We are embarking on an exciting project on marine ecosystem services. The project is a collaboration between Deakin University’s Daniel Ierodiaconou, Peter Macreadie and Emily Nicholson, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and state agencies (DELWP and Parks Victoria). The project forms part of TNC’s Mapping Ocean Wealth program. Happily we also were successful in gaining an ARC Linkage grant to further develop work on blue carbon, with the addition of Prof Cath Lovelock (UQ) – Optimal management of coastal ecosystems for blue carbon sequestration.

As a result we have at least one postdoc position available, one currently being advertised. The Research Fellow will initiate and conduct research in the area of marine and coastal ecosystem services. We are particularly interested in applications with people with a background in environmental or natural resource economics, experience in quantifying and modelling ecosystem services, and/or ecosystem or fisheries modelling.

The aim of this project is to develop local valuations of coastal ecosystem services for marine habitats in southern Australia, and communicate these to stakeholders using spatial maps and other media. Quantifying the benefits people gain from natural systems will allow the potential impacts of alternative management scenarios to be evaluated, and assessments of the trade-offs between development and different ecosystem services. The project will: (1) develop a series of model-based spatial maps that quantify ecosystem services provided by temperate marine habitats such as saltmarsh, mangroves and seagrass; and (2) value these ecosystem services in terms of social and economic benefits to people using locally relevant valuation methodologies for coastal protection, fisheries, tourism and/or recreation. The project will focus on marine habitats in central Victoria and northern New South Wales. The project’s rationale and methodologies are underpinned by the Global Mapping Ocean Wealth project developed by The Nature Conservancy (see http://oceanwealth.org/). This Project is the Australian component of the Global Mapping Ocean Wealth project.

Applications close on July 10th – selection criteria and application process here. Please spread the word.