Institute of Advanced Studies  



School for Environmental Research
Charles Darwin University
Darwin NT 0909
Tel: +61 8 8946 6413
Fax: +61 8 8946 7720
Email: ser@cdu.edu.au 
School for Environmental Research 

Gill Ainsworth

PhD student

Gill Ainsworth

MA (Hons), UADEML, BIPT

Contact details
Email: gill.ainsworth@cdu.edu.au

Phone: (08) 8946 7762
Fax: (08) 8946 7720
Office: Red1.2.34

 

Supervisors

Primary: Heather Aslin

Associate:

Stephen Garnett

Dr. Mike Weston, Lecturer, Deakin University

Research summary

Social Values of Australian Threatened Birds

Wildlife and nature can provide a significant contribution to the spirit, imagination and well-being of Australians through socio-psychological values. These can be recreational; consumptive (eg. hunting) and non-consumptive (watching and enjoying in the wild or through various media); intellectual and scientific (including educational); aesthetic, artistic and cultural; and religious and symbolic. These values have both a quantitative aspect that can be measured (eg. wildlife tourism) and a qualitative aspect that cannot (eg beauty).

Of the approximately 1200 known bird species in Australia over 100 species and subspecies are currently identified as threatened and substantial funds are spent keeping them from becoming extinct.

 

The “Social Values of Australian Threatened Birds” research will examine relevant social values to identify and measure the importance or worth placed by people and society on threatened species of birds in Australia and through a series of case studies will identify the most effective conservation messages for their preservation.

This PhD is part of a bigger project: Increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of Australian threatened bird conservation

Read Gill's Research Proposal.

Download Gill’s research summary (4 pages, 210kb )

Visit Gill’s blog Mischievous Magpie

Volunteers sought to collect social values data!

We are looking for several volunteers in cities and rural areas around Australia to help with a number of small projects looking at ways values are expressed and how they might be measured. One example is to identify which bird species appear on stamps, street signs and in figures of speech.


Contact Gill for more information or see the flyer attached.

Grants


2010: $5,000 Stuart Leslie Bird Research Award, Birds Australia.

Go to top of page

Research interests

Gill’s research interests include the bonds between humans and nature and the protection of threatened species. Gill spent seven years in Asia, USA, Europe and Australia designing and managing research projects for the pharmaceutical market research industry. She has been involved in Australian environmental conservation for the last ten years including five years in the Australian community sector working as fundraiser and organisational manager for environmental and professional writing groups and three years as Research Associate for the SER Livelihoods and Policy theme. Gill is an indexer, specialising in the analysis of academic texts and has studied several Asian and European languages.

Go to top of page

Recently completed projects

 

Go to top of page

Conferences

The 2009 International Academic & Community Conference on Animals & Society:Minding Animals, Newcastle (13-18 July 2009)

CDU-UKM-UNIMAS Regional symposium and workshop on sustainable natural resource management, Bali, Indonesia. (23-24 April 2009)

National Camel Science Conference, Desert Knowledge CRC, Canberra. (Dec 2008).

Go to top of page

Publications

Books

Ainsworth, G.B. and Garnett, S.T. 2009. RIMBA: Sustainable forest livelihoods in Malaysia and Australia. LESTARI: UKM, Malaysia.

Journal articles

In prep:

Garnett, S.T. and Ainsworth, G.B. Better red than dead: Incorporating IUCN Criteria into Northern Territory legislation to protect threatened species.

Published:

Garnett, S.T., Williams, G., Ainsworth, G.B., O’Donnell, M. 2010. Who owns feral camels? Implications for managers of land and resources in central Australia. Special Issue of The Rangelands Journal. 32(1):87-93

Garnett, S.T. and Ainsworth, G.B. 2009. Joint management and multiple use in a climate change era. In RIMBA: Sustainable forest livelihoods in Malaysia and Australia, (eds Ainsworth, G.B. and Garnett, S.T.) LESTARI: UKM, Malaysia p101-106.

Reports

Carey R., O’Donnell M., Ainsworth G., Garnett S., Haritos H. and Williams G. 2008. Review of legislation and regulations relating to feral camel management, DKCRC Research Report 50. Desert Knowledge CRC, Alice Springs. view pdf>>

Carey R., O’Donnell M., Ainsworth G., Garnett S., Haritos H., Williams G., Edwards G.P., McGregor M. and Zeng B. 2008. Review of legislation and regulations relating to feral camel management (summary), Chapter 6 in Cross-jurisdictional management of feral camels to protect NRM and cultural values, Eds. GP Edwards, M McGregor, B Zeng, P Vaarzon-Morel and WK Saalfeld, DKCRC Report 47. Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre, Alice Springs. view pdf>>

Stacey, N., L. Petheram, & G. Ainsworth. 2008. NAILSMA/TS - CRC – Dugong and marine turtle project partner feedback survey report, School for Environmental Research, CDU, 40pps.

Garnett, S.T, Carey R. and Ainsworth, G.  2007. Analysis of Northern Territory Legislation for the Protection of Threatened Species. Report to WWF-Australia. School for Environmental Research, CDU, 57pps.

Presentations delivered

Ainsworth, G.B. 2010. Social Values of Australian Threatened Birds. Presented to the SSPR Postgrad Forum, CDU 18 June. View pdf

Ainsworth, G.B. 2010. Social Values of Australian Threatened Birds. Presented to the School for Environmental Research, CDU 25 May.

Garnett, S.T. and Ainsworth, G.B. 2009. Joint management and multiple use in a climate change era. Presented to the CDU-UKM-UNIMAS Regional Symposium and Workshop on Sustainable Natural Resource Management, Bali 23-24 April.

Ainsworth, G.B. 2008. Review of legislation and regulations relating to feral camel management. Presented to the Camel Science Conference, Desert Knowledge CRC, Canberra 8 Dec.

O’Donnell M., Ainsworth G., Garnett S. 2008. Feral Camels in Australia: A Legislative Review. Presented to SER Seminar Series, CDU 11 April.

Go to top of page

Professional Affiliations

Birds Australia, member.
Ecological Society of Australia, member.
Environmental Defenders Office NT, Committee Treasurer and Normal Member (February 2003 to present).

Go to top of page