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Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods

Communities, livelihoods and natural resources

Research group
fish in net on beach with fishers

Overview

Our research aims to produce knowledge to enhance the livelihoods and wellbeing of Indigenous and local communities, while maintaining resource sustainability in Northern Australia and the Asia Pacific region, in particular, Indonesia and Timor Leste. We undertake multidisciplinary impact-orientated research on the interactions between people, the environment and livelihoods. We work in many different natural resource contexts including fisheries, aquaculture, forests, mangroves, agriculture and artisanal mining. Since the inception of RIEL in 2004 the group has established a strong track record in research the following areas:

  • Indigenous and Local Natural and Cultural Resource Management
  • Livelihoods Improvement and Indigenous Enterprise Development
  • Livelihoods, Food Security, and Gender
  • Capacity Building for Agricultural and Environmental Management

More info: contact Professor Natasha Stacey, natasha.stacey@cdu.edu.au

Specialist expertise and technical skills

We have a diverse range of expertise in areas such as applied anthropology, sociology, geography, resource management, environmental management, community and international development. This allows us to integrate data and knowledge across disciplines and perspectives to generate fresh insights into natural resource-based livelihoods. The group uses many different research methods including qualitative, quantitative and participatory tools. We collaborate with a wide range of research, industry, government and community partners to offer:

  • Domestic and international higher degree by research (master and PhD)
  • Advice and knowledge in natural resource-based enterprise development, including fisheries, aquaculture, gender and community-based natural and cultural resource management.

Meet the team

This group includes, among other contributors:

Team leader

Research fellows

PhD candidates

Key achievements and impacts

Our multidisciplinary approach to resource management and livelihoods has attracted numerous international and national research grants and consultancies, postdoctoral researchers and domestic and international postgraduate scholars.

  • We conduct our research via collaborative partnerships - locally at CDU and across the Northern Territory, and interstate, and internationally with Indigenous and local community, government and NGO partners.
  • Our work contributed to the CDU ERA assessment which achieved scores of 5 out of 5 in environmental science and management.
  • Our projects are built on trust, awareness of different values and worldviews, and participatory engagement through ‘action research’ to ensure research is delivering end user benefits.
  • Our research findings highlight the need for local level ownership of livelihood development and demonstrate that culture is an intimate component of any Indigenous enterprise.
  • We generate tailored research outputs through peer-reviewed publications, Master and PhD theses, and knowledge transfer through undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and other communication activity (e.g. media, seminars, conferences).

Why this research is important

Through our research partnerships we strive to make an impact through knowledge and capacity building that will benefit the environment and communities. We also want to develop confident, highly skilled and passionate scholars who can work cross culturally in multidisciplinary research to address real world problems in Australia and internationally.

Current projects

Indigenous Food Systems Knowledge Exchange

This is a small knowledge sharing project on bush foods which will see communities in the NT and Timor Leste working together on indigenous knowledge.  Each research team will conduct parallel activities in their country and identify when and how the communities want to share their knowledge within the country and with each other.  The project finds ways to promote effective intragenerational knowledge transfers within the community and between the two countries ( at community level). The project will run a workshop on country for communities to talk about bushfoods and IP. As well as workshops and community visits, the communities get a chance to decide which bush food they want to focus on, what they want to do with the knowledge and also look at issues around value chains, IP and supply issues. As much as possible the project is about learning together and sharing while the project is a platform that present resources so communities can achieve their own objective to preserve and transfer their knowledge. The project is funded by ACIAR from August 2023-February 2025 with additional support from RIEL, Charles Darwin University and partners.

Logo with a red spiral over thin yellow, white, black, red, and orange vertical stripes, and the words ARP Net, Aboriginal Research Practitioners Network below

The project is led by RIEL Associate Professor Bev Sithole, Aboriginal Research Practitioners Network (ARPNet). The Team includes experienced grassroots practitioners who are leaders in their field, and leading experts on IP from the UNSW. We have partnered with AGORA  who are known leaders for their work with bush foods in Timor Leste. For more information contact, Associate Professor Bev Sithole, ARPNet, Research Institute for Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University

Email: bevlyne.sithole@cdu.edu.au

Encountering Maritime Northern Australia: Perspectives on Sea Country, Fisheries, and Governance Topical Collection

The relationship between human society and well-being, coastal and marine economic development, and the natural world is being studied with increased urgency and interest in the Anthropocene. Investigating these relationships from historical, cultural, social, economic, and political perspectives, the Topical Collection in the Maritime Studies journal will showcase multidisciplinary research on ‘Encountering Maritime and Coastal Northern Australia’ to document and analyse issues, priorities, and visions of the North.

Through the Topical Collection, we will debate scholarly and applied perspectives regarding the human dimensions of diverse maritime interactions, experiences, and relationships with the ocean and contemporary issues pertaining to policy, sustainable livelihoods, and societal well-being. The Topical Collection of papers and subsequent workshop will also draw out recent developments, particularly in Indigenous policy and fisheries, marine conservation and management, non-Indigenous maritime sectors and livelihoods, and transboundary fisheries. The Topical Collection will promote social science perspectives and knowledges critical to addressing multiple challenges and making informed decisions for sustainable marine-based livelihoods, management approaches, and environments in the Anthropocene.

Charles Darwin University is funding the program to assist CDU researchers, HDR candidates, adjuncts, and partners in enhancing research capacity, publication, and promotion of their work. The Topical Collection will be edited by Professor Natasha Stacey and Dr Kylie McKenna.

Towards improved livelihoods for Indonesian fishers in Nusa Tenggara Timor Province, Indonesia

Since the COVID 19 pandemic there has been a recent spike in illegal Indonesian fishing incursions in Australian waters. Both Australia and Indonesia have identified the need to address high numbers of illegal Indonesian small-scale fishing occurring in the Australian Fishing Zone and to provide long term solutions to support sustainable livelihoods of coastal communities in eastern Indonesia.

The overarching aim of this ACIAR funded project (2023-2024) is to identify multiple drivers of illegal Indonesian fishing in the Australian Fishing Zone, and opportunities for gendered livelihood improvement to reduce future illegal activity and improve wellbeing of selected fishing communities in Nusa Tenggara Timor (NTT). This  will engage an Australian and Indonesian multidisciplinary social science research team to build capacity and knowledge to: (a) situate illegal and legal fishing activities within a place-based assessment of livelihood trajectories; (b) identify the changing conditions that have led to the recent increase in illegal activity in Australian waters as a viable livelihood pathway in response to numerous drivers; and c) present an analysis of the research and evaluate opportunities for addressing behavioural drivers in the context of future livelihood interventions. The knowledge contribution of this project is to produce evidence for viable community development and policy alternatives to the enforcement of Australia’s borders.

The project is funded by  the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research Social Systems Program and is led by Professor Natasha Stacey in collaboration with Dr Dedi Adhuri, BRIN, Indonesia and other RIEL/CDU and Indonesian researchers.

Measuring non-commercial fishing catches (traditional subsistence fishing) in the Torres Strait to improve fisheries management and promote sustainable livelihoods Project

Traditional fishing in the Torres Strait has, and continues to be, an important part of the livelihoods of Torres Strait Islander communities, providing nutrition and other social, cultural, and spiritual benefits. Recreational fishing (non-commercial fishing by non-Torres Strait Islanders) also has a growing impact on fished resources.

The long-term sustainability of fished resources in Torres Strait requires reliable catch data from all fishery sectors, including commercial and non-commercial (Traditional and recreational). This data is not only a priority for key commercial species, such as Spanish mackerel, coral trout, and tropical rock lobster, but also for the many other Traditionally fished species that communities rely on.

Catches from the commercial sectors have monitoring programs in place and these data contribute to assessments that are central to fishery management decisions. However, catches from the non-commercial fisheries are poorly monitored and understood in the Torres Strait, despite making up a substantial part of the total catches. There have been a range of fishery catch surveys for the Traditional fishery in recent decades, however, there has been no suitable data collection for more than 10 years and there is no ongoing targeted monitoring program in place.

Current non-commercial fishery monitoring in the Torres Strait is limited to remote survey effort, on a prorated population size basis, as part of the broader Queensland recreational fishing survey. This survey does not provide reliable estimates for Torres Strait Traditional or recreational fishing due to low numbers of people surveyed and has been assessed as an inappropriate survey design for the Torres Strait Traditional and recreational fishing context (Bedford et al 2021). Consequently, there is a strong need to improve catch monitoring for sustainable management and ensure food security needs for Traditional livelihoods.

A scoping study (Bedford et al 2021) funded by AFMA conducted in 2021 showed:

  1. a non-commercial fishery monitoring program is supported by many Torres Strait Islander leaders.
  2. a technology-based, self-reporting, information tool, such as an APP, is likely to be the most cost-effective option to meet the needs of Torres Strait Islanders; and
  3. a monitoring program and information system would provide many benefits to Torres Strait communities. More detailed information can be found in the project report (Bedford et al., 2021).

This project addresses the next stage in developing a monitoring program to complete a comprehensive and equitable community engagement program throughout all Torres Strait and Northern peninsula communities to seek support for this next step. This engagement will also help design a digital monitoring tool for fish catches that will be appropriate for Torres Strait Islanders. It will also provide a case study to support a national agenda to implement monitoring for Australian Indigenous fisheries.

Objectives

This project aims to share information and collate the views of Torres Strait community members about a new, long-term, fishery information system to underpin sustainable fisheries and livelihoods. It will then summarise information about the design and options for development of an APP or web-based information collection system. The objectives are to:

  1. Collate and review existing and new information about the potential options for a non-commercial fishery monitoring program as recommended by Bedford et al. (2021)
  2. Assess the level of community need and support (or otherwise) for a non-commercial fishery monitoring program through a comprehensive and equitable community consultation and participation process throughout Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula Area communities
  3. Develop cost and performance options for a non-commercial fishery monitoring program and its components (e.g., self-reporting web-based tool/APP platform data management, storage, and access complimented surveys) to allow for an assessment of value (e.g., meeting needs ease of use maintenance and data use in stock assessments).

The project ‘2022-045 Measuring non-commercial fishing catches (traditional subsistence fishing) in the Torres Strait to improve fisheries management and promote sustainable livelihoods’ is supported by funding from the FRDC and AFMA on behalf of the Australian Government.

FRDC article about this project

For more information contact:

  • Project Co-Leader: Professor Natasha Stacey, natasha.stacey@cdu.edu.au
  • Project Co-Leader: Kenny Bedford
  • Team members: Tim Skewes and David Brewer
Four smiling people standing together in front of blue painting
Project Team: Tim Skewes, Kenny Bedford, Natasha Stacey, and Dave Brewer (from left to right) during the project inception meeting in Cairns, December 2022.

Reference

Bedford, K., Skewes, T., and Brewer, D. 2021. Developing an approach for measuring the non-commercial fishing in Torres Strait in order to improve fisheries management and promote sustainable livelihoods. Unpublished Report Prepared for the Australian Fisheries Management Authority. 84 pp. URL:https://www.pzja.gov.au/research/developing-approach-measuring-non-commercial-fishing-torres-strait-order-improve-fisheries

Evaluation of livelihood zones and rural household trajectories to determine future research questions for livelihood improvement in Timor Leste

The ACIAR Small Research Activity (SRA) SLAM-2021-108:) forms the first stage of a planned larger ACIAR project to improve smallholder livelihoods in Timor Leste through increased labour productivity with a focus on innovation in soils management and improvement. The SRA aims to generate the research questions with social science that the larger project will pursue; ACIAR projects are usually commissioned with pre-defined research questions. The project will be undertaken from May 2022-October 2023.

Timor-Leste is one of the poorest nations in the world. Since Timor-Leste gained independence in 2002, there have been significant efforts and resources provided through Australia’s ODA program along with investments from other international development agencies that aim to address the low agricultural productivity in the country and improve food and nutrition security for the population. This SRA will do three activities, at six locations in three key livelihood zones, to generate appropriate agricultural research questions for labour productivity and livelihood improvement:

  • Undertake the Stages of Progress (SoP) methodology to understand what has driven rural households into or out of poverty and affects their food security and sovereignty.
  • Detail the current farming system, assets, constraints, opportunities and farmers’ motivations around crop selection.
  • Document the impact of previous research-for-development projects at these locations and nearby.

The SRA and larger project aim to provide recommendations to ACIAR and other research and development organisations on future research, development initiatives and investments.

A provisional selection of the three municipalities has been completed (August 2022) which include:

  • Ainaro, Maubisse selected for the upland high altitude livelihood zone
  • Baucau selected for the inland irrigable watersheds livelihood zone, and
  • Manufahi selected for the southern Rainfed livelihood zone

For more information contact:

  • Project Leader: Dr Leigh Vial, Research Fellow, RIEL, leigh.vial@cdu.edu.au
  • Project team: Timor Team Leader: Marcia Exposto e Silva
  • Australia team member: Professor Andrew McWilliam, University of Western Sydney
Leigh Vial head and shoulders surrounded by grass-like leaves and seeds of rice crop
Dr Leigh Vial in a rice crop
Professional fishers’ knowledge to inform research and management of sawfish and river sharks

Northern Australia is one of the few places left in the world with sawfish and river shark populations, making it a key priority to protect them. A major challenge is the lack of information on current populations, which limits the ability to develop effective management strategies. This project will gather knowledge as an important early step in enhancing protection measures. There is much research and activities underway to understand the distribution and status of sawfish and river sharks. It is important we understand the knowledge held and experiences of commercial fishers. Northern Territory  Seafood Council (NTSC) is partnering with community and livelihoods researcher Natasha Stacey from Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University (CDU) and Drs Vinay Udyawer and Claire Streten from the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences (AIMS)  to undertake interviews with fishers as part of a project.

Through their time at sea, professional fishers obtain important knowledge of the occurrence, seasonal presence and long-term changes through their encounters with Threatened and Endangered and Protected Species. Knowledge from fishers engaged in the NT Barramundi Fishery and Offshore Net and Line Fishery was identified as one of the key pieces of information lacking for the development of a management plan for sawfish and siver sharks in Northern Australia (Department of Environment, 2015). 

The objective of this project is to improve current knowledge of the occurrence of sawfish (Pristis spp.) and river sharks (Glyphis spp.) in fishing grounds of the NT through recording commercial fishers’ knowledge about species in interviews. This information will be used to inform sampling and tagging of species in coastal and estuarine areas of the NT.

The project will assist with delivery of new information to inform decision making, whilst also building relationships, between fishers, social and natural science researchers, industry and fishery managers and shared understanding and knowledge of sawfish and river sharks. 

More information about the project can be found via the Northern Territory Seafood Council Inc website or contact ceo@ntc.com.au or Natasha Stacey at Charles Darwin University ( Natasha.stacey@cdu.edu.au ).

An investigation of Indigenous knowledges and nutritional health and wellbeing benefits and values of seafood for supporting Indigenous fisheries development

Development of Aboriginal fishing businesses in the Northern Territory, Australia are aiming to improve the livelihoods of community members through providing access to a nutritious, diverse and culturally significant food supply. This provides the wider community with the possibility to purchase and consume a local food source that consists of high-quality protein and is rich in key nutrients that are essential for human development and function. While several scientific studies have identified the biochemical pathways of seafood consumption and the associated health benefits, limited empirical evidence has supported an Indigenous Knowledges interpretation of the nutrition, health and wellbeing benefits of seafood.

The research project is addressing this knowledge gap through a multi-dimensional approach. This includes a qualitative study design guided by Indigenous research methodologies aimed at understanding a localised Aboriginal representation and connection to the nutritional health and wellbeing values and meanings of seafood. The research project takes place in Maningrida Aboriginal community with support of Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation and members of the fishing enterprise including Aboriginal costal license holders, workers and their families engaged in the research.  The objectives are:

  1. To document Indigenous knowledges on the understanding of the nutritional health and wellbeing benefits and the value and meanings of locally caught and consumed seafood
  2. To develop outputs (e.g. poster, booklet) based on Aboriginal knowledge and nutrition profiling of identified seafood species for inter-generational knowledge transfer
  3. To develop a conceptual framework to bring together and represent the components and values of Indigenous knowledges of the nutritional health and wellbeing benefits of seafood

The project will bring together two knowledge systems to better understand the wider nutritional, health and wellbeing benefits of seafood for Aboriginal Peoples. As requested by the Traditional Owner’s in the research project design important outputs include the creation of educational resources to be used as tools to pass on intergenerational knowledge. It is anticipated that the study findings will also help to inform policy makers, government, non-government organisations and Aboriginal communities with recommendations on how to strengthen future policy to support Indigenous fisheries, access to country and fisheries to improve health outcomes. The outcome of the research will contribute new knowledge to ensure the development of Indigenous fisheries is sensitive to health, nutritional and wellbeing values and meanings of culturally important seafood.

This research project is funded by the Fisheries Research Development Corporation (FRDC project 2019-143) on behalf of the Australian Government and is being implemented in partnership with Monash University, Charles Darwin University and Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation and Traditional Aboriginal Owners from the Maningrida region in the Northern Territory.

Publications:

Cubillo, B. Stacey, N., & Brimblecombe, J. 2023, 'How is nutrition, health and wellbeing conceptualised in connection with seafood for coastal Indigenous Peoples', Food Policy, vol. 116, 102434, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2023.102434

Fisheries Research and Development Corporation article about this project: https://www.frdc.com.au/seafood-builds-physical-and-cultural-health-indigenous-communities

Partners: 

Current HDR candidates and projects
Recently completed postgraduate research projects
Publications snapshot

House, J., Amaral, N.M.S, Silva de Jesus, J., Gomes, J., Chew, M., Kleiber, D., Steenbergen, D.J. & Stacey, N. (2024) Women’s experiences of participatory fisheries monitoring in Timor-Leste, Maritime Studies  23, 9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40152-024-00352-6

Cubillo, B. Stacey, N., & Brimblecombe, J. 2023, 'How is nutrition, health and wellbeing conceptualised in connection with seafood for coastal Indigenous Peoples', Food Policy, vol. 116, 102434, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2023.102434

House, J., Kleiber, D., Steenbergen, D.J. & Stacey, N. (2022) Participatory monitoring in community-based fisheries management through a gender lens. Ambio 52, 300–318. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-022-01783-3

Nyboer, E. A., Reid, A. J., Jeanson, A. L., Kelly, R., Mackay, M., House, J., ... & Cooke, S. J. (2022). Goals, challenges, and next steps in transdisciplinary fisheries research: perspectives and experiences from early-career researchers. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries, 1-26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-022-09719-6

Bonis-Profumo, G, Rosario Pereira, D, Brimblecombe, J, & Stacey, N (2022). Gender relations in livestock production and animal-source food acquisition and consumption among smallholders in rural Timor-Leste: A mixed-methods exploration. Journal of Rural Studies, 89, 222-234. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2021.11.027

Stacey N & Govan H (2021). Module 8: Livelihoods. In K Barclay, C Donato-Hunt, J Kalsuak, J Kinch, B Leduc, N Makhoul, & S Mangubhai (Eds.), Pacific handbook for gender and social inclusion in small scale fisheries and aquaculture 2nd edition. Pacific Community. https://www.spc.int/DigitalLibrary/Doc/FAME/Manuals/Barclay_21_Gender_Handbook_Module8.pdf

Adhuri, D., J. Fox & N.Stacey (2021, Dec 7). Sailing south: why Indonesian fishers risk apprehension in Australian waters. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/sailing-south-why-indonesian-fishers-risk-apprehension-in-australian-waters-173107

Stacey, N, Gibson, E, Loneragan, NR, Warren, C, Wirayawan, B Adhuri, DS, Steenbergen, DJ, & Fitriana, R (2021). Developing sustainable small-scale fisheries livelihoods in Indonesia: Trends, enabling and constraining factors, and future opportunities. Marine Policy, 132, Article 104654. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2021.104654

Hunnam K, Carlos I, Hammer MP, Dos Reis Lopes J, Mills DJ & Stacey N (2021). Untangling Tales of Tropical Sardines: Local Knowledge From Fisheries in Timor-Leste. Frontiers in Marine Science, 8. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2021.673173

Bonis-Profumo, G, Stacey, N, & Brimblecombe, J. (2021). Measuring women's empowerment in agriculture, food production, and child and maternal dietary diversity in Timor-Leste. Food Policy, 102, Article 102102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2021.102102

Ahammad R, Stacey N, & Sunderland T. (2021). Determinants of forest and tree uses across households of different sites and ethnicities in Bangladesh. Sustainability: Science, Practice, and Policy, 17 (1), 232-242. https://doi.org/10.1080/15487733.2021.1930731

Ahammad, R, Stacey, N, & Sunderland, T (2021). Analysis of forest-related policies for supporting ecosystem services-based forest management in Bangladesh. Ecosystem Services, 48, Article 101235. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2020.101235

Gibson, E, Stacey N, Sunderland, T & Adhuri, D (2021). Coping or adapting? Experiences of food and nutrition insecurity in specialized fishing households in Komodo District, eastern Indonesia. BMC Public Health, 21, Article 355. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-10248-3

Bonis-Profumo G, Stacey N, & Brimblecombe, J (2021). Maternal diets matter for children's dietary quality: Seasonal dietary diversity and animal-source foods consumption in rural Timor-Leste. Maternal and Child Nutrition, 17, Article e13071. https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.13071

Ahammad R, Stacey N, & Sunderland, T (2020). Assessing land use changes and livelihood outcomes of rural people in the Chittagong Hill Tracts region, Bangladesh. Land Degradation & Development, 32 (3626-3638). https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.3795

Gibson, E, Stacey, N, Sunderland, TCH, and Adhuri, DS (2020). Dietary diversity and fish consumption of mothers and their children in fisher households in Komodo District, eastern Indonesia. PLoS ONE, 15(4) Article e0230777. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0230777

Gibson, E, and Stacey, N (2019, December 19). Gender matters in coastal livelihood programs in Indonesia The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/gender-matters-in-coastal-livelihood-programs-in-indonesia-127747

Steenbergen, D, Eriksson, H, Hunnam, K, Mills, D, and Stacey, N (2019). Following the fish inland: understanding fish distribution networks for rural development and food security in Timor-Leste, Food Security 11, 1417–1432. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-019-00982-3. YouTube video summary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA4WzzjjeD4

Stacey, N, Gibson, E, Loneragan, N, Warren, C, Wirayawan, B, Adhuri, D, & Fitriana, R, (2019). Enhancing coastal livelihoods in Indonesia: an evaluation of recent initiatives on gender, women and livelihoods in small-scale fisheries, Maritime Studies 18, 359–371, Special Issue (En)Gendering Change in Small-scale Fisheries and Fishing Communities in a Globalized World. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40152-019-00142-5

Steenbergen, D, Clifton, J, Visser, L, Stacey, N, and McWilliam, A (2017). Understanding influences in policy landscapes for sustainable coastal livelihoods. Marine Policy, 82, 181-188. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2017.04.012

Loneragan, NR, Stacey, N, Warren, C, Gibson, E, Fitriana R, Adhuri, D, Jaiteh, VJ, Mustika, PLK, Steenbergen, DJ, and Wiryawan, B (2018). Small-scale fisheries in Indonesia: benefits to households, the roles of women, and opportunities for improving livelihoods. ACIAR Small Research Activity, Project Number FIS/2014/104. https://www.aciar.gov.au/project/FIS-2014-104

Interested in natural resource-based livelihoods?

More on our past research

Timorese-Australian knowledge exchange and participatory fisheries monitoring evaluation skill development

A knowledge exchange hosted in 2022 between Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods (RIEL), Charles Darwin University (CDU) and Blue Ventures Timor-Leste (BVTL) fisheries management experts examined how government and community-based fisheries managers collect and use data for decision making among other issues.

The exchange was led by Jenny House (RIEL PhD Candidate) conducted as part of an ongoing research collaboration between RIEL and BVTL about community-based marine management. Support from a Crawford Fund Training Grant enabled eight Timorese marine management practitioners to visit Darwin from 29th August to 2nd September to participate in an intensive program of skill development and relationship building activities with numerous researchers and other natural resource and marine management practitioners in Darwin.

In the NT, the use of participatory approaches is increasingly recognised as crucial for community-based NRM and there are a number of programs engaging Indigenous communities in sea country planning and management. As such, BVTL's work on participatory marine management and monitoring and sustainable livelihoods is highly relevant for NT researchers and practitioners.

Topics included First Nations community governance, qualitative research skills, inclusive and sustainable fisheries management, nature-based livelihoods, and conservation. The participants also shared their innovative approach to community-based natural resource management with Australian researchers and interested stakeholders at a seminar.

This exchange was designed for the Timorese participants to develop skills, and to share their extensive experience with researchers and natural resource management practitioners in Australia. To read more about the exchange see the Final Report (PDF, 1.46 MB) or read a CDU enews article

Supporting development of Indigenous fishing enterprises

This project led by Prof Natasha Stacey reviewed the Aboriginal Coastal Licence (ACL) regime in Maningrida with the Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation and provided an evaluation of its benefits, vulnerabilities and recommendations.

Research outputs are in preparation but a summary of ACL regime is provided in Jentoft et al (2019). We are also developing additional research with partners to support further development of Indigenous fisheries futures in the Northern Territory (2020).

The Yokarra Crew – What we learned from catching and selling fish in and around Maningrida, Arnhem Land (PDF, 1.31 MB)

Small-scale fisheries in Indonesia: benefits to households, the roles of women, and opportunities for improving livelihoods

We recently completed a co-led ACIAR funded project with Murdoch University, IPB and LIPI to identify the new approaches to coastal livelihood diversification in eastern Indonesia (Loneragan et al 2018; Stacey et al 2019).

This synthesis of current knowledge and analysis of coastal livelihood programs will contribute towards improved applied, gender-balanced, action-driven research in Indonesia in the future. The final report can be found at: https://www.aciar.gov.au/project/fis-2014-104

Stacey, N., E. Gibson. N. Loneragan., C. Warren, R. Fitriana, B. Wirayawan and D. Adhuri (2019) Enhancing coastal livelihoods in Indonesia: an evaluation of recent initiatives on gender, women and livelihoods in small-scale fisheries, Maritime Studies:142 Special Issue (En)Gendering Change in Small-scale Fisheries and Fishing Communities in a Globalized World. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40152-019-00142-5

Stacey, N., E. Gibson. N. Loneragan., C. Warren, B. Wirayawan, D. Adhuri, D. Steenbergen and R. Fitriana (2021) Developing sustainable small-scale fisheries livelihoods in Indonesia: trends, enabling and constraining factors, and future opportunities. Marine Policy, Marine Policy, 132, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2021.104654

Coastal Livelihoods research

Our group's research responds to global calls by academics and international development practitioners for better integration of local resource user groups in sustainable coastal management and governance following continuing trends of failure by centralized policy initiatives. Our research publications have contributed significantly to global literature. Our research (last 5 years) has focussed on development of new approaches to manage and govern fisheries (e.g. Prescott et al 2015; 2017, Steenbergen et al 2017; Steenbergen et al (2019)); critiques of current livelihood programs (e.g. Foale et al 2013, Steenbergen et al 2017; Loneragan et al 2018), and conservation impacts on Indigenous fishing peoples (Stacey et al 2015, 2017; 2018; Stacey & Allison 2019).

We have been at the forefront of research into investigations of the contribution of small scale fisheries to livelihoods and wellbeing at a global scale through invitation to participate in global networks, contribute written work to special publications by the FAO/IUCN (Stacey et al 2017) and as co-editor of book (Johnson, D, Acott, T, Stacey, N & Urquart, J (eds) (2018), Social Wellbeing and the Values of Small-scale Fisheries, Springer). We recently co-led an ACIAR funded project with Murdoch University to identify new approaches to livelihood diversification in eastern Indonesia (Loneragan et al 2018; Stacey et al 2019). We convened a Coastal Livelihoods Symposium in 2016 with the outputs published in Special Issue of Marine Policy journal (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2017.04.012).

This was an outcome of the NAMRA-funded Postdoctoral research project on Understanding Coastal Livelihoods in the Arafura and Timor Seas: Impacts and opportunities of contemporary approaches to development, conservation and resource governance (Dr Dirk Steenbergen 2014-2018).

Through our long-standing record of research and engagement in Indonesia and Timor Leste through our association with the Arafura and Timor Seas Expert Forum (ATSEF) and research contributions to the USD 3 million dollar Global Environment Facility Arafura and Timor Seas Ecosystem Action (ATSEA) Program we led the first study exchange which bought together members of communities from Indonesia, Timor Leste and Aboriginal land and sea rangers in Arnhem Land to share experiences in community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) (Stacey et al 2015). The results of this initiative identified key factors for capacity building and a framework for evaluating such initiatives.

Indigenous livelihoods research in Northern Australia

We collaborate with numerous land council and Indigenous organisations (e.g. NAILSMA, NLC/CLC) andthe NT government on a portfolio of research activity to assist Indigenous people realise their aspirations for caring and working on country and development of wildlife enterprises. This builds on previous work of the pre-RIEL NTU Key Centre for Tropical Wildlife record of research into natural resource based livelihoods (by past CDU researchers such as Gorman, Whitehead, Griffiths). Our research has included investigations into plant and animal enterprises (e.g. Kakadu plum, sugar bag, crocodile eggs (e.g. Austin and Garnett et al 2011; Zander et al 2016; Gorman et al 2012; 2016). In the coastal zone our past research activity has included sea cucumber and oyster aquaculture development in Warruwi, Goulburn Island and climate change impacts funded by NCCARF and NAMRA programs with Yagbani Aboriginal Corporation (e.g. Fleming et al 2014; Petheram et al 2013, 2014, 2015); building Indigenous marine science capacity evaluation (Stacey and Funk 2017).

A decade of sustained community engagement has enabled a research collaboration with the Wadeye, NT, community. The collaboration aims to support community efforts to establish an enterprise based on abundant sources of Kakadu plum (Terminalia ferdinandiana) on traditional clan estates. This work is investigating the role of supply chain actors and external factors that have influenced the direction of enterprise development, alongside community aspirations for the development of Kakadu plum enterprises (Gorman et al 2019a, Gorman et al 2019b).

Social Impacts of small scale artisanal mining

Members of our group recently contributed to the Department of Foreign Affairs funded GFPD Program (1.2 million AUD over 4 years) with the ANU, Indonesian universities and government agencies to investigate environmental and social issues and build capacity associated with small scale artisanal mining for manganese and gold in eastern Indonesia (e.g. Fischer et al 2019). Dr Hannah Ling’s (PhD) 2019 considered local perspectives, values and belief associated with small-scale manganese mining in West Timor, Indonesia.

Ling, H. 2017, ‘Community mining in West Timor’, Inside Indonesia, 130, http://www.insideindonesia.org/community-mining-in-west-timor.

Fisher, R, Ling, H, Natonis, R, Hobgen, S, Kaho, NR, Mudita, W, Markus, J, Bunga, W & Nampa, W 2018, Artisanal and small-scale mining and rural livelihood diversification: The case of manganese extraction in West Timor, Indonesia, The Extractive Industries and Society, 10.1016/j.exis.2018.08.004

Resources

Indigenous Fisheries in the Northern Territory

Jentoft, S, Stacey, N, Sunde, J, and González, M (2019). The Small-Scale Fisheries of Indigenous Peoples: A Struggle for Secure Tenure Rights. In R Chuenpagdee and S Jentoft (Eds.): Transdisciplinarity for Small-Scale Fisheries Governance, MARE Publication Series, Vol. 21, Ch. 14, (pp. 263-282). Springer. https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783319949376

Stacey, N, Wilton, D, and Stewart, J (2018, June 7). Maningrida Aboriginal Coastal fishing enterprise: lessons learned and future prospects. AIATSIS Native Title Conference, Broome, WA. https://aiatsis.gov.au/publication/116561

Forests and Livelihoods in Bangladesh

Ahammad, R, Stacey, N, and Sunderland, T (2019). Use and Perceived Importance of Forest Ecosystem Services in Rural Livelihoods of People in Bangladesh. Ecosystem Services, 35, 87-98. https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S2212041617305673

Ahammad, R, Stacey, N, Tomscha, S, and Eddy, I (2019). Recent trends of forest cover change and ecosystem services in eastern upland region of Bangladesh. Science of the Total Environment https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.07.406

Sunderland, T, Abdoulaye, R, Ahammad, R, Asaha, S, Baudron, F, Deakin, E, Duriaux, J-Y, Eddy, I, Foli, S, Gumbo, G, Kondwani, M, Kshatriya, M, Leonald, L, Rowland, D, Stacey, N, Tomsha, S, Yang, K, and Gergel, S (2017). A Methodological Approach for Assessing Cross-Site Landscape Change: Understanding Socio-Ecological Systems. Forest Policy and Economics https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2017.04.013

Abdullah, A, Stacey, N, Myers, B, Zander, K, and Garnett, S (2016). Impacts of cyclone Aila on household incomes in the Sundarbans, Bangladesh: short-term economic equalisation. Natural Hazards, 83,1103-1123. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-016-2358-1

Abdullah, A, Stacey, N, Myers, B, Zander, K, and Garnett, S (2016). The impact of the expansion of shrimp aquaculture on livelihoods in coastal Bangladesh. Environment, Development and Sustainabilityhttps://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-016-9824-5

Abdullah, A, Stacey, N, Garnett, S and Myers, B (2016). Economic dependence on mangrove forest resources for livelihoods in the Sundarbans, Bangladesh. Forest Policy and Economics. 64, 15-24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2015.12.009

Small scale fisheries in Indonesia and Timor Leste

Stacey, N, and Allison, EH (2019). Sea Nomads: Sama-Bajau Mobility, Livelihoods and Marine Conservation in Southeast Asia. In King, TJ and Robinson, G (eds), At Home on the Waves: Human Habitation of the Sea from the Mesolithic to Today (pp. 309-331). Berghahn Press. http://www.berghahnbooks.com/title/KingAt

Stacey, N, Steenbergen, DJ, Clifton, J, and Acciaioli, G (2018). Understanding Social Wellbeing and values of Small Scale fisheries amongst the Sama-Bajau of insular Southeast Asia. In D Johnson, T Acott, J Urquart, and N Stacey (Eds.), Social Wellbeing and the Values of Small Scale Fisheries, MARE Publication Series 17 (pp. 97-123). Springer. https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783319607498

Acott, T, Johnson, D Urquart, J, and Stacey, N (2018). Reflections on social wellbeing and the values of small-scale fisheries. In D Johnson, T Acott, J Urquart, and N Stacey (Eds.), Social Wellbeing and the Values of Small Scale Fisheries, MARE Publication Series Vol 17 (pp. 317-332). Springer https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783319607498

Stacey, N, Steenbergen, DJ, Clifton, J, and Acciaioli, G (2017). Impacts of Marine Protected Areas on Livelihoods and Food Security the Bajau as an Indigenous Migratory People in Maritime Southeast Asia. In L Westland, A Charles, S Garcia, and J Sanders (Eds.) Marine Protected Areas: Interactions with Fisheries Livelihoods and Food Security, FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper, No 603 (pp. 113-126). Food and Agriculture Organization https://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/9ea9ba18-3d8d-4ac4-bebb-a809e59ce70f/

Prescott, J, Riwu, J, Prasetyo, A, and Stacey, N (2017). The money side of livelihoods: Economics of an unregulated small-scale Indonesian sea cucumber fishery in the Timor Sea. Marine Policy, 82, 197-201. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2017.03.033

Prescott, J, Riwu, J, Stacey, N, and Prasetyo, A, (2016). An unlikely partnership: fishers' participation in a small-scale fishery data collection program in the Timor Sea. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries, 26, 679–692. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-015-9417-7

Stacey, N, Karam, J, Jackson, M, Kennett, R, and Wagey, G (2015). Knowledge Exchange as a Tool for Transboundary and Coastal Management of the Arafura and Timor Seas. Ocean and Coastal Management. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2015.06.007

Stacey, N (2007). Boats to Burn: Bajo fishing activity in the Australian Fishing Zone, Asia-Pacific Environment Monograph Series, ANU E Press. http://epress.anu.edu.au/boats_citation.html

Evaluating Jointly Managed Protected Areas through Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation

Stacey, N, Izurieta, A, and Garnett, ST (2013). Collaborative measurement of performance of jointly managed protected areas in northern Australia. Ecology and Society, 18(2), 19. http://doi.org/10.5751/ES-05273-180119

Izurieta, A, Stacey, N, and Karam, J, with contributions by Moyses, M, Ledgar, R, Burslem, M, Scopel, D, Donohoe, PA, Donohoe, PJ, and Panton, B (2011). Guidebook for Supporting Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation of Jointly Managed Parks in the Northern Territory. Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University.

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