Locating and learning from bright spots

Locating and learning from bright spots

Advisor/s

Josh Cinner

College or Research Centre

ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies

Summary of Project

This project aims to uncover novel coral reef conservation insights by identifying and learning from ‘bright spots’. In this case, bright spots are reefs in better condition than they should be, given the pressures they’re exposed to (for example markets and human population). In 2016, I led a global scale analysis in Nature that introduced this novel approach. Two social science PhD students will help uncover what makes bright spots bright. That is, the social, economic, and institutional conditions that enable coral reef bright spots to withstand the pressures that caused other places to collapse.

Key Words

Fisheries; Socioeconomic; Poverty trap; Governance; Social-ecological system; Resilience

Would suit an applicant who

The ideal candidates will have a background in social science (geography, economics, anthropology, sociology) and quantitative skills (for example R). The project may entail fieldwork in remote areas. Students will need to be successful in obtaining a scholarship.

Updated: 08 Apr 2020