Allan Curtis
Biographic Data
| ID | 3707250 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Allan Curtis |
| GIVEN NAMES | Allan |
| FAMILY NAME | Curtis |
| SIGNATURE | CURTIS A |
| AFFILIATIONS | Charles Sturt University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-9421-7889 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 35 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 262 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 35 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1995 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2021 |
| H-INDEX | 7 |
What’s Trust Got to do With it? Lessons From Cross-Sectoral Research on Natural Resource Management in Australia and the U.S
Natural resource management (NRM) is conducted within a complex context. This is particularly true at the interface of public and private interests where policy and management actions are often closely scrutinized by stakeholders. In these settings, natural resource managers often seek to achieve multiple objectives including ecosystem restoration, biodiversity conservation, commodity production, and the provision of recreation opportunities. Whi…
Hybrid Neoliberalism
Neoliberalism is frequently blamed for challenges in achieving sustainable development; consequently some also question if sustainability is still a useful concept. Neoliberal influence on natural resource management has evolved over the last 30 years to a hybrid form that seeks to compensate for its negative social and environmental externalities. Through review of literature and critical analysis of three case studies of resource development in…
Cultural landscapes at risk
Same as it Ever Was? Stability and Change Over 15 Years in a Rural District in Southeastern Australia
Using longitudinal survey data, this paper explores stability and change in values, beliefs, attitudes, and knowledge among rural landholders. Existing theories predict varying degrees of stability in these constructs. This paper tests these assumptions through data collected by four cross-sectional surveys of rural landowners (>10 ha), completed in one region between 2002 and 2016. The study area includes a mix of social landscapes but agricultu…
At the intersection of disaster risk and religion
Over the last several decades, the scientific community has replaced the ‘acts of god’ explanations for disasters with a view that disasters are actually ‘acts of nature,’ and more recently, ‘acts of human behavior and decision making.’ Despite the secular orientation of contemporary disaster research, religious beliefs still govern people’s interpretations of natural events across many continents and cultures. Using a case study of a rural Sherp…
A Mirror and a Lamp”
Power relationships structure discourse and its influence on policy and rural land use planning, but little research has examined how this might be observed in the dynamics of rural landscape transition. In a qualitative case study of the Ovens catchment, Victoria, Australia, discursive power is observed through sites of tension between informant interpretations of past, present, and future landscapes and contemporary local decision making. Three…
Mapping Farmer Identity
Rural areas in developed economies are becoming increasingly multi-functional in that their character is being shaped by a mix of production, consumption and conservation values. Agriculture may remain the dominant land use, but many landholders do not see themselves as farmers by occupation. Researchers have demonstrated that occupational identity influences land use and management. However, efforts to explore the influence of occupational ident…
Ways forward for resilience thinking
Sinclair, K., A. Rawluk, S. Kumar, and A. Curtis. 2017. Ways forward for resilience thinking: lessons from the field for those exploring social-ecological systems in agriculture and natural resource management. Ecology and Society 22(4):21. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-09705-220421
Reconciling contradictory narratives of landscape change using the adaptive cycle
Rawluk, A., and A. Curtis. 2016. Reconciling contradictory narratives of landscape change using the adaptive cycle: a case study from southeastern Australia. Ecology and Society 21(1):17.http://dx.doi.org/10.5751/ES-08245-210117
The Utility of a Collective Identity Construct to Explore the Influence of Farming Identity on Natural Resource Management
Change in the occupational identity of rural residents is expected to influence natural resource management (NRM). Self-declaration is the most common way of assessing occupational identity (OI) but is largely atheoretical. Researchers have suggested that the collective identity construct (CIC) might provide a theoretically derived and reliable measure of OI. In this article we reflect on the first attempt to evaluate the application of the CIC i…
The development and validation of a collective occupational identity construct (Coic) in a natural resource context
Assessing the Efficacy of Transition Theory to Identify Industry Transformation
Transformation is a key concept in social-ecological systems research, and transition theory in particular; however, the essential elements of a transformation are yet to be clearly articulated. This article explores the changes that took place when Australian governments deliberately set out to restructure the Australian dairy industry. Using the subtropical dairy industry as a case study, we conducted semi-structured interviews with industry st…
Can resilience thinking provide useful insights for those examining efforts to transform contemporary agriculture
Farmer Identity in Multifunctional Landscapes
The use of multifunctionalism to conceptualise contemporary rural landscapes has focused attention on the increased extent and impact of non-farmers in traditionally agriculture-based rural communities. Typologies of rural landholders have been developed as part of that research effort. However, those typologies are not grounded in established theory, including collective identity theory that could provide an important foundation for the study of…
Rural Landownership in South East Australia since European Occupation
This paper provides historical context for contemporary discourses on landownership, notably the changing scale of absentee landownership and foreign ownership since 1849. Trends in landownership since European occupation of one of the most agriculturally productive regions in south east Australia, the Lachlan River catchment, are examined at regional, shire and district scales. Evolution of tenure indicates that absentee landowners owned most of…
Do You See What I See? Rural Landholders' Belief in Climate Change
Southeastern Australia is at the cutting edge of climate change, with predicted warming, drying, and increased variability expected to affect rural livelihoods. Some are optimistic about rural landholders' ability to adjust because of their history of coping with climatic extremes. Others see a conservative rural population more skeptical of climate change than the general public and more likely to resist making necessary changes. These contradic…
The Natural Resource Management Implications of Rural Property Turnover
One aspect of recent rural change is in-migration, which is challenging the traditional dominance of production values in some areas. We explored the natural resource management implications of property turnover in two Australian regions. Our mixed-methods approach combined analysis of property sales records and spatially referenced landholder survey data with data from key informant interviews. Close to 50% of rural properties are expected to ch…
A case study of socio-economic returns from farm forestry and agriculture in south-east Australia during 1993–2007
Governance Principles for Natural Resource Management
Sustainable natural resource use and management make novel demands on governance arrangements, the design of which requires normative guidance. Although governance principles have been developed for diverse contexts, their availability for sustainable natural resource governance is so far limited. In response, we present a suite of governance principles for natural resource governance that, while developed in an Australian multilevel context, has…
Taking Over the Reins
There has been limited international research examining the recent trend to higher turnover in rural property ownership in developed nations. In this article we discuss findings from innovative Australian research that analyzed property sales records and spatially referenced rural landholder survey data. Large scale and increasing rates of turnover were identified with 50% of properties in our case study predicted to change ownership in the next …
Multi-level Environmental Governance
The region has become a significant scale of governance for the implementation of public policy, including natural resource management (NRM). A community-based regional NRM governance model has been adopted by the Australian government in partnership with Australian state and territory governments. There have been persuasive advocates of this approach both within community organisations and government. Proponents point to advantages such as the c…
Exploring the Digital Divide in an Australian Regional City
The ‘digital divide’ is generally considered to be the gap between people who have access to information and communication technologies (ICT) and those who do not, and an issue of significant social justice. This paper presents findings from research that explored the digital divide within the regional city of Albury. The study focused on assessing whether there was a digital divide; identifying strategies to address any divide; and developing a …
Understanding and promoting adoption of conservation practices by rural landholders
Research on the adoption of rural innovations is reviewed and interpreted through a cross-disciplinary lens to provide practical guidance for research, extension and policy relating to conservation practices. Adoption of innovations by landholders is presented as a dynamic learning process. Adoption depends on a range of personal, social, cultural and economic factors, as well as on characteristics of the innovation itself. Adoption occurs when t…
Risk Perceptions, Aquaculture, and Issues of Trust
Aquaculture is heralded as a way of helping to feed a growing global population by supplementing supplies of wild–sourced seafood. Australian aquaculture has the potential to become a $1 billion per year industry and to provide employment needed in some rural areas. However, concerns about aquaculture have led to disputes about the industry's access to highly valued marine and coastal environments. The lack of research on this topic has confounde…
Refining Evaluation Criteria for Public Participation Using Stakeholder Perspectives of Process and Outcomes
Public participation in the development and implementation of natural resource management plans has been widely adopted by lead natural resource management agencies. The literature suggests that evaluation of participation initiatives has largely focused on the perspective of proponents, and when it has addressed participant needs, has primarily explored satisfaction with process. This paper reflects on the authors’ attempts to evaluate both the …
Governance Principles for Natural Resource Management
Sustainable natural resource use and management make novel demands on governance arrangements, the design of which requires normative guidance. Although governance principles have been developed for diverse contexts, their availability for sustainable natural resource governance is so far limited. In response, we present a suite of governance principles for natural resource governance that, while developed in an Australian multilevel context, has…
The role of Landcare group networks in rural Australia
Taking Over the Reins
There has been limited international research examining the recent trend to higher turnover in rural property ownership in developed nations. In this article we discuss findings from innovative Australian research that analyzed property sales records and spatially referenced rural landholder survey data. Large scale and increasing rates of turnover were identified with 50% of properties in our case study predicted to change ownership in the next …
Multi-level Environmental Governance
The region has become a significant scale of governance for the implementation of public policy, including natural resource management (NRM). A community-based regional NRM governance model has been adopted by the Australian government in partnership with Australian state and territory governments. There have been persuasive advocates of this approach both within community organisations and government. Proponents point to advantages such as the c…
Risk Perceptions, Aquaculture, and Issues of Trust
Aquaculture is heralded as a way of helping to feed a growing global population by supplementing supplies of wild–sourced seafood. Australian aquaculture has the potential to become a $1 billion per year industry and to provide employment needed in some rural areas. However, concerns about aquaculture have led to disputes about the industry's access to highly valued marine and coastal environments. The lack of research on this topic has confounde…
Can resilience thinking provide useful insights for those examining efforts to transform contemporary agriculture
Challenging the boundaries of local and scientific knowledge in Australia
Landcare in Australia
Cultural landscapes at risk
Ways forward for resilience thinking
Sinclair, K., A. Rawluk, S. Kumar, and A. Curtis. 2017. Ways forward for resilience thinking: lessons from the field for those exploring social-ecological systems in agriculture and natural resource management. Ecology and Society 22(4):21. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-09705-220421
The Natural Resource Management Implications of Rural Property Turnover
One aspect of recent rural change is in-migration, which is challenging the traditional dominance of production values in some areas. We explored the natural resource management implications of property turnover in two Australian regions. Our mixed-methods approach combined analysis of property sales records and spatially referenced landholder survey data with data from key informant interviews. Close to 50% of rural properties are expected to ch…
A case study of socio-economic returns from farm forestry and agriculture in south-east Australia during 1993–2007
Community participation in Landcare policy in Australia
An estimated 30% of the Australian farming community is currently participating in the on‐ground work of more than 1,900 landcare groups. The landcare program is grounded in the community participation approach to rural development and has renewed optimism about reversing land and water degradation in rural Australia. Until recently, landcare groups had not participated in any real sense in landcare policy development, and it is in this context t…
Hybrid Neoliberalism
Neoliberalism is frequently blamed for challenges in achieving sustainable development; consequently some also question if sustainability is still a useful concept. Neoliberal influence on natural resource management has evolved over the last 30 years to a hybrid form that seeks to compensate for its negative social and environmental externalities. Through review of literature and critical analysis of three case studies of resource development in…
At the intersection of disaster risk and religion
Over the last several decades, the scientific community has replaced the ‘acts of god’ explanations for disasters with a view that disasters are actually ‘acts of nature,’ and more recently, ‘acts of human behavior and decision making.’ Despite the secular orientation of contemporary disaster research, religious beliefs still govern people’s interpretations of natural events across many continents and cultures. Using a case study of a rural Sherp…
Mapping Farmer Identity
Rural areas in developed economies are becoming increasingly multi-functional in that their character is being shaped by a mix of production, consumption and conservation values. Agriculture may remain the dominant land use, but many landholders do not see themselves as farmers by occupation. Researchers have demonstrated that occupational identity influences land use and management. However, efforts to explore the influence of occupational ident…
The development and validation of a collective occupational identity construct (Coic) in a natural resource context
Refining Evaluation Criteria for Public Participation Using Stakeholder Perspectives of Process and Outcomes
Public participation in the development and implementation of natural resource management plans has been widely adopted by lead natural resource management agencies. The literature suggests that evaluation of participation initiatives has largely focused on the perspective of proponents, and when it has addressed participant needs, has primarily explored satisfaction with process. This paper reflects on the authors’ attempts to evaluate both the …
Exploring Landcare Effectiveness Using Organisational Theory
Landcare is an important example of the potential of state-sponsored participation to establish viable local organisations and contribute to rural development. In this paper, the authors discuss their research using organisational theory to explore Landcare effectiveness. Data were obtained from a mailed survey to Landcare groups in the state of Victoria during 1998. Levels of group activity were used as a surrogate measure of group effectiveness…
Do You See What I See? Rural Landholders' Belief in Climate Change
Southeastern Australia is at the cutting edge of climate change, with predicted warming, drying, and increased variability expected to affect rural livelihoods. Some are optimistic about rural landholders' ability to adjust because of their history of coping with climatic extremes. Others see a conservative rural population more skeptical of climate change than the general public and more likely to resist making necessary changes. These contradic…
Exploring the Digital Divide in an Australian Regional City
The ‘digital divide’ is generally considered to be the gap between people who have access to information and communication technologies (ICT) and those who do not, and an issue of significant social justice. This paper presents findings from research that explored the digital divide within the regional city of Albury. The study focused on assessing whether there was a digital divide; identifying strategies to address any divide; and developing a …
The Nature and Role of Farmer Knowledge in Temperate Pasture Management in the Murray-Darling Basin
Additional informationNotes on contributorsJoanne MillarJoanne Millar is Manager of Extension Services with Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service. A background in agricultural extension and farming systems led her into doctoral research on the role of farmer knowledge in developing temperate pasture and grazing systems in Australia.Allan CurtisAllan Curtis is Senior Lecturer in Natural Resource Management at Charles Sturt University. Current rese…
Examining the assumptions underlying Landcare
Additional informationNotes on contributorsAllan CurtisDr Allan Curtis lectures in resource management at Charles SturtUhiversfty-Murray,and is attached to the Johns tone Centre of Parks, Recreation and Heritage. He has undertaken several State Landcare evaluations, and is active in local and regional Landcare groups.Terry De LacyProf Terry De Lacy is Director of the Johnstone Centre of Parks, Recreation and Heritage at Charles Sturt University-M…
Same as it Ever Was? Stability and Change Over 15 Years in a Rural District in Southeastern Australia
Using longitudinal survey data, this paper explores stability and change in values, beliefs, attitudes, and knowledge among rural landholders. Existing theories predict varying degrees of stability in these constructs. This paper tests these assumptions through data collected by four cross-sectional surveys of rural landowners (>10 ha), completed in one region between 2002 and 2016. The study area includes a mix of social landscapes but agricultu…
A Mirror and a Lamp”
Power relationships structure discourse and its influence on policy and rural land use planning, but little research has examined how this might be observed in the dynamics of rural landscape transition. In a qualitative case study of the Ovens catchment, Victoria, Australia, discursive power is observed through sites of tension between informant interpretations of past, present, and future landscapes and contemporary local decision making. Three…
Examining the assumptions underlying Landcare
Additional informationNotes on contributorsAllan CurtisDr Allan Curtis lectures in resource management at Charles SturtUhiversfty-Murray,and is attached to the Johns tone Centre of Parks, Recreation and Heritage. He has undertaken several State Landcare evaluations, and is active in local and regional Landcare groups.Terry De LacyProf Terry De Lacy is Director of the Johnstone Centre of Parks, Recreation and Heritage at Charles Sturt University-M…
Community participation in Landcare policy in Australia
An estimated 30% of the Australian farming community is currently participating in the on‐ground work of more than 1,900 landcare groups. The landcare program is grounded in the community participation approach to rural development and has renewed optimism about reversing land and water degradation in rural Australia. Until recently, landcare groups had not participated in any real sense in landcare policy development, and it is in this context t…
Landcare in Australia
The Nature and Role of Farmer Knowledge in Temperate Pasture Management in the Murray-Darling Basin
Additional informationNotes on contributorsJoanne MillarJoanne Millar is Manager of Extension Services with Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service. A background in agricultural extension and farming systems led her into doctoral research on the role of farmer knowledge in developing temperate pasture and grazing systems in Australia.Allan CurtisAllan Curtis is Senior Lecturer in Natural Resource Management at Charles Sturt University. Current rese…
Landcare particpation in Australia
There are over 4000 community Landcare groups involving over 120 000 volunteer members working to achieve more sustainable use of Australia's farming lands and to conserve biodiversity. After reviewing the achievements of the community Landcare program the authors discuss their research investigating Landcare participation in terms of the theory of volunteerism. This research indicated that Landcare participants: were younger, more educated and m…
Challenging the boundaries of local and scientific knowledge in Australia
Exploring Landcare from a Volunteer Perspective
Additional informationNotes on contributorsAllan CurtisDr Allan Curtis is the Associate Director of the Johnstone Centre for Research in Natural Resources and Society at Charles Sturt University, Albury, NSW, Australia
Exploring Landcare Effectiveness Using Organisational Theory
Landcare is an important example of the potential of state-sponsored participation to establish viable local organisations and contribute to rural development. In this paper, the authors discuss their research using organisational theory to explore Landcare effectiveness. Data were obtained from a mailed survey to Landcare groups in the state of Victoria during 1998. Levels of group activity were used as a surrogate measure of group effectiveness…
The role of Landcare group networks in rural Australia
Using Spatial Data to Explore Landholder Awareness and Concern about Dryland Salinity
This paper draws upon research in Victoria's Goulburn Broken Catchment exploring landholder responses to dryland salinity. It has been assumed that part of the explanation for limited adoption of recommended practices was that landholders were unaware of the extent of dryland salinity. Socio-economic data from a mail survey was combined in a Geographic Information System (GIS) with other layers, including the location of discharge sites and depth…
Refining Evaluation Criteria for Public Participation Using Stakeholder Perspectives of Process and Outcomes
Public participation in the development and implementation of natural resource management plans has been widely adopted by lead natural resource management agencies. The literature suggests that evaluation of participation initiatives has largely focused on the perspective of proponents, and when it has addressed participant needs, has primarily explored satisfaction with process. This paper reflects on the authors’ attempts to evaluate both the …
Understanding and promoting adoption of conservation practices by rural landholders
Research on the adoption of rural innovations is reviewed and interpreted through a cross-disciplinary lens to provide practical guidance for research, extension and policy relating to conservation practices. Adoption of innovations by landholders is presented as a dynamic learning process. Adoption depends on a range of personal, social, cultural and economic factors, as well as on characteristics of the innovation itself. Adoption occurs when t…
Risk Perceptions, Aquaculture, and Issues of Trust
Aquaculture is heralded as a way of helping to feed a growing global population by supplementing supplies of wild–sourced seafood. Australian aquaculture has the potential to become a $1 billion per year industry and to provide employment needed in some rural areas. However, concerns about aquaculture have led to disputes about the industry's access to highly valued marine and coastal environments. The lack of research on this topic has confounde…
Exploring the Digital Divide in an Australian Regional City
The ‘digital divide’ is generally considered to be the gap between people who have access to information and communication technologies (ICT) and those who do not, and an issue of significant social justice. This paper presents findings from research that explored the digital divide within the regional city of Albury. The study focused on assessing whether there was a digital divide; identifying strategies to address any divide; and developing a …
Multi-level Environmental Governance
The region has become a significant scale of governance for the implementation of public policy, including natural resource management (NRM). A community-based regional NRM governance model has been adopted by the Australian government in partnership with Australian state and territory governments. There have been persuasive advocates of this approach both within community organisations and government. Proponents point to advantages such as the c…
Governance Principles for Natural Resource Management
Sustainable natural resource use and management make novel demands on governance arrangements, the design of which requires normative guidance. Although governance principles have been developed for diverse contexts, their availability for sustainable natural resource governance is so far limited. In response, we present a suite of governance principles for natural resource governance that, while developed in an Australian multilevel context, has…
Taking Over the Reins
There has been limited international research examining the recent trend to higher turnover in rural property ownership in developed nations. In this article we discuss findings from innovative Australian research that analyzed property sales records and spatially referenced rural landholder survey data. Large scale and increasing rates of turnover were identified with 50% of properties in our case study predicted to change ownership in the next …
A case study of socio-economic returns from farm forestry and agriculture in south-east Australia during 1993–2007
Do You See What I See? Rural Landholders' Belief in Climate Change
Southeastern Australia is at the cutting edge of climate change, with predicted warming, drying, and increased variability expected to affect rural livelihoods. Some are optimistic about rural landholders' ability to adjust because of their history of coping with climatic extremes. Others see a conservative rural population more skeptical of climate change than the general public and more likely to resist making necessary changes. These contradic…
The Natural Resource Management Implications of Rural Property Turnover
One aspect of recent rural change is in-migration, which is challenging the traditional dominance of production values in some areas. We explored the natural resource management implications of property turnover in two Australian regions. Our mixed-methods approach combined analysis of property sales records and spatially referenced landholder survey data with data from key informant interviews. Close to 50% of rural properties are expected to ch…
Rural Landownership in South East Australia since European Occupation
This paper provides historical context for contemporary discourses on landownership, notably the changing scale of absentee landownership and foreign ownership since 1849. Trends in landownership since European occupation of one of the most agriculturally productive regions in south east Australia, the Lachlan River catchment, are examined at regional, shire and district scales. Evolution of tenure indicates that absentee landowners owned most of…
Can resilience thinking provide useful insights for those examining efforts to transform contemporary agriculture
Farmer Identity in Multifunctional Landscapes
The use of multifunctionalism to conceptualise contemporary rural landscapes has focused attention on the increased extent and impact of non-farmers in traditionally agriculture-based rural communities. Typologies of rural landholders have been developed as part of that research effort. However, those typologies are not grounded in established theory, including collective identity theory that could provide an important foundation for the study of…
The Utility of a Collective Identity Construct to Explore the Influence of Farming Identity on Natural Resource Management
Change in the occupational identity of rural residents is expected to influence natural resource management (NRM). Self-declaration is the most common way of assessing occupational identity (OI) but is largely atheoretical. Researchers have suggested that the collective identity construct (CIC) might provide a theoretically derived and reliable measure of OI. In this article we reflect on the first attempt to evaluate the application of the CIC i…
The development and validation of a collective occupational identity construct (Coic) in a natural resource context
Economics (24 works) · Geography (24 works) · Business (21 works) · Environmental resource management (21 works) · Sociology (21 works) · Political science (20 works) · Rural development and sustainability (18 works) · Ecology (16 works) · Computer Science (15 works) · Agriculture (13 works)