Blue Futures

This is the research question that underpins the Blue Futures keystone project, which gained funding through the UOW Global Challenges program in late 2019. This two-year research program specifically focuses on Blue Economy opportunities on the NSW South Coast. It builds on the previous Global Challenge research project Launching a Blue Economy. After the horrific summer of 2019/20, the Blue Futures program will also be exploring how coastal and marine industries can contribute to the recovery of South Coast communities devastated by fire.

The program consists of three intersecting and interrelated research streams, as well as two cross cutting strategies.

The anticipating and imagining stream traces the different kinds of relationships (social, cultural, artistic, and scientific) that exist within coastal and ocean environments. We aim to see if these existing relationships contain evidence for how people feel about a blue future, and devise ways for communities to engage actively with impending coastal environmental changes.

The governing and guiding stream explores practical and tangible ways in which academia, Government and industry can work together to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. We will trial different approaches to integrated ocean and coastal management in a way that foregrounds community wellbeing and addresses or responds to coastal change, whilst also creating and supporting economic opportunity.

The developing and enabling stream explores how innovation and technology can create new economic opportunity from the oceans and address the threats to ocean health. We will also focus on strengthening linkages across local maritime industries and the UOW.

Indigenous Blue Futures is a cross-cutting strategy. We will trial a community-based model of sustainable development which places Indigenous knowledge and aspirations at the heart of planning processes. The Illawarra Local Aboriginal Land Council (ILALC) will take a lead role in project design and overall project guidance of this strategy, which will also feed into all other aspects of the project.   

Finally the capacity development cross-cutting strategy will cultivate a Blue Futures capacity development and training program, including professional short courses and masters subjects.

• Demonstrating a sustainable path forward this World Earth Day, 20 April 2020
• Celebrating women researchers: Dr Michelle Voyer, 8 March 2020
• Bold Policies and regulations for the development of 'Blue Economies', 23 October 2019 
• Researchers win funding to think global, act local, 26 September 2019

Newsletters

• April 2020

Leadership team

The project is managed through a shared leadership structure consisting of Michelle Voyer (BAL), Robin Warner (BAL), Paul Knight (ILALC External), Joshua Lobb (ASSH), Hugh Forehead (EIS) and Chris Brennan-Horley (ASSH).

Core research team

• Faculty of Business and Law: Tillmann Boehme, Belinda Gibbons, Mary Kaidonis, Greg Kerr, Stephanie Perkiss, Anna Farmery, Richard Kenchington, Aurélie Delisle, Astrid Vachette
• Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences: Johan Barthelemy, Faisal Hai, Pascal Perez, Shiva Pedram
• Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health: Helen McGregor, Kerrylee Rogers, Colin Woodroofe
• Faculty of the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities: Michael Adams, Freya Croft, Joanna Stirling, Agnieszka Golda 
• Teaching and Learning Curriculum: Jade Kennedy
• Strategic Marketing & Communication: Paul Jones
  
  

Research assistants

Vincent Bicego, Chris Kuster, Kirti Lal, Anna Lewis, Catherine Moyle, Jennifer Saunders, Candice Visser

External partners

• Illawarra Local Aboriginal Land Council
• Shanaka Herath, University of Technology Sydney
• Ben Milligan, University of NSW
• NSW Department of Primary Industries
• Illawarra Shoalhaven Joint Organisation 

This project is working towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals: