SRC Projects | UniSC | University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

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SRC Projects

Current Key Projects

Coastal Governance

The condition of the Australian coast is declining and facing intensifying threats from global environmental change and urbanisation – this is despite almost 50 years of integrated coastal management efforts. We need to urgently change how we think about and manage our coastal environments, exploring new and better ways to protect Australia’s coastal values. This research:

  • Identifies social-ecological vulnerabilities in changing coastal contexts
  • Critically analyses how vulnerability and change is managed through current coastal governance approaches
  • Assesses the implications for coastal governance innovations that embrace vulnerability and change

The research is supported by the Australian Government through the Australian Research Council's Discovery Projects funding scheme (project FT180100652) and contributes to Future Earth Coasts, a Global Research Project of Future Earth.

Contact: Professor Tim Smith
Email: tsmith@usc.edu.au

MISTRA

MISTRA Environmental Communication is a 4 year international research program (2020 -2023) funded by the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research (MISTRA). It draws on a transdisciplinary approach that involves researchers from diverse disciplines at seven international universities well as a wide range of societal actors to harness existing thinking, co-develop new insights and approaches and translate these into communication practice. The SRC at the University of the Sunshine Coast is leading the work package entitled Science and knowledge co-production. This work package aims to examine the capability of environmental communication embodied in knowledge co-production to support development, adaptation and implementation of actions in complex and urgent situations and to enable transition towards sustainable futures.

Contact: Professor Neil Powell
Email: npowell@usc.edu.au

Completed projects

List of projects
Project name Funder/Partner Contact  
Coastal governance embracing vulnerability and change Australian Research Council Future Fellowship Prof Tim Smith
tsmith5@usc.edu.au
Institutional arrangements for disaster management Uppsala, USC and SCC  

Prof Tim Smith
tsmith5@usc.edu.au

MISTRA Environmental Communication Project: Knowledge co-production for sustainability transformations

USC, Green Collar Australia, MiljöMatematik Malmö AB, Organic Farmers’ Association in Uppland (Uppodlarna), Hanoi Innovative Learning Lab, The Swedish Forest Agency, The Federation of Swedish Farmers (LRF)

Prof Neil Powell & Dr Marcus Bussey

npowell@usc.edu.au, mbussey@usc.edu.au

Hillfort mapping and understanding in Fiji New Colombo Plan (DFAT)

Prof Patrick Nunn pnunn@usc.edu.au

Crises environnementales et traditions locales: regards croisés sociétés antiques / sociétés de l’Océan Pacifique Région Pays de la Loire; partners USC and Université du Maine

Prof Patrick Nunn pnunn@usc.edu.au

Pacific personalities: how well do Pacific Island people fit the “Big Five” personality types, and why is it important?   USC 

Prof Patrick Nunn pnunn@usc.edu.au

Risk and resilience in the Pacific: influence of peripherality on exposure and responses to global change   Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research 

Prof Patrick Nunn pnunn@usc.edu.au

Optimising community-based climate change adaptation in the Pacific Islands Australian Research Council

Prof Patrick Nunn

pnunn@usc.edu.au

Comparing small Island states and subnational island jurisdictions: Towards sustainable island futures Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada

Prof Patrick Nunn

pnunn@usc.edu.au

Integrating protected cropping systems into high value vegetable value chains in the Pacific and Australia ACIAR, and led by Central Queensland University  A/Prof Jennifer Carter
jcarter@usc.edu.au
Research team Project Funding body

A/Prof Bill Carter, A/Prof Neil Tindale, Dr Harriot Beazley, Luong Thanh Hai, S Thok and Suchai Worachananant

Coral reef and water quality status and community understanding of threats in the eastern Gulf of Thailand Asia Pacific Network for Global Change Research
A/Prof Jennifer Carter, Dr John Moxon, Dr Maria  Raciti, Colin Blunt, Ioan Viji, Kim Jones and Prof Helen Wallace Developing markets and products for the Pacific Island and Papua New Guinea Canarium nut industry National Agricultural Research Institute
A/Prof Jennifer Carter and Prof Helen Wallace Value chain analysis of forestry activities in the Pacific Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research
A/Prof Jennifer Carter and Prof Steven Underhill Developing an integrated participatory guarantee scheme in the Pacific Islands in support of sustainable production of high-value vegetable crops Pacific Agribusiness Research for Development Initiative Research Activity
A/Prof Neil Powell and Prof Timothy Smith Climate change and adaptive water governance (CADWAGO) Stockholm Environment Institute
A/Prof Bill Carter Water and reef quality and human perceptions Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research and US National Science Foundation
Prof Tim Smith National Climate Change Adaptation Research Network in Marine Biodiversity and Resources- ARN-MBR-Research Association National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility
Prof Tim Smith Coastal Collaboration Cluster CSIRO Collaboration Fund
Dr Tristan Pearce Inuit traditional knowledge for adapting to the health impacts of climate change (IK-ADAPT) Canadian Institute of Health Research
A/Prof Neil Powell and Dr Pedro Fidelman Supporting governance institutions for adaptive capacity to environmental change Asia Pacific Network for Global Change
A/Prof Claudia Baldwin Social Licence to Fish Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC)
A/Prof Claudia Baldwin Noosa Rural Hinterland Enterprise Research  Country Noosa Inc via Noosa Biosphere Reserve Foundation
A/Prof Claudia Baldwin Co-housing for Seniors in Maleny Maleny Neighbourhood Centre via Qld Age-friendly Community Grant 
Prof Bill Carter, Dr Marcus Bussey, Dr Scott Lieske, Troy Street and Dr Noni Keys Interpreting the landscape-human dynamic in Maleny, Sunshine Coast Sunshine Coast Regional Council
A/Prof Jennifer Carter, Bo Carne, Jon Altman and Ann Fleming Identifying the key social and economic factors for successful engagement in aquaculture ventures by Indigenous communities Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
A/Prof Scott Baum, Dr Kathy Arthurson and Prof Timothy Smith Climate change and extreme events: developing a typology of coastal settlement vulnerability to aid adaptation strategies Griffith University
Dr Anne Roiko Reclaimed water is viewed as an acceptable alternative water for augmenting drinking water supplies Australian Water Recycling Centre of Excellence
Dr Anne Roiko and Emily Rames Regional and remote water security: treatment, tools and training

University of the Sunshine Coast

Griffith University

A/Prof Claudia Baldwin and Dr Caroline Osborne

Seniors perceptions of accommodation models

Church of Christ Care
Dr Christine Jacobson

Cultural resilience and customary fisheries

Te Tiaki Mahinga Kai
A/Prof Dana Thomsen

Sustainability Indicators

Sunshine Coast Regional Council
Prof Neil Powell and Prof Timothy Smith Climate change adaptation for natural resource management in East Coast Australia Natural Resource Management Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Research Grants Program
Dr Lila Singh-Peterson, Prof Bill Carter and Prof Geoffrey Lawrence Building resilience by empowering communities: addressing the vulnerability of food supply chains following extreme weather events Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal
Head Researcher Project Funding body
Prof Tim Smith Climate change adaptation in South East Queensland CSIRO Collaboration Fund
Prof Bill Carter Traveston Crossing Dam research partnership: a blueprint for developmental and operational arrangements for integrated public contact and education Queensland Water Infrastructure Pty Ltd
Prof Bill Carter Ecological colonisation and habitat values and public outreach relating to the ex-HMAS Brisbane Environmental Protection Agency
Prof Bill Carter Indigenous attachment, engagement and protocol in natural and cultural heritage management Burnett Mary Regional Group
Prof Bill Carter Systems approach to regional climate change adaptation strategies in metropolises The Department of Environment and Heritage, through CSIRO
A/Professor Julie Matthews Rethinking reconciliation and pedagogy in unsettling times Australian Research Council
Prof Tim Smith Adaptive capacity synthesis project The National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility
Prof Tim Smith Sustainability and corporate plan indicators for the Sunshine Coast Regional Council (SCRC) Sunshine Coast Regional Council
Prof Tim Smith Climate change adaptation in South East Queensland CSIRO Collaboration Fund
Prof Bill Carter Traveston Crossing Dam research partnership: a blueprint for developmental and operational arrangements for integrated public contact and education Queensland Water Infrastructure Pty Ltd
Prof Bill Carter Ecological colonisation and habitat values and public outreach relating to the ex-HMAS Brisbane Environmental Protection Agency
Prof Bill Carter Indigenous attachment, engagement and protocol in natural and cultural heritage management Burnett Mary Regional Group for Natural Resource Management
Prof Tim Smith Systems approach to regional climate change adaptation strategies in metropolises The Department of Environment and Heritage, through CSIRO
A/Prof Julie Matthews Rethinking reconciliation and pedagogy in unsettling times Australian Research Council
Prof Tim Smith Adaptive capacity synthesis project NCCARF
Prof Tim Smith Sustainability and corporate plan indicators for the Sunshine Coast Regional Council (SCRC) Sunshine Coast Regional Council

Prof Tim Smith
Tsmith5@usc.edu.au

Ecosystem-based adaptation decision support framework United Nations Environment Programme
Prof Neil Powell
Npowell@usc.edu.au
Climate change and adaptive water governance – CADWAGO Stockholm Environment Institute

A/Prof Claudia Baldwin
Cbaldwin@usc.edu.au

Creative models of accommodation for older Australians in infill development ULDA, Diecke Richards, Churches of Christ Care, SCC
A/Prof Jennifer Carter
Jcarter@usc.edu.au
Processing of Canarium indicium nuts: adapting and refining techniques to benefit farmers in the South Pacific ACIAR
A/Prof Dana Thomsen
dthomsen@usc.edu.au
Sustainability indicators Sunshine Coast Regional Council
Prof Tim Smith
Tsmith5@usc.edu.au
National Climate Change Adaptation Research Network (NCCARF) - Research Association NCCARF (Department of Environment and Energy)