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About CSIRO

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation is Australia's national science agency and one of the largest and most diverse research agencies in the world.

CSIRO's core areas of impact

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People standing a field by a 4wd and tree.
Members of the Social and Economic Sciences research program doing field work.

Social and Economic Sciences

Over 80 scientists are currently engaged in CSIRO’s Social and Economic Sciences Research Program, making it one of the largest social science research programs in the world focused on natural resource management and sustainability challenges.

Overview

CSIRO's Social and Economic Sciences research program aims to deliver social, behavioural, economic and institutional research that informs natural resource management policy and the design of sustainable solutions to environmental problems.

Our scientists work with governments, communities, industries, land managers and Indigenous Australians to assist in understanding complex issues and decision-making about natural resource management.

External partners

Major external partners include:

  • Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID)
  • Australian Dept of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA)
  • Reef and Rainforest Research Centre (RRRC)
  • Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre (DK CRC)
  • Marine and Tropical Sciences Research Facility (MTSRF).

Our partnerships are further supported by a program of visiting scientists to share experiences and thinking from around the world.

Research achievements

The Social and Economic Sciences Program has provided some notable inputs into sustainability research, covering resource economics, modelling and scenario analysis, and regional futures planning. 

Some examples available on line including:

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

 
 

Commercial Information

Project Title: Social and Economic Sciences Research Program

Areas Involved: CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems

Skills and Expertise:

  • economics
  • psychology
  • sociology
  • human geography and planning
  • decision science
  • spatial modelling

We direct these skills in the following areas:

  • natural resource management
  • agricultural sustainability
  • climate change and adaptation
  • water management
  • international development
  • mining and regional development
  • coastal and marine management

Key Contacts:

  • Dr Marcus Lane (Research Program leader)
  • Dr Stuart Whitten
  • Dr Neville Crossman
  • Dr Heinz Schandl
  • Dr Wendy Proctor
  • Dr Oswald Marinoni
  • Dr Iain Walker
  • Dr Kelly Fielding
  • Dr John Ward
  • Dr Lisa Brennan
  • Dr Ro Hill

Contact Information

Science Contact
Dr Marcus Lane
Research Program Leader - Social and Economic Sciences
Sustainable Ecosystems
Phone: 61 7 3214 2290 
Fax: 61 7 3214 2308 
General Contact
Dr Lisa Brennan
Executive Officer
Sustainable Ecosystems
Phone: 61 7 3214 2375 
Fax: 61 7 3214 2288