Dr Anna Straton is researching the economic values of tropical river ecosystem services.

Dr Anna Straton: assessing economic and other values of tropical river systems

Dr Anna Straton is exploring the definition and measurement of ‘value’ and how it impacts on environmental decision making.

• 1 August 2007 | Updated 14 October 2011

Overview

• Current activities
• Background
• Academic qualifications
• Achievements

Current activities

Dr Anna Straton is a research scientist with CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems. Her activities fall into three main project areas:

1. assessing the economic and other values of tropical river systems
2. evaluating the impacts of water use scenarios for a river catchment in the Northern Territory
3. analysing institutions that impact on the potential for Indigenous people to benefit from carbon trading.

1. Assessing the economic and other values of tropical river systems

This project will assess the values of tropical river systems to enable their inclusion in decisions about potential development pathways. It involves three tropical river systems:

• the Mitchell in Queensland
• the Daly in the Northern Territory 
• the Fitzroy in Western Australia.

The project team is working with local community groups, industry and governments to identify the values of tropical river systems, estimate some economic values and analyse how values have changed through time.

This work is part of CSIRO’s focus on incorporating the full set of benefits of natural resources that people value into plans for their management.

2. Evaluating the impacts of water use scenarios for a river catchment in the Northern Territory

This project will work with community groups, industry and governments to develop and evaluate water use scenarios for the Howard River catchment.

The research will use the deliberative multicriteria evaluation method to evaluate the scenarios and to explore how participants’ values, beliefs and preferences may change through a deliberative process.

3. Property rights and greenhouse gas abatement on Aboriginal land

This project is exploring the formal and informal institutions governing how Indigenous people can benefit from greenhouse gas abatement on their land.

As formalised emissions trading within Australia becomes more of a reality, providing clarity on property rights and other aspects of ownership will be important in paving the way for Indigenous benefit from this opportunity.

Background

Dr Straton joined CSIRO as a Postdoctoral Fellow in October 2004 and continued on as a Research Scientist from October 2006.

Dr Straton’s background experience is in the theory and application of methods of economic valuation to environmental goods and services. Her Doctorate explored the development of an alternative theory of value and methods of valuation that are based on evolutionary economics and complex systems theory.

Dr Straton’s interests are in the use of complex systems analysis (for example, through network and resilience theories and modelling) and institutional analysis to assess the sustainability and innovation potential of regions and cities, and to design policies and institutions to bring about desired outcomes.

Academic qualifications

Dr Straton has been awarded a:

• Bachelor of Economics with First Class Honours
• Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Queensland’s School of Economics working with Professor John Foster, Dr Richard Brown and Dr Jason Potts.

Achievements

Dr Straton was:

• named The University of Queensland Young Alumnus of the Year in 2007
• accepted into Course 15 of the Australian Rural Leadership Program in 2008.

Read about Decision support for natural resource policy and investment appraisal.