Social Sciences for the Reef Symposium

In collaboration with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA), University of Queensland (UQ), Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and the Queensland government, The Cairns Institute is hosting the Social Science Community for the Great Barrier Reef (SSCR) 2023 Symposium. The theme of the symposium is ‘Reef Values – Ecologies, communities and connections’.

The symposium will take place at Riley by Crystalbrook Hotel on the Cairns Esplanade on 11 September 2023. It will bring local reef practitioners, government managers, and social scientists working in the Great Barrier Reef Region together to share social scientific knowledge and research about Reef communities and their values, and engage in critical and creative thinking about what this means for Reef conservation, management, and sustainable development. Students are welcome.

The inaugural symposium was held in Townsville (2021) and the second symposium was held at Customs House in Brisbane (2022). Both were well attended in-person and online.

From the 2022 symposium, the most common feedback was appreciation for the opportunity to share knowledge and learn from others in an inclusive forum. Ninety percent of participants formed new network connections and up to 87% gained new ideas for their work. The Symposium is a great opportunity for researchers across the social scientific and humanities disciplines to showcase projects that foster knowledge of, and engagement with, local Reef communities. Abstracts are open until the 31 May 2023. Submit via bit.ly/SSCR2023_CallForPapers

In addition to the symposium, a day of workshops will be held on Tuesday 12th September on the JCU’s Nguma Bada campus at Smithfield. Expressions of interest are also open for those wishing to organise a workshops via bit.ly/EOI_Workshops

Further information, contact gillian.paxton@jcu.edu.au or cairnssinstitute@jcu.edu.au