Dr Merrilyn Wasson

BA Asian Studies (Hons), PhD

• Research Interests
• Current Projects
• Students
• Publications
  • Papers
  • Books
  • Reports
  • Other

Research interests

Merrilyn has developed an international reputation as an institutional analyst in the area of environmental policy and practice, since returning to Academic research in the late 1990’s from the Intelligence Sector. Her overarching interest is the two-way interaction between human institutions and the environment, and the impact of environmental dynamics in shaping human institutions.

Her past and current research interests are in the following areas:

• Genetic resource ownership and Indigenous intellectual property issues;
• Institutions for the sustainable use of coastal zones and exclusive economic zones under the Law of the Sea Convention;
• Water policies and river basin institutions;
• Forest and land tenure regimes in South and Southeast Asia; and
• Carbon emissions trading in developing nations.

Merrilyn’s research involves working with scientists from a range of disciplines, to understand the physical constraints of natural resource management and the impact of environmental dynamics on policy making and human institutions. She was Regional Coordinator of the multi-national (Indonesia, East Timor and Australia) and multi-disciplinary Forum for sustaining the biota of the Arafura and Timor Seas, ATSEF, and remains the ATSEF Australia liaison.

Current projects

• Northern Australian Water Use Policy Summit in conjunction with the Office of the Minister for Natural Resources, Environment and the Arts
• The interaction between Northern Territory Fisheries Legislation and Commonwealth Oceans Policy in Australia’s Exclusive Economic Zone
• Consultancy to advise the Government of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste on access and benefit sharing policies for genetic resources from the biodiversity of Timor-Leste
• Examination of marine genetic resource ownership and intellectual property policies in Northern Australia and their impact on indigenous knowledge and culture
• ATSEF/UNDP Catchment to marine project- a multidisciplinary analysis of the bio-physical interactions and the upland and coastal community institutions
• Bid Coordinator for a Cooperative Research Centre for the Arafura and Timor Seas.

Students

Drysdale, Jennifer (PhD).  Supervisors: Grafton Q; Sanders, W; Wasson, M
Avoiding the Resource Curse: Challenges to the Sustainable Development of Timor-Leste

Jotzo, Frank( PhD).  Supervisors: Pezzey, J; Grafton, Q, Wasson, M
North-South Cooperation on Climate Policy: Economic mechanism design for a post –Kyoto treaty under uncertainty and institutional constrains

Windia Adnayana, IB (MEMD).  Supervisor: Wasson, M
Culture Versus Conservation: Ending the Bali Turtle Trade (ANU)

Publications*

Refereed papers

Wasson, M ‘Co-Managing “Troubled Waters” The Arafura and Timor Seas’ The Oceans Year Book. ( forthcoming in 2006)

2004 Grafton, Q, Jotzo, F and M Wasson, ‘Financing Sustainable Development: Country Undertakings and Responsibilities for Environmental Sustainability (CURES)’ Journal of Ecological Economics, v 51, issue 1-2, pp 65-78.

2004 Murdiyarso D, Lebel, L, Gintings, A. N and M Wasson, "Policy responses to complex environmental problems: insights from a science policy activity on transboundary haze from vegetation fires in Southeast Asia", Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment v 104: pp 47-56.

2003 Wasson, M ‘Knowledge as Property: The Commercialization of Knowledge and Traditional Marine Institutions’ Journal of International Environmental Agreements; Special Issue.

*Policy papers and other documents written while in the intelligence sector are not yet available for release.

Books

Book chapters

2005 Wasson, M ‘A Tale of Two Cities: Women and Water Use Institutions in Dili and Canberra’ chapter in K Lahiri-Dutt (ed) Fluid Bonds, Stree, New Delhi.

2003 Wasson, M‘ The Impact of the Exclusive Economic Zone on Customary Marine Institutions of the Asia Pacific’; Chapter in Ebbins, S and A Sydnes (eds).

The Performance of the Exclusive Economic Zone

2001 Wasson, M ‘East Timor and Climate Change: Security and Sustainable Development’ in R Anderson and C. Deutsch (eds) Sustainable Development and the Environment in East Timor, Cleveland Press, Melbourne.

2001 Wasson, M 'Shoreline Development' in Bodo Von Bodungen (ed) 2001 Science and Integrated Coastal Management Dahlem University Press, Berlin.

Major reports, working papers

2002 Kanowski, P and M Wasson, The Potential of Emissions Trading to support Sustainable Forest Practice in the Asia Pacific Region Report for Environment Australia and the Australian Greenhouse Office.

2000 Fox, JJ, Applegate, G and M. Wasson Forest Use Policies and Strategies in Indonesia : A need for change? Report for the World Bank.

2000 Kanowski, P and M Wasson, Synthesis of Forest Sector Trends in the Asia Pacific Report for World Bank.

1999 Wasson, M The Potential for Australian Corporate Investment in Asia under the Clean Development Mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol. Report for the Department of Environment and Heritage.

Other

2002 Wasson, M‘ Institutions, Environmental Governance and River Basin Management in times of Climate Variation’, Proceedings of the 2001 SIWI Symposium, Stockholm.

2001 Wasson, M ‘Irreconcilable? Property Rights versus Intellectual Property Rights to genetic resources under the Convention on Biodiversity and the WTO TRIPS Agreement Proceedings of the FAO Intellectual Property and Biodiversity Conference, Tromso, Norway.