception during the 1990s.
Ellie’s MPhil thesis conceptualized leading practice governance arrangements for the WTWHA and its buffer. Two theoretical ideas framed the exploratory research: ecological economics (EE) and biocultural concepts. Primary data from a series of 12 in-depth semi-structured interviews provides new insights into regional stakeholders’ exposure to, and understandings of, the study’s theoretical concepts. Critical analysis evaluates the presence, absence or emergence of IPAs as a form of biocultural EE, with recommendations made to inform a WTWHA restorative governance agenda, and related policy intervention.
Having completed her Masters, Ellie successfully applied to be a PhD Candidate, with Allan Dale and Hurriyet Babacan continuing in their respective advisory capacities, together with Dr Kearrin Sims as additional secondary advisor.
Her PhD research aims to investigate culturally assured decision-making as actual and/or conceptual approaches toward a place-based restorative governance arising from biocultural EE.
The TNQ Drought Hub is excited to be working with James Cook University researchers to help them move their research ideas that could improve agricultural adaption, sustainability and resilience towar...
The TNQ Drought Hub recently hosted the National Soils Advocate, the Honourable Penelope Wensley AC for a whirlwind 2-day field trip visiting numerous soils restoration and rehabilitation sites to lea...
On 1 August, The Cairns Institute hosted a small, informal symposium for HDR students working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Far North Queensland. It brought together Indigenous...
The Cairns Institute Fellow Dr Kearrin Sims coordinates the JCU Research Ethical Development Symposium, now in its second year. It will be held 27-29 September at The Cairns Institute. This year will ...
The Developing Northern Australia Conference returned to Darwin this year in 2023. In 2021, the conference converted to an online event an hour before the program was due to begin due to a sudden NT C...
The Cairns Institute will host an informal symposium for HDR students working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Far North Queensland. This symposium will explore if and how post-gr...
TNQ Drought Hub’s Professor Allan Dale, Doctor Jane Oorschot and Ms Kara Worth were invited to speak at the Science to Practice Forum and share their experience on innovative tools and practices...
Congratulations to the TNQ Drought Hub drought resilience scholarship recipients. The hub recently offered scholarship opportunities to JCU students who were interested in undertaking an Honours or Ma...
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