About Us

The Centre for Marine Socioecology is a collaboration between the University of Tasmania and the CSIRO, with support from the Australian Antarctic Division. Based in Hobart at the University of Tasmania, CMS was established, ultimately, to address the current and future use of our marine coasts and oceans using a coordinated interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach.

Our vision

A WORLD-LEADING CENTRE TO SUPPORT INFORMED AND SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF MULTIPLE-USES IN MARINE AND COASTAL SYSTEMS

Marine Socioecology

Marine socioecology is a challenging new area of research that combines multidisciplinary, inter-disciplinary and trans-disciplinary components to support integrated systems perspectives. The approach recognises that humans are part of marine systems, and that considering social and ecological components separately cannot deliver the knowledge and insights needed to effectively support healthy sustainable marine systems, and the human communities that depend on them.

Who we are

CMS brings together an extraordinary diversity of disciplinary expertise in oceanography, physics, ecology, economics, policy, law, governance, arts, media, psychology, human health, sociology and philosophy from the UTAS’s Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, the College of Arts, Law and Education, the Discipline of Geography and Spatial Sciences, the College of Health and Medicine, the Tasmanian School of Business and Economics, the School of Technology, Environments and Design, the CSIRO, the AAD, and from selected partners around the world.

It also extends beyond the academic arena, actively involving stakeholders from different sectors.

CMS embraces the extensive knowledge of the traditional owners of Australia, working collaboratively with Indigenous scientists, Elders and knowledge holders to collectively enhance our understanding of our oceans and coasts. We acknowledge that the lands, seas and waterways we live and work on were never ceded.

Our mission

TO PROVIDE EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH AND RESEARCH TRAINING THAT UNDERPINS THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF THE MARINE DOMAIN FOR ALL USERS AND BUILDS THE NECESSARY CAPACITY TO PROVIDE SKILLS AND SOLUTIONS FOR INDUSTRY, GOVERNMENT AND THE COMMUNITY

Our objectives are

  1. To bring together researchers in a multi- and trans-disciplinary collaboration in a formal and enduring partnership, ensuring coherence, focus and profile.
  2. To advance our understanding and management of marine socio-ecological systems through the development of methods, tools and decision support systems.
  3. To create a world-leading centre.
  4. To provide excellence in interdisciplinary research training for postgraduate students

What we do

The demands of a growing human population have necessarily triggered rapid and ongoing ‘blue’ growth. However, marine ecosystems cannot support ongoing growth without transformational change in their use and governance, as well as innovative solutions towards improved understanding, monitoring and protection.

To meet the challenge of sustainable oceans, a coordinated, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach is needed.

The Centre for Marine Socioecology was created out of a common desire to provide the knowledge needed to support the current and future use of our marine coasts and oceans. We bridge research excellence in physical, natural, social sciences and humanities to inform future sustainable development of individual sectors such as food production, energy generation, transport, recreational and cultural values.

Our work is actively working towards solutions across five key themes:

Challenges

Research approach

Challenges & Research approach

Across these connected themes our research delivers:

  • Understanding of socio-ecological systems and the interactions that characterise them
  • Research integration, synthesising understanding of socio-ecological challenges and how to effectively meld perspectives from multiple disciplines, working with a range of stakeholders to co-produce knowledge
  • Technical expertise and tools around qualitative and quantitative approaches to inform management of multiple uses in our coastal and marine domains
University of TasmaniaInstitute of Marine and Antarctic StudiesCSIRO Department of the EnvironmentGEOS
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