Research Project
Researchers: Vanessa Adams (Principal investigator, Principal or Chief Investigator)
Full description Many challenges for resilient landscapes are attributable to people – but people are an essential part of solutions that strengthen and restore resilience. Good data and information are necessary but not sufficient on their own, as outcomes also depend on social and economic values, norms and behaviours. There is a need for socioeconomic research to better evaluate, plan and implement actions. The Resilient Landscapes Hub has been tasked with addressing several socioeconomic research priorities which could help reduce the impacts of the multiple pressures on Australia’s ecosystems and biodiversity. One priority is to evaluate the success of different environmental plans, strategies or actions (such as offsets and biodiversity markets, regulations, and changes to curriculum through Education for Sustainability principles) on biodiversity outcomes. This evaluation may use methods such as environmental economic accounting or environmental valuation. A second area of priority relates to planning approaches. This involves designing systems to analyse cumulative impact and regional planning assessments. These can inform the design of policies and plans, including offsets policies, and may include information about environmental values, costs and benefits. Regional planning could include integrated, landscape-scale planning – including strengthening the links between research and regional natural resource management planning – and improved resilience planning, particularly in the context of a changing climate and multiple interacting threats. Finally, implementation focuses on the motivations, incentives, and organisational and societal norms that influence the extent to which environmental plans, policies and actions are able to change behaviours and generate positive on-ground environmental outcomes. ### Key research areas * evaluating the effectiveness of environmental plans, policies and actions on biodiversity outcomes * planning for resilient landscapes * implementing plans, policies and actions. ### Pathway to impact This project will support better use of socioeconomic insights in environmental decision-making by: * co-designing research with key research users * improving how environmental policies, plans and actions are evaluated and used * supporting decision-making on priorities such as offsets, regional planning and valuing nature * helping guide investment and management actions that build resilient landscapes.
