Kate Sherren

Adaptive capacity and learning to learn as leverage for social–ecological resilience

Adaptive capacity is increasingly recognized as essential for maintaining the resilience of social–ecological systems and for coping with environmental change. Four main requirements enable societies to successfully adapt to change: (1) the will and intention to maintain social–ecological resilience, (2) knowledge about current problems and the desired direction of change, (3) proactive behavior, and (4) the capacity to change existing patterns of behavior. The adaptive capacity of societies can be greatly enhanced by fostering the adaptive capacity of their individual members. Considerable knowledge about how to foster the adaptability of individuals exists in the science of education and in cognitive and social psychology. Developing the ability to learn flexibly in a variety of ways, contexts, and circumstances is an important element of developing adaptive capacity. The widespread implementation of modern teaching approaches in the education sector could make a substantial contribution to building and...

Core issues: Reflections on sustainability in Australian University coursework programs

Purpose n n n n– In addition to mapping the consistency in rhetoric behind education for sustainability, despite changes in jargon over the past 30 years, this paper endeavours to estimate the degree to which these ideas have been integrated into the Australian tertiary sector. n n n n nDesign/methodology/approach n n n n– The results of a recent internet‐based audit of tertiary environmental and sustainability offerings are used to reflect upon key ideas associated with a liberal sustainability education: interdisciplinarity, cosmopolitanism and civics. n n n n nFindings n n n n– Sustainability is not yet well integrated in specialist or generalist coursework programs in Australia, largely due to a “customer”‐focused higher education sector. Additionally, the emphasis of such programs is usually technological solutions and scientific ken, to the detriment of human cultures and behavioural change. n n n n nPractical implications n n n n– Concrete recommendations are given to inform the development of appropriate generalist sustainability curricula, including liberal characteristics such as broad foundational years, and increased historical, spatial and cultural context. n n n n nOriginality/value n n n n– This paper provides a valuable overview of progress towards sustainability in Australian university programs, based on a comprehensive survey, and with a minimum of new jargon to ensure accessibility for practitioners.

A history of the future of higher education for sustainable development

Thirty years of academic dialogue and reinvention about environmental and sustainability education conceals the consistency of rhetoric that literature holds. This paper argues that higher education for sustainable development does not call for the invention of anything disconcertingly new. In fact, four simple, long‐standing concepts contribute most of the philosophy, disciplinary content and pedagogy required: liberal education, interdisciplinarity, cosmopolitanism and civics. A review is undertaken of the literature behind these ‘ideas neither young nor mature’ and a sustainability canon is derived that features integrated sciences, humanities and social sciences theory, engaging, active pedagogy and authentic external experiences.

Balancing the Disciplines: A Multidisciplinary Perspective on Sustainability Curriculum Content

This paper explores appropriate disciplinary content for generalist sustainability degrees, based on two recent surveys. A questionnaire was used to extract from a multidisciplinary, largely academic audience - all of whom share an interest in sustainability - their views as to the disciplinary knowledge that a university-based sustainability education should include. This was undertaken because the current focus in sustainability education literature on generic skills and pedagogical method provides little insight to assist curriculum developers with disciplinary content. While the sample was limited, respondents came from a diverse group of disciplines and thus supply a broad perspective to curriculum design. Recommended teaching methods were also captured, for both undergraduate and graduate levels, as well as the academic backgrounds of the participants for the purposes of investigating bias. The findings were compared with curricula from existing Australian coursework programs and showed that a slight rebalancing towards the human sphere is necessary.

Toward landscape-wide conservation outcomes in Australia's temperate grazing region.

Agriculture and livestock grazing threaten biodiversity around the world. In the grazing landscapes of eastern Australia, a common conservation strategy has been to exclude livestock from large patches of trees (typically > 5 ha). This has major local benefits, but is unlikely to stem regional biodiversity loss. Using a case study from the Upper Lachlan catchment in New South Wales, we show that (1) approximately 30% of tree cover occurs as very small patches or scattered trees; (2) large patches have disappeared from 90% of the landscape; and (3) large patches are 3.5 times more likely to be in unproductive upland areas than in lowland areas of high conservation concern. Given the limitations of focusing on large patches of trees to achieve regional conservation outcomes, the next generation of conservation initiatives should consider a new suite of additional measures that could deliver biodiversity benefits across broad areas of the region. Two key measures that must be considered are new incentives fo...

Integration by case, place and process: transdisciplinary research for sustainable grazing in the Lachlan River catchment, Australia

In a context of global agricultural intensification, integrating conservation and agricultural production is a major challenge. We have tackled the problem using a transdisciplinary research framework. Our work focuses on part of the upper Lachlan River catchment in southeastern Australia. The region is dominated by livestock grazing, and is part of an internationally recognised threatened ecoregion because most native woodland vegetation has been cleared. In productive areas, most remnant vegetation occurs as scattered and isolated paddock trees, which are dying from old age and not regenerating due to agricultural practices. The policy context and industry trends present additional risks for sparse trees. These declining trees provide many ecosystem services, including enhanced water infiltration, shade for livestock, aesthetic and cultural values, and habitat for native species. Our research aims to identify management options and policy settings that enable landscape-scale tree regeneration while maintaining grazing production. Our findings highlight tensions between the trajectory of tree cover in the region and stakeholder values. Under status quo management, many scattered and isolated paddock trees will be lost from farms, although most farmers would like to see them persist. Case studies on selected farms reveal management strategies that may be more sustainable in terms of tree regeneration and agricultural productivity, such as rotational grazing. In addition to these applied insights, our work provides a case study illustrating how a transdisciplinary study can be conducted efficiently by a small team. Our pragmatic approach has successfully combined targeted disciplinary activities with strategic collaborations and stakeholder engagement, all united by shared landscape, case graziers, and outreach activities.

Australian Graziers Value Sparse Trees in Their Pastures: A Viewshed Analysis of Photo-Elicitation

The temperate grazing region of southeastern Australia is experiencing a rapid decline in tree cover that threatens key ecosystem functions. Graziers are stewards of most of the trees remaining outside reserves, and hold the power to reverse the decline. Influencing graziers’ decision making about vegetation management requires an understanding of their landscape values. We asked 25 graziers to photograph features they considered significant on their farms. Their choices were analyzed using viewsheds, the spatial delineations of all areas visible in a photograph. Photos taken by landholders depicted woody vegetation more often than would be expected by chance, particularly the isolated and scattered trees that are declining most rapidly. Grazier awareness and appreciation of isolated and scattered trees should be harnessed by policymakers keen to reverse their decline. More generally, our work demonstrates the utility of simultaneously employing photo-elicitation and quantitative viewshed analysis.

Higher Environmental Education: Core Disciplines and the Transition to Sustainability

Environmental practitioners hiring staff or seeking study opportunities may be curious about how meaningfully Australian environmental and sustainability programs are named. Here, an internet-based audit of the core curricula of relevant Australian offerings, an expert questionnaire, and a novel application of quantitative clustering contribute some understanding. Various types of environmental education are suggested by clustering core curricula, but those types are not consistently indicated by course names, especially in undergraduate-level studies. Although very few programs use the term sustainable or sustainability in their name (especially at the undergraduate level), many do explicitly aim to educate for sustainability according to web marketing. Such programs are closer to approximating an expert-derived ideal core curriculum than the rest, although in aggregate they still lack relevant policy and philosophy content.

Escaping the disciplinary straitjacket Curriculum design as university adaptation to sustainability

Purpose – Curriculum design is often a challenge. It is particularly so when the subject is sustainability, which is an aspirational but contested concept, draws on a range of disciplinary insights and is relatively new to university curricula. There is no single “right way”, or even agreement across the disciplines that inform the collective enterprise about general approaches to sustainability curricula. The likely content is ill‐defined and spans departmental units and budget areas in most traditional universities. Like other societal and institutional attempts at realising sustainability, curriculum design for sustainability is beset by difficulty, yet an essential intellectual activity. This paper aims to focus on these issues.Design/methodology/approach – The paper compares actual curriculum development processes for “sustainability” in two very different Australian universities, as studied using participant observation and qualitative interviews.Findings – The paper draws out some of the common cha...

Reversing scattered tree decline on farms: implications of landholder perceptions and practice in the Lachlan catchment, New South Wales

Abstract Scattered trees are declining rapidly on Australian farms, a process that threatens landscape sustainability. Addressing this decline requires, in part, understanding how landholders perceive and manage scattered trees. We explored this via a quantitative survey of landholders in the Lachlan catchment of New South Wales. Although landholders are typically aware that scattered trees are declining more rapidly than other trees on the land they manage, they are less likely to actively encourage their regeneration compared to other trees. Landholders believe scattered trees have many private and public benefits, although they often believe their public benefits are lower than those provided by long strips or large patches of trees. Landholders who undertake mixed grazing and cropping are less likely than those who focus solely on grazing to actively encourage regeneration of scattered trees, and more likely to view them as impacting negatively on their agricultural enterprise. Reversing scattered tree decline requires programs to both increase landholder awareness of their public benefits and to address the specific land management constraints faced by different types of landholders when considering protecting and regenerating scattered trees.