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Managing the Koala Problem: Interdisciplinary Perspectives
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Managing the Koala Problem: Interdisciplinary Perspectives

Elaine Stratford, Nicole Mazur, Daniel Lunney and David Bennett
Conservation biology, Vol.14(3), pp.610-618
2000
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Published (Version of Record)

Abstract

There is a complex scientific, ethical, and cultural debate in Australia about how best to conserve koalas and their habitat. Despite the diverse array of management and research options promoted by scientists, wildlife agency staff, and koala advocates, there remains a gap in our acknowledgment of the social factors influencing decision making about koala conservation. Koala management research has generated valuable scientific knowledge about koala biology and ecology but has been weak about organizational and policy processes and about the cultures within which we produce, disseminate, and legitimize this kind of knowledge. We suggest that more effective koala conservation will result from making the political and cultural influences on decision making regarding the koala more explicit in research, management, and policy-making forums. Research must be conducted in the context of the cultural significance of the koala. The koala's survival depends on preserving the valuable lands that these creatures (and many others) inhabit. Ultimately, the koala symbolizes conflicting land-use values and illustrates the need for greater collaboration, cooperation, and trust among social and natural scientists in the conduct of koala conservation research, management, and policy.

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#6 Clean Water and Sanitation
#11 Sustainable Cities and Communities
#13 Climate Action
#14 Life Below Water
#15 Life on Land

Source: InCites

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InCites Highlights

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Citation topics
6 Social Sciences
6.153 Climate Change
6.153.850 Water Governance
Web Of Science research areas
Biodiversity Conservation
Ecology
Environmental Sciences
ESI research areas
Environment/Ecology
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