Environmental Change Research Group

Tristan, Kristin and Miguel are back in Australia after two months in the Arctic. Read the blogpost below to gain a little more insight into this latest research trip to Ulukhaktok.

Sewing, Hunting and School in the Arctic | Environmental Change Research Group After traveling from all over the world, Tristan, Miguel and Kristin landed in the community of Ulukhaktok, NT, where they were met by a blizzard and a warm we

Ublaami (good morning)!

It's been 2 weeks now since Tristan, Kristin and Miguel arrived in the community of Ulukhaktok in the Canadian Arctic. It took a few days to settle in and get used to the weather, but things have picked up again and are coming along well.

Kristin has been learning to sew at biweekly sewing classes with the incredibly talented women of Ulukhaktok and is also learning about the modern role o traditional sewing in the community through conversations with sewers at all levels. The days are spent sewing and visiting, while in the evenings gathered data is transcribed and sorted.

Meanwhile, Tristan and Miguel have been teaching a Journalism class for the High School students and have started to put together a report showcasing the amazing work done at the school with regards to cultural education. This has included Elders visiting the school to share stories and knowledge, and class trips to 'hikulaktuq', that is, gathering ice for drinking water at a nearby lake and delivering it at people's homes. Miguel has also been working with the students to make a video about a day in the life of High School kids in Ulukhaktok.

In the meantime, the three attend Inuinnaqtun classes and other events, like the 'return of the sun' festival on Friday, welcoming the sun back after two months of darkness. In the North, every day is different and holds new surprises. Tristan, Kristin and Miguel have four more weeks to go and many more experiences to learn from.

Uvattiagulu!

A massive thanks to the senior students and staff of Aldridge State High School, Mountain Creek State High School, Chancellor State College and Siena Catholic College who came along to USC's Geography Day today. Miguel Van Der Velden Vizcaya and Renee Currenti had lots of fun sharing our experiences and encouraging the students to get involved in everything Geography-related. We talked about the impacts us humans are having on the environment and discussed ways that we can lessen our burden on the earth. Even though we could see logic to Thanos' desire to wipe out half the world's population to be able to live within the Earth's carrying capacity, we agreed there are better ways to manage things. We can lessen our burden on the earth by making some changes to our lives and lifestyles. We shared the work of Oisca Fiji and the Naidiri Youth Group and their efforts to conserve and rehabilitate their reef ecosystem through coral planting. Would you survive Thanos and his planned mass extinction event? Find out at http://www.didthanoskill.me Good luck!

To find more information about Geography at USC, click here: https://www.usc.edu.au/learn/courses-and-programs/majors-and-minors/faculty-of-arts-business-and-law-majors-minors-and-specialisations/geography

This week Kerrie and Renee were lucky to spend the morning with Oisca Fiji and students and staff of Nokonoko District School and Nadroumai Primary School in a mangrove planting and awareness session. Activities occurred on the Korotoga foreshore where Oisca Fiji and local communities established the Korotogo Mangrove project in 1993.

Boy, were we blown away by the passion and knowledge of the Oisca staff and the school students alike!! Together, we planted 1000 mangrove seedlings and removed plenty of rubbish from the surrounding area. It was an honour for us to see and hear how communities and organisations are working together to preserve and protect the mangrove ecosystem to help ensure marine biodiversity and food security for future generations.

It’s amazing what can happen when us humans interfere with the food chain 🌊🐟🐙

Swarms of Octopus Are Taking Over the Oceans

Wow! We are so incredibly privileged to be spending time in beautiful places with beautiful people. Again, I am blown away and inspired by the Naidiri Youth Group and their coral planting efforts to restore and rehabilitate the coral reef at their doorstep. These guys are forging their way forward despite constant setbacks - warming oceans, stronger cyclones, illegal foreign fisherman, a history of coral mining and exporting, a lack of financial resources... the list goes on! Hats of to these guys and their partners at OISCA Fiji. Thanks for making the world a better place! 🌴🐠☀️🦀🐙 A more detailed update is on its way. In the meantime, check out http://www.oisca-international.org/programs/environmental-conservation-program/fiji/coral-reef-restoration-project-in-fiji/

We have been busy in Fiji. Renee, Tristan and Kerrie spent the first week of the trip in Nawairuku Village sharing research findings and discussing ways forward with the community. We were honoured to travel to other people and communities who are working hard to increase their resilience in a changing climate. For example:
https://web.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10212635206019540&set=a.1827011639508&type=3&theater

We are now spending time on the Coral Coast with villages who depend on the Sigatoka River and surrounding reef systems for their lives and livelihoods. We are excited to learn more about the changes they are seeing and the actions they are taking to secure food and income. We already know many people are doing great things and we will share some stories of them soon. Vinaka!

Have you ever wondered what happens at the end of the research degree? At ECRG we aim to leave a meaningful legacy and provide benefit to the communities that we work with. We are privileged to spend time and get to know incredible people in amazing places. We want to give something back to the community. We want our work to count!

The keystone output of a research degree is a thesis document which is submitted to the university. The thesis document is a long document bag raises a research question, outlines the methods used to answer the question, and presents and discusses the finding. Most university expect a masters student to publish their work in the form of a journal article to be published in a peer-reviewed academic journal. Simply, universities want us to contribute to the growing body of knowledge relevant to the topic of wretch. While this is important, we think it is equally important to share the knowledge back with the community and other governmental and non-governmental organisations working in the area. For this reason, we endeavour to produce research summary report in plain English and in the local language.

Sometimes these reports can be a one-page document, brochure, or audio-visual material. Other times they are in the form of a 40-page book. Did you know you can access these on our website. Have a look through our ‘research’ areas and find out about what we have been working on lately.

Renee, Tristan and Kerrie are currently in Fiji working on a couple of projects. We will be returning to Nawairuku village to share the findings of the research from last year, Adaptation to Climate Change. See the research summary book at: https://issuu.com/ecrg/docs/nawairuku_climate_change_adaptation

We will also be working with Nadroga Navona Provincial Council on a project working with villages along the Sigatoka River.

Stay posted for more updates to come!

Adaptation to climate change in Nawairuku Village, Ra Province, Fiji This research summary report was developed to share with the community members in Nawairuku village​, and with local governmental and non-governmental organisations interested in community-based adaptation work in Fiji and the Pacific Islands region.

Not all superheroes wear capes. Well done to this young man for having the innovation and initiative to save this little joey's life.

It’s not every day you get to hang out with an Aruban hitching a ride with a kangaroo! Miguel and Renee recently worked with USC at the Market Day to promote the use of a ridesharing app for USC staff and students, Liftango. The app is freely available on GooglePlay and the App store.

The goal of the app is to match drivers with riders to ultimately reduce CO2 emissions, reduce traffic and parking congesting on the Sunshine Coast campus, and help staff and students to get to know each other through sharing lifts to campus.

To read more, head to this link: https://www.usc.edu.au/explore/usc-locations/transport-and-parking/liftango-rideshare

Hitching a ride to USC with our kangaroo pals | Environmental Change Research Group It’s not every day you get to hang out with an Aruban hitching a ride with a kangaroo! Miguel and Renee recently worked with USC at the Market Day to promote th...

"We are beginning to think that the decision makers don't give a damn what happens to wildlife when they are forced to move into inappropriate environments. The urban sprawl is destroying the beauty of the Sunshine Coast and the wildlife with it. These things matter."

This is very close to home for us at University of the Sunshine Coast. It is heartbreaking to keep seeing these stories pop up, especially within our own backyard.

Thank you to Wildlife Rescue Sunshine Coast for the brilliant work you do, helping our furry friends the best you can.

Read the full story about Alan-Joey on their link and like their page to follow their work and hear about their successful rescues.

Alan-Joey, we are sorry our species' greed and ignorance cost you and your mum's life.

RIP Alan-Joey. 5/6/18

The eastern grey roo joey we rescued on Saturday, after his mum was killed on Dixon Rd Buderim, has sadly died due to complications and deterioration.

Alan-Joey stole the hearts of all the staff at Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital. He had complex injuries but seemed to be doing well. Sadly on Tuesday, his condition deteriorated and he was quietly put to sleep.

Another life lost.

We are really beginning to think that the decision makers don’t give a damn what happens to wildlife when they are forced to move into inappropriate environments.

I have a message for the State Minister for the Environment Leanne Enoch and the Minister for Planning & Infrastructure, Cameron Dick. Take your hands off our green spaces! Your ‘Urban Footprint’ plan for the Coast is destroying everything that is beautiful about it.

Mayor Mark Jamieson - I have a message for you too. Listen to the people you represent and stand up for the Sunshine Coast! We DON’T want to become another Gold Coast. We don’t want a population of 500,000 here.
The urban sprawl is destroying the beauty of the Coast and the wildlife with it.
These things matter.
Twin Waters West is another example of greedy land grabbing and there’s huge opposition to it.

Alan-Joey will be the face of our “Campaign to Save the Coast Wildlife” so that his, and all the other hundreds of victims deaths don’t go in vain.

ARE YOU WITH US?