Extreme event exposure and perceptions of environmental risk

Extreme event exposure and perceptions of environmental risk

Advisor/s

Prof Stewart Lockie

College or Research Centre

College of Arts, Society & Education; The Cairns Institute

Summary of Project

Through ethnographic research in Far North Queensland, this project will explore relationships between community identity, sense of place, exposure to severe coral bleaching and other extreme events, and perceptions of environmental risk.

The PhD scholar will join a multi-institutional team of social scientists from CSIRO, James Cook University, Queensland University of Technology and the University of Queensland contributing to the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program (RRAP), Stakeholder and Traditional Owner Engagement Subprogram. RRAP is believed to be the world’s largest research and development program dedicated to helping a major ecosystem survive climate change. The Stakeholder and Traditional Owner Engagement Subprogram aims to facilitate the design and implementation of best-practice, place-based, engagement opportunities for Reef Traditional Owners, communities and stakeholders while, at the same time, building understanding of public perceptions of reef restoration and adaptation, the distribution of risks and benefits arising from intervention R&D and implementation, and opportunities to deliver positive community and stakeholder impacts.

Key Words

environmental sociology; disaster studies; climate adaption; Great Barrier Reef

Would suit an applicant who

has a Masters, Honours degree or equivalent in the social sciences and motivation to make a meaningful differences to communities and ecosystems of the Great Barrier Reef.

Updated: 06 Oct 2023