AgLaw Research Students

Kylie Lingard (PhD)

"Indigenous cultural knowledge protection and reform"

Kylie’s postgraduate research is sponsored by the Cooperative Research Centre for Remote Economic Development. Her research background is in Aboriginal engagement in cultural heritage management.

Kylie is also the Unit Instructor for Indigenous Issues in NRM at the University of New England, and a Postgraduate Research Fellow at the Australian Centre for Agriculture and Law.

Research Interests: the legal duty to consult/engage with Aboriginal people before permitting harm to Aboriginal cultural heritage, protection and management of Aboriginal cultural heritage, protection of Indigenous cultural knowledge in economic enterprises, use of Indigenous cultural knowledge to enhance Indigenous economic opportunities.

Kane Ali (Masters of Law, Research)

"A Critical Analysis of the Precautionary Principle in Food Safety Policy and Laws"

This research is critically examining food security and the role that the Precautionary Principle plays in ensuring that people have access to sufficient, safe and nutritious foods. Currently there are incongruent effects of international agreements on food security. Further disparity exists between agreements as to the role of science opposed to precaution which has created even greater uncertainty and misunderstanding between governments and international bodies.

With millions of people globally affected by hunger the international community is at odds between policies and laws that can promote or restrain developments to increase food production. At the core of debate is the application of the Precautionary Principle. It is hoped that this research will determine if the application of the Precautionary Principle within this area is efficient.

Research Interests: The Precautionary Principle – International Environmental Law and Policy – Sustainable Agriculture – Food Security

Michael Forsythe (PhD)

“Applying behaviourally based governance instruments and strategies to natural resource management transactions in order to engender and maintain improved sustainability outcomes”

Research for my thesis is an integrated part of the “Next Generation Rural Landscape Governance Research” project.  In the preliminary stages of this project, I am endeavouring to identify the existence of semi-discrete groups of landowners whose participation in sustainable NRM practices would be most beneficial.  This is being accomplished by detailed analysis of previously commissioned research data (e.g., justify), and planned dedicated surveys.

It is anticipated that this research will yield demographic and typological information valuable in targeting pro-sustainability innovations or social interventions. 

Research Interests: Promoting the conservation of native Australian flora and fauna; Australian rural culture; Farmer/grazier attitudes and values; Use of advanced statistical methods in research design; Social-psychology models for understanding behaviour.

Brendan George (PhD)

"Understanding the greenhouse gas balance of lignocellulosic biomass energy systems in NSW"

There are three main questions:

1. By how much does the growing, collection, processing and consumption of lignocellulosic biomass for electricity production reduce net carbon emissions compared to coal for electricity production?
2. Is the use of biomass for electricity production more Greenhouse Gas (GHG) efficient than equivalent biofuel production?
3. Can we utilise Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to quantitatively assess the water impacts of bioenergy production in Australian conditions?

Research Interests: are focussed around sustained and sustainable energy production from biomass. How can we do this and what are the implications? From a quantitative understanding (via LCA) of some of the significant GHG and water issues we can invest in large-scale industry development that will be robust, competitive and sustainable. And this information is critical to help government form considered policy that efficiently delivers outcomes for reduced carbon energy generated in regional areas.

Md Nazrul Islam (PhD)

"Can A Reflexive Governance Structure deliver IWRM Principles in Bangladesh?"

The objective of this thesis is to find out a ‘reflexive solution’ to overcome the obstacles in implementing the Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) principles in Bangladesh using a multi-disciplinary management approach. The findings of the study would be useful for other countries as well to progress implementation of IWRM principles.

A ‘water governance model’ is proposed with integration of all necessary elements that affect IWRM. It is examined whether the planning and managing water resources addresses the ecological, economic and community ambitions or IWRM principles. It is difficult to implement IWRM based on the foundation of ‘less integrated’ and certainly less ‘epistemologically reflexively organised’ foundations for water resources policy planning and management. 

The applied contribution of this research is to provide specific advice on the arrangement of institutional or governance arrangements with the potential to underpin IWRM implementations in countries like Bangladesh.

Gudmundur Jonsson (PhD)

"Law, livestock and landscape: Legal and Institutional Arrangements for the Protection of Icelandic Pastures"

This research focuses on future issues and challenges regarding sustainable land use in the Icelandic commons. The aim of the research is to identify future challenges in relation to sustainable grazing and suggest reformed legal framework to policy makers. Comparative analysis will be used to develop best practices approach to legal reforms.

The research is a mixed method research involving social science research and policy research but the main focus is on legal perspectives.

Research interests: Environmental Law, Property Law, Tort Law, International Law, EU Law, Agriculture, Sustainability and Animal Law.

Elodie Le Gal (PhD)

"Industry Co-Regulatory Risk Management Model for Bio-Fuel Weeds Control"

Despite their invasibility features, second-generation biofuel crops can play a key role in the production of bio-ethanol. If imported into Australia, they might generate costly biological pollutions in an already depleted natural environment. While risk management instruments are widely used in the commercial sector, the treatment of risk in environmental weeds policy is primarily underpinned by a simplistic ‘risk-avoidance versus risk-allowance’ binary approach. With Professor Paul Martin, we have developed a conceptual architecture for a risk management model relying on market instruments to manage the bio-fuel weeds risk. Combined with a public/private co-regulatory strategy, this could efficiently address the bio-fuel weeds risk. This model could also be transposable in other NRM areas.

Research Interests: Biodiversity conservation – Risk mitigation strategies – ESD - Innovation

http://invasivebiofuelscrops.webs.com/

Michelle Lim (PhD)

"Effective Biodiversity Conservation Across International Boundaries : Beyond International Law

This research has identified that international law is ill-equipped to deal with the issue of transboundary biodiversity conservation. From a doctrinal perspective, no body of law exists for the management of with transboundary biodiversity resources. From a practical perspective, even if international legal doctrine was more developed, international law is inadequate to achieve by itself the effective conservation of biodiversity in ecosystems that occur across an international boundary line.

The research recognizes that international law is but one component of effective transboundary biodiversity management. One of the key results of this research is the development of eleven criteria for effective transboundary conservation. The primary significance of the criteria is the contribution it makes to the evaluation of existing initiatives and the design of future projects.

This research includes two case-studies; one in Central Asia (UNU/UNEP/GEF project between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan) and the other in the Heart of Borneo project (WWF project incorporating Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei).

Research Interests: International Environmental Law and Policy; Environmental Governance; Biodiversity Conservation; Biodiversity-Livelihood linkages; Mountains.

Wanida Phromlah(PhD)

"Good Governance for Natural Resource Law in Thailand"

Wanida’s research is on natural resource governance in Thailand, and aims to develop best-practice mechanisms, procedures and a legal paradigm for good governance of natural resources in Thailand based on the framework of good governance, holistic integrated approach, behavioral thinking, existing context, availability of resources, transaction cost, and risk management.

Research Interests: issues of environmental governance, taxation policy, Sustainable Development to reduce costs and complexity related to environmental and taxation governance, social equity for vulnerable community and the attached risk which can occurr from making environmental and taxation policy.