Welcome

Welcome to the School for Environmental Research website. Research in the School concentrates on the sustainability of interactions between humans and the environment. It extends from the biology of individual organisms to ecosystems and landscapes, and from conservation to natural resource management. Much of the biophysical research aims to assist management by providing a scientific understanding of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and its associated wildlife. There is also an emphasis on integrating biophysical and social sciences with policy analysis and implementation.

A significant role for the School is to assist the development of livelihoods based on natural resources, particularly for remote and rural communities. Geographically the school focuses on the tropical and desert environments in Northern Australia and similar climatic regions globally, with emphasis on South East Asia. The School works closely with stakeholders, including Indigenous peoples/communities, government agencies and academics from various institutions to find robust and practical governance and management solutions to an array of environmental and natural resource challenges.

The school has three inter-related themes:

Download the School for Environmental Research brochure (.pdf) which includes the school's capability statement.

Latest news

Upcoming workshop: Participatory Research

Visiting scholars Associate Professor Michael Cuthill and Dr Dana Kelly from the Boilerhouse Community Engagement Centre at the University of Queensland will visit CDU on Wednesday 29 July, to host the participatory research workshop with SER Senior Research Fellow, Dr Heather Aslin.

Michael and Dana will discuss the different types of participatory research undertaken by the University of Queensland and consider their relevance in a Northern Territory context.

If you are interested in attending, please visit our events page and download the information sheet and registration form.

What's been happening in SER?

The new edition of the SER quarterly newsletter is available now. Download it here.

Inside you can find information on some of SER’s latest projects. We delve into wet season research and explore the ecology of flooded rivers; examine mosquito populations around Darwin; explore gift giving in Ramingining; and travel abroad to look at conservation and livelihoods policy in Vietnam.

If you would like to receive regular SER newsletter updates, please email your details to ser@cdu.edu.au.

See other SER newsletters >>

Credit: Story of joint management for Adelaide River painted by David Kenyon

Monitoring and evaluation of joint management

The monitoring and evaluation of joint management team has developed a new information sheet outlining project details, goals and objectives, background on the monitoring and evaluation process and an overview of pilot areas.

Download a copy of the checking and learning to improve joint management information sheet here.

Vacancy: Senior Research Fellow/Principal Research Fellow

The successful candidate will contribute to the understanding of natural resource economics within the research program being developed to contribute new knowledge regarding the facilitation and development of sustainable livelihoods in the Northern Territory and the surrounding region. Research areas of particular interest include the economics of small and micro-businesses based on natural resources, natural product value chain analysis, market and non-market valuation of environmental goods and services including in the context of alternative land uses and/or climate change, and the economics of invasive species management. It is expected the appointee will undertake research in at least one area of demography of special interest to the Northern Territory.