JCU > Research Portfolio > Dr Diane Jarvis

About

Profile

I am an environmental economist with an emerging record of research accomplishments in the study of social and economic aspects of environmental/natural resource management. In my research I apply economic analysis skills to improve knowledge and inform policy, focusing primarily on investigating and evaluating trade-offs and co-benefits arising from natural resource use/environmental conservation and economic development within northern Australia, involving cross-cultural, multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional collaborations.

My research interests lie in improving our understanding of the economic and social values that are derived from the environment, then using this understanding to inform policy relating to environmental conservation and natural resource management. I seek to provide a quantitative, integrative approach to understanding the complex problems related to the development of northern Australia, identifying pathways towards the development of solutions to these problems. This involves taking an innovative and solution-focused approach to a range of issues relevant to the development of tropical landscapes in northern Australia and more broadly.

My work reflects the complex and reciprocal nature of the people-environment relationship, including exploring benefits the natural environment (terrestrial and marine) provides to human wellbeing (ecosystem services), and the (positive and negative) impacts that human activity has on the natural environment, in both Indigenous and non-Indigenous contexts.

Ongoing Research Projects

I am currently working with colleagues at JCU, at CSIRO and with other external partners on research focused around environmental and natural resource economics within Northern Australia. Current significant projects include:

National Environmental Science Programme (NESP) - Northern Australia Environmental Resources Hub: Synthesis Project: Culteral Connections. This project investigates how to best acknowledge Indigenous cultural connections within an ecosystem services accounting framework.https://www.nespnorthern.edu.au/projects/nesp/cultural-connections/
National Environmental Science Programme (NESP) - Northern Australia Environmental Resources Hub: Project 5.3 Multiple benefits and knowledge systems of Indigenous Land Management Programs (ILMPs) - Economic perspective. More information can be found at http://www.nespnorthern.edu.au/projects/nesp/multiple-benefits-knowledge-systems-ilmps/
CRC for Developing Northern Australia funded project: Building traditional owner led bush products enterprises within Northern Australia. Further information can be found at the following links: https://www.csiro.au/en/Research/LWF/Areas/Pathways/Indigenous-futures/Indigenous-NRM/Indigenous-bush-products and at http://www.crcna.com.au/research/current-projects/building-the-traditional-owner-led-bush-products-sector/

Recently Completed Projects

Previous significant research project on which I have participated include:

National Environmental Science Programme (NESP) - Tropical Water Quality Hub: Project 5.1 Matching the Crown-of-Thorns Starfish Integrated Pest Management to the scale of the new Control Program. More information can be found at: https://nesptropical.edu.au/index.php/round-5-projects/project-5-1/
Northern Australia Water Resource Assessment - major CSIRO report for the Australian Government. The project aims to identify the potential to increase water-related development opportunities in northern Australia. Diane is involved in assessing potential social and economic impacts and risks of water resource and irrigation development. More information can be found at: http://www.csiro.au/en/Research/Major-initiatives/Northern-Australia/Current-work/NAWRA
Department of the Environment and Energy - Contract Research - Scoping of Options for the Mid-Term Review of the Reef 2050 Plan - 2017
NERP Tropical Ecosystems Hub Project 10.2 Socio-economic system and reef resilience 2011 - 2014
NERP Tropical Ecosystems Hub Project 12.3 Relative social and economic values of residents and tourists in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area 2011 – 2014
NERP Northern Australia Hub Project Improving the efficiency of biodiversity investment 2011 - 2014. More information can be found at: https://www.nespnorthern.edu.au/projects/nerp/improving-the-efficiency-of-biodiversity-investment/

Teaching

BU1003: Principles of Economics (Level 1; CNS)
BU1903: Principles of Economics (Level 1; CNS)
BX3024: Economics of Social Policy (Level 3; TSV)
EC5207: Economics of Social Policy (Level 5; TSV)
EV2003: Introduction to Environmental Economics (Level 2; CNS & TSV)
EV5003: Environmental Economics (Level 5; CNS & TSV)
TO5202: Economic Decision-Making in the Hospitality Industry (Level 5; CNS)

Interests

Research

Environmental and natural resource economics, particularly with regard to valuing economic and social benefits derived from the environment, and how the use and management of natural resources can contribute to sustainable development, with a focus on Northern Australia.

Teaching

Sharing my belief that utilising appropriate economic analysis and tools can bring economic, social and environmental benefits; sharing knowledge of which tools are appropriate in which circumstances and the risks that arise from inappropriate analysis.

Experience

2019 to present - Senior Lecturer, James Cook University (Cairns)
2016 to 2019 - Research Fellow, James Cook University/CSIRO (Townsville)
2011 to 2016 - Research Assistant, James Cook University (Cairns)

Research Disciplines

Honours

Awards

2021 - Member of the CSIRO led team whose work on the Northern Australia Water Resource Assessment won the R&D Excellence Award at the Australian Water Awards
2020 - College Business Law & Governance Research Recognition Awards prize winner: category 1 - quality publication
2019 - College Business Law & Governance Research Recognition Awards prize winner: category 1 - quality publication and category 4 - research funding award
2018 - Winner Early Career Researcher category, 3MT competition, for presentation on economic co-benefits arising from Indigenous Land and Sea Management Programs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8lyitKKgfE

Fellowships

2019 - Research member of TESS: Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science https://www.jcu.edu.au/tess/people/members
2019 - Research Fellow with the Cairns Institute
2019 - Research affiliate with TropWATER https://www.tropwater.com/person/diane-jarvis/

Other

2020 - Peer Review Assessor for Australian Research Council (ARC)

Publications

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU. Hover over Altmetrics badges to see social impact.

Journal Articles

Canning A, Jarvis D, Costanza R, Hasan S, Smart J, Finisdore J, Lovelock C, Greenhalgh S, Marr H, Beck M, Gillies C and Waltham N (2021) Financial incentives for large-scale wetland restoration: beyond markets to common asset trusts. One Earth, 4 (7), pp. 937-950, DOI:10.1016/j.oneear.2021.06.006.
Costanza R, Anderson S, Sutton P, Mulder K, Mulder O, Kubiszewski I, Wang X, Liu X, Pérez-Maqueo O, Martinez M, Jarvis D and Dee G (2021) The global value of coastal wetlands for storm protection. Global Environmental Change, 70, Article: 102328, DOI:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2021.102328.
Eberhard R, Coggan A, Jarvis D, Hamman E, Taylor B, Baresi U, Vella K, Dean A, Deane F, Helmstedt K and Mayfield H (2021) Understanding the effectiveness of policy instruments to encourage adoption of farming practices to improve water quality for the Great Barrier Reef. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 172, Article: 112793, DOI:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112793.
Jarvis D, Maclean K and Woodward E (in press) The Australian Indigenous-led bush products sector: insights from the literature and recommendations for the future. Ambio, , DOI:10.1007/s13280-021-01542-w.
Jarvis D, Stoeckl N, Larson S, Grainger D, Addison J and Larson A (2021) The learning generated through Indigenous natural resources management programs increases quality of life for Indigenous people – improving numerous contributors to wellbeing. Ecological Economics, 180, Article: 106899, DOI:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2020.106899.
Kubiszewski I, Mulder K, Jarvis D and Costanza R (in press) Toward better measurement of sustainable development and wellbeing: a small number of SDG indicators reliably predict life satisfaction. Sustainable Development, , DOI:10.1002/sd.2234.
Maclean K, Woodward E, Jarvis D, Turpin G, Rowland D and Rist P (in press) Decolonising knowledge co?production: examining the role of positionality and partnerships to support Indigenous?led bush product enterprises in northern Australia. Sustainability Science, , DOI:10.1007/s11625-021-00973-4.
Stoeckl N, Jarvis D, Larson S, Larson A, Grainger D and Ewamian Aboriginal Corporation (2021) Australian Indigenous insights into ecosystem services: beyond services towards connectedness – people, place and time. Ecosystem Services, 50, Article: 101341, DOI:10.1016/j.ecoser.2021.101341.
Kubiszewski I, Zakariyya N, Costanza R and Jarvis D (2020) Resilience of self-reported life satisfaction: a case study of who conforms to set-point theory in Australia. PLoS ONE, 15 (8), Article: e0237161, DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0237161.
Larson S, Stoeckl N, Jarvis D, Addison J, Grainger D, Watkin Lui F, Walalakoo Aboriginal Corporation , Bunuba Dawangarri Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC , Ewamian Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC and Yanunijarra Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC (2020) Indigenous land and sea management programs (ILSMPs) enhance the wellbeing of Indigenous Australians. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17 (1), Article: 125, DOI:10.3390/ijerph17010125.
Pert P, Hill R, Robinson C, Jarvis D and Davies J (2020) Is investment in Indigenous land and sea management going to the right places to provide multiple co-benefits? Australasian Journal of Environmental Management, 27 (3), pp. 249-274, DOI:10.1080/14486563.2020.1786861.
Addison J, Stoeckl N, Larson S, Jarvis D, Bidan Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC , Bunuba Dawangarri Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC , Ewamian Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC , Gooniyandi Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC , Yanunijarra Ngurrara Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC and Esparon M (2019) The ability of community based natural resource management to contribute to development as freedom and the role of access. World Development, 120, pp. 91-104, DOI:10.1016/j.worlddev.2019.04.004.

More: ResearchOnline@JCU stores 44+ research outputs authored by Dr Diane Jarvis from 2013 onwards.

Current Funding

Current and recent Research Funding to JCU is shown by funding source and project.

Department of the Environment and Energy - National Environmental Science Programme (NESP) - Northern Australia Environmental Resources Hub

Synthesis Project - Kakadu Cultural Connections

Indicative Funding: $90,000 over 2 years
Summary: The national land account project, within the Department of Environment and Energy is developing an Experimental Ecosystem Accounting (EEA) system, strongly guided by the UN System of Environmental Economic Accounts (SEEA). This project will explore options and make recommendations for acknowledging and possibly including Indigenous cultural connections within that ecosystem accounting framework. It may be possible to generate some monetary estimates of value, but the explorations may instead conclude that Indigenous cultural connections should be considered alongside, rather than as a subset, of other ecosystem services (much as the government compiles tourism satellite accounts that are published alongside the national accounts).
Investigators: Diane Jarvis, Natalie Stoeckl, Daniel Grainger and Michael Douglas (College of Business, Law & Governance, Division of Tropical Environments & Societies, Indigenous Education & Research Centre and The University of Western Australia)
Keywords: Indigenous cultural connections-country; system of environmental economic a/c; ecosystem services accounting; non-mnarket valuations; Cultural Ecosystem Services; indigenous cultural values

Department of the Environment and Energy - National Environmental Science Program (NESP) - Tropical Water Quality Hub (TWQ Hub)

Matching the Crown-of-Thorns Starfish integrated pest management to the scale of the new control program

Indicative Funding: $39,900 over 2 years (administered by CSIRO Land & Water)
Summary: Thorns Starfish Integrated Pest Management Program is designing an ecologically informed control program that integrates knowledge of the spatial and temporal dynamics of CoTS outbreaks and the operations of on-water control to provide i) the most efficient strategies for investing management effort at all scales of management; ii) an operational framework for the control program, and (iii) to identify and fill key research gaps. This project will support the expansion of the tools to match the expansion of the control program, finalise scenario testing to assess appropriate control objectives, and, assess the social benefits of the CoTS training program.
Investigators: David Westcott, Cameron Fletcher, Peter Mumby, Kay Critchell, Russ C Babcock, Scott Condie, Eva Plaganyi-Lloyd, Matthew Curnock and Diane Jarvis (Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organisation, The University of Queensland, College of Business and Law & Governance)
Keywords: Cdrown of Thorns Starfish; benefits of CoTs training program; Impact Evaluation; social return on investment; CoTS training program evaluation; reef 2050 Indigenous strategy

Queensland Department of Environment and Science - Contract Research

Landholders Driving Change

Indicative Funding: $85,000 over 1 year (administered by NQ Dry Tropics)
Summary: The objective of the Landholders Driving Change (LDC) Major Integrated Project (MIP) is to work closely with landholders in the Bowen Broken Bogie (BBB) catchments to tackle erosion and improve land management, productivity and reef water quality in the Burdekin region.
Investigators: Allan Dale, Rachel Eberhard, Anthea Coggan, Diane Jarvis, Anna Roberts, Geoff Park, Steve Skull, Romy Greiner and Jennifer McHugh in collaboration with Stuart Whitten (Cairns Institute, Eberhard Consulting, Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organisation, College of Business, Law & Governance, Natural Decisions, Alluvium Consulting and River Consulting)
Keywords: Erosion; Natural Resource Management; Burdekin Region; Land Management; Water Quality

Australian Research Council - Discovery Early Career Researcher Award

An Integrative Assessment of Factors Contributing to Wellbeing in Australia

Indicative Funding: $20,000 over 2 years (administered by ANU)
Summary: A collaboration with ANU, contributing to a project that is a first attempt at a comprehensive, integrative, assessment of which factors contribute most significantly to the sustainable wellbeing of the Australian population. It will employ regression analyses to explore the relationship between social, economic, and environmental indicators and subjective wellbeing. The results will allow estimates of the relative value and trade-offs of the factors in creating wellbeing. GIS maps will show the special patterns and distribution of the contributing factors at local and regional scales, providing detailed information about the assets and policy recommendations for improving sustainable wellbeing.
Investigators: Diane Jarvis (College of Business and Law & Governance)
Keywords: human well being; natural capital; Social Capital

Qld Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy - Contract Research

Stewardship Indicators to Establish a Human Dimensions Baseline for the Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan

Indicative Funding: $19,120 (administered by CSIRO)
Summary: The project contributes to the Reef 2050 WQIP objectives of supporting industries and communities to build a culture of innovation and stewardship and developing a quantitative measure of a range of human dimensions related to innovation and stewardship. Desired short term outcomes include a clear and shared understanding of what the 'human dimensions' are as applied to promoting a 'culture of innovation of stewardship' and measureable indicators that inform progress towards that objective and a conceptually robust but operationally pragmatic HD Baseline is compiled that informs future design of monitoring systems and current government program delivery decision-making.
Investigators: Diane Jarvis (College of Business and Law & Governance)
Keywords: Human Dimensions Indicators; Reef 2050 Plan; Great Barrier Reef; Water Quality Improvement Plan; Building culture Innovation stewardship; Quantitative measure of human dimensions

Department of the Environment and Energy - Contract Research

Scoping of Options for the Mid-Term Review of the Reef 2050 Plan

Indicative Funding: $38,334 (administered by CSIRO)
Summary: The Department of the Environment and Energy (DotEE) is seeking services to scope options for the upcoming, planned 2018 mid-term review of Reef 2050 Plan which is the overarching framework for protecting and managing the Reef until 2050. A consortium consisting of key leaders and experts from CSIRO, the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences (AIMS) and JCU, complemented with specialist expertise from an independent consultant, Eberhard Consulting has been established to conduct the review.
Investigators: Allan Dale, Diane Jarvis, Jane Addison and Nerida Horner (Cairns Institute, College of Business, Law & Governance and Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organisation)
Keywords: Reef 2050 Plan; Great Barrier Reef; Reef Water Qality Protection Plan; Ecosystem Values; Water Quality; Human Dimenisons of GBR

Supervision

Advisory Accreditation: I can be on your Advisory Panel as a Primary or Secondary Advisor.

These Higher Degree Research projects are either current or by students who have completed their studies within the past 5 years at JCU. Linked titles show theses available within ResearchOnline@JCU.

Current

Spatial and Longitudinal Variations in the Economic, Social and Environmental Factors of Life Satisfaction (PhD , Primary Advisor)

Completed

Generating and evaluating salinity and temperature resilient cyanobacteria for tropical outdoor cultivation in Australia (2019, PhD , Secondary Advisor)

Collaboration

The map shows research collaborations by institution from the past 7 years.
Note: Map points are indicative of the countries or states that institutions are associated with.