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USC academic awarded for parks research
An article co-authored by a University of the Sunshine Coast academic has won the Eric Anderson Prize for best article published in the Australasian Journal of Environmental Management in 2008-09.
USC Head of Environmental Science Associate Professor Bill Carter, along with the University of Queensland’s Dr Chris Jacobson and Associate Professor Marc Hockings, reviewed the management evaluation approaches of state and federal agencies responsible for parks.
Their winning article was “The status of protected area management evaluation in Australia and implications for its future”.
Dr Carter said he was delighted that the article had been recognised with the award, which honoured the journal’s founding editor Eric Anderson.
“If parks are to be managed effectively, successes and failures must be evaluated and reported, and management then adjusted,” he said.
An independent panel of four judges commended the study for its innovative approach and rigorous research design.
“The article’s authors found considerable variation in effort towards (park management) evaluations,” said the judging panel.
“Agencies largely adopt best practice principles in making assessments, but do not comprehensively assess all parts of the management cycle.”
The shortlisted finalists included articles on sustainable water use in Western Australian and Victorian Aboriginal land projects.
Dr Carter is one of two current editors of the journal.
— Julie Gatehouse