Dr Katie Moon
Senior Lecturer

Dr Katie Moon

Bachelor of Science (Environmental) with First Class Honours @ Monash University

Master of Environmental Management @ University of Queensland/University of British Colombia

Doctor of Philosophy @ James Cook University

UNSW Canberra
School of Business

I am the HDR Coordinator and Senior Lecturer in the School of Business at UNSW, Canberra.

Katie is committed to improving the health and quality of social-ecological systems. She focused her research into three main streams that support understanding and decision-making for equitable social-ecological outcomes. Katie is eager to work with new collaborators and available to supervisor Honours, Masters and PhD students. Ph.D. scholarships ($35,000 per year) are available for high-achieving students (with H1/High Distinction in UG and/or Masters by Research) under her supervision. If you are interested, please feel free to get in contact with Katie at katie.moon@unsw.edu.au.

Stream 1: Environmental stewardship

Environmental stewardship is an ethic that seeks cooperative, sustainable and equitable management of resources. Within a stewardship framework, all members of society have a responsibility to steward resources to ensure that both current and future generations can access the goods and services they need from ecosystems. Stewardship is also concerned with ensuring that ecosystems themselves can continue to function and provide life-supporting services for all species.

Katie is collaborating on two main projects that focus on more effective operationalization of stewardship. The first project explores the relationships between stewardship and property. Because the concept is concerned with the management of resources, it must engage with ‘property’ - the medium for allocating use rights in resources. By tying the concept to the framework of property rules, rights and duties, it becomes possible to identify who has a stewardship responsibility and to whom, and relatedly, how power over resources is distributed within a system. The second project examines the possibilities for stewardship outcomes over spatial and temporal scales. We have developed an 8-step approach to identifying beneficiaries related to the prevailing system of property rights. This approach makes it possible to identify the jurisdictional scale of resource inequalities, providing opportunities to increase the equitable distribution of goods and services through the application of appropriate policy instruments.

Recent or highly cited stewardship publications

Aligning ‘public good’ environmental stewardship with the landscape-scale: adapting MBIs for private land conservation policy

Is All Stewardship Equal? Developing a Typology of Stewardship Approaches

Security and equity of conservation covenants: contradictions of private protected area policies in Australia

Stream 2: Social science philosophy and methods

People are understood through the social sciences, by examining: what they think and why; their values, culture and perceptions; their knowledge of systems and processes; and what motivates them to adopt certain behaviours. Engaging with and interpreting social science research requires at least a basic understanding of the philosophical principles and theoretical assumptions of the discipline. Her work in this field supports effective engagement of the social sciences with the conservation agenda.

Two areas of interest in this space are improving the outcomes of social science in conservation and ecology disciplines, and combining methods in novel ways to create improved understandings of social-ecological systems. I have a particular interest in mental models research and am working on a number of projects in this area.

Recent or highly cited social science publications

A guide to understanding social science research for natural scientists

A guideline to improve qualitative social science publishing in ecology and conservation journals

Expanding the role of social science in conservation through an engagement with philosophy, methodology and methods (in press)

Using Multiple Methods to Understand the Nature of Relationships in Social Networks

Stream 3: Biodiversity conservation

The field of conservation biology is an action-oriented, values-based, behavioural discipline that seeks to re-imagine the future as “a world where people understand, value, and conserve the diversity of life on Earth”. This increasing focus on social and behavioural dimensions is critical to advancing the conservation agenda, because “conservation is a goal that can only be achieved by changing behavior”.

One of her current projects is with colleagues around the some of dominant assumptions made about the social dimensions of conservation. The value-laden nature of the discipline, combined with insufficient integration with the social sciences, has resulted in the manifestation of many and varied implicit assumptions about the social dimensions of conservation that can be problematic for conservation theory and practice. We examine their premises, then offer alternatives that might be useful. We anticipate that this contribution will improve engagement with social and behavioural disciplines and contribute to more effective conservation outcomes.

Recent or highly cited conservation publications

Participation in biodiversity conservation: Motivations and barriers of Australian landholders

A Landholder‐Based Approach to the Design of Private‐Land Conservation Programs:

Using quantitative influence diagrams to map natural resource managers’ mental models of invasive species management

Please get in contact with me if you would like copies of any of these manuscripts and visit my Google Scholar profile page for more publications: https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?hl=en&user=Hke8LxUAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate

Location
Building 27, Room 118, School of Business, UNSW Canberra
  • Book Chapters | 2021
    2021, 'Mapping “Implementation System” Elements', in The Palgrave Handbook of the Public Servant: With 75 Figures and 78 Tables, Springer International Publishing, pp. 597 - 614, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29980-4_21
    Book Chapters | 2020
    Ramsay R; Rowe GC, 2020, 'Environmental Policy', in Kobayashi A (ed.), International Encyclopedia of Human Geography, edn. Original, Elsevier, San Diego, pp. 227 - 233, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-08-102295-5.10788-7
    Book Chapters | 2020
    2020, 'Mapping “Implementation System” Elements', in Sullivan H; Dickinson H; Henderson H (ed.), The Palgrave Handbook of the Public Servant, Springer, Online, pp. 1 - 20, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03008-7_21-1
    Book Chapters | 2014
    Blackman DA; Moon K; Harris S; Sarre SD, 2014, 'Knowledge management, context and public policy: developing an analysis framework', in Handbook of Research on Knowledge Management Adaptation and Context, Edward Elgar Publishing
    Book Chapters | 2014
    2014, 'Chapter 12: Knowledge management, context and public policy: developing an analysis framework', in Handbook of Research on Knowledge Management, Edward Elgar Publishing, pp. 208 - 234, http://dx.doi.org/10.4337/9781783470426.00022
    Book Chapters | 2014
    2014, 'Knowledge management, context and public policy: developing an analysis framework', in Örtenblad A (ed.), Handbook of Research on Knowledge Management, Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham UK, http://dx.doi.org/10.4337/9781783470426.00022
    Book Chapters | 2012
    Moon KA; Cocklin C, 2012, 'Policy and management options for the mitigation of environmental change', in The SAGE Handbook of Environmental Change Volume 1: Approaches, Evidences and Causes Volume 2: Human Impacts and Responses, SAGE
  • Journal articles | 2022
    2022, 'Inclusivity via ontological accountability', CONSERVATION LETTERS, 15, http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/conl.12888
    Journal articles | 2022
    2022, 'Wilderness forms and their implications for global environmental policy and conservation', Conservation Biology, 36, http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13875
    Journal articles | 2021
    2021, 'Coupling property rights with responsibilities to improve conservation outcomes across land and seascapes', Conservation Letters, 14, http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/conl.12767
    Journal articles | 2021
    2021, 'Developing shared qualitative models for complex systems', Conservation Biology, 35, pp. 1039 - 1050, http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13632
    Journal articles | 2021
    2021, 'Environmental “nonuse rights” warrant caution', Science, 374, pp. 832, http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.abm4324
    Journal articles | 2021
    2021, 'Five Questions to Understand Epistemology and Its Influence on Integrative Marine Research', Frontiers in Marine Science, http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.574158
    Journal articles | 2021
    2021, 'Predicting Responses of Geo-ecological Carbonate Reef Systems to Climate Change: A Conceptual Model and Review', Oceanography and Marine Biology, http://dx.doi.org/10.1201/9781003138846-4
    Journal articles | 2020
    2020, 'Eroded protections threaten U.S. forests', Science, 370, pp. 921 - 922, http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.abf5654
    Journal articles | 2020
    2020, 'Understanding the Experience of an Extreme Event: A Personal Reflection', ONE EARTH, 2, pp. 493 - 496, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2020.05.009
    Journal articles | 2019
    2019, 'Expanding the role of social science in conservation through an engagement with philosophy, methodology, and methods', Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 10, pp. 294 - 302, http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.13126
    Journal articles | 2019
    2019, 'Mental models for conservation research and practice', Conservation Letters, 12, http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/conl.12642
    Journal articles | 2019
    2019, 'Messaging matters: A systematic review of the conservation messaging literature', Biological Conservation, 236, pp. 92 - 99, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.05.020
    Journal articles | 2019
    2019, 'Re-orienting health systems through a commissioning approach: Finding solutions for improved consumer engagement', Health Research Policy and Systems, 17, pp. 71, http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12961-019-0471-9
    Journal articles | 2019
    2019, 'Shared personal reflections on the need to broaden the scope of conservation social science', People and Nature, 1, pp. 426 - 434, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10043
    Journal articles | 2018
    Adams VM; Moon K; Álvarez-Romero JG; Bodin Ö; Spencer M; Blackman D, 2018, 'Using Multiple Methods to Understand the Nature of Relationships in Social Networks', Society and Natural Resources, 31, pp. 755 - 772, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08941920.2018.1425514
    Journal articles | 2017
    2017, 'Creating institutional flexibility for adaptive water management: insights from two management agencies', Journal of Environmental Management, 202, pp. 188 - 197, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2017.06.059
    Journal articles | 2017
    2017, 'Perception matrices: An adaptation of repertory grid technique', Land Use Policy, 64, pp. 451 - 460, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2017.03.023
    Journal articles | 2017
    2017, 'The imperative need for nationally coordinated bioassessment of rivers and streams', MARINE AND FRESHWATER RESEARCH, 68, pp. 599 - 613, http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/MF15329
    Journal articles | 2016
    Jakku E; Thorburn PJ; Marshall NA; Dowd AM; Howden SM; Mendham E; Moon K; Brandon C, 2016, 'Learning the hard way: a case study of an attempt at agricultural transformation in response to climate change', Climatic Change, 137, pp. 557 - 574, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10584-016-1698-x
    Journal articles | 2016
    2016, 'A guideline to improve qualitative social science publishing in ecology and conservation journals', Ecology and Society: a journal of integrative science for resilience and sustainability, 21, pp. 17 - 17, http://dx.doi.org/10.5751/ES-08663-210317
    Journal articles | 2016
    2016, 'Environmental governance for urgent and uncertain problems', Biological Invasions, 19, pp. 1 - 1, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10530-016-1351-7
    Journal articles | 2016
    2016, 'Using quantitative influence diagrams to map natural resource managers' mental models of invasive species management', LAND USE POLICY, 50, pp. 341 - 351, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2015.10.013
    Journal articles | 2015
    2015, 'Aligning 'public good' environmental stewardship with the landscape-scale: Adapting MBIs for private land conservation policy', ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS, 114, pp. 152 - 158, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2015.03.027
    Journal articles | 2015
    2015, 'Towards a functional typology of small-scale fisheries co-management informed by stakeholder perceptions: A coral reef case study', MARINE POLICY, 51, pp. 48 - 56, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2014.07.020
    Journal articles | 2015
    2015, 'Understanding and integrating knowledge to improve invasive species management', Biological Invasions, 17, pp. 2675 - 2689, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10530-015-0904-5
    Journal articles | 2014
    Moon K; Blackman D, 2014, 'A Guide to Understanding Social Science Research for Natural Scientists', Conservation Biology, 28, pp. 1167 - 1177, http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12326
    Journal articles | 2014
    2014, 'A Multidisciplinary Conceptualization of Conservation Opportunity', CONSERVATION BIOLOGY, 28, pp. 1484 - 1496, http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12408
    Journal articles | 2014
    2014, 'A novel method for assessing integration activities in landscape management', LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING, 130, pp. 201 - 205, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2014.06.008
    Journal articles | 2014
    2014, 'Payments for Ecosystem Services, neoliberalisation, and the hybrid governance of land management in Australia', JOURNAL OF RURAL STUDIES, 36, pp. 463 - 474, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2014.10.003
    Journal articles | 2014
    2014, 'Transformational capacity in Australian peanut farmers for better climate adaptation', AGRONOMY FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, 34, pp. 583 - 591, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13593-013-0186-1
    Journal articles | 2013
    2013, 'Conditional and resistant non-participation in market-based land management programs in Queensland, Australia', LAND USE POLICY, 31, pp. 17 - 25, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2011.08.011
    Journal articles | 2013
    2013, 'Security and equity of conservation covenants: Contradictions of private protected area policies in Australia', LAND USE POLICY, 30, pp. 114 - 119, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2012.03.009
    Journal articles | 2012
    2012, 'Personal circumstances and social characteristics as determinants of landholder participation in biodiversity conservation programs', JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, 113, pp. 292 - 300, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2012.09.003
    Journal articles | 2012
    2012, 'Social factors and private benefits influence landholders' riverine restoration priorities in tropical Australia', JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, 110, pp. 20 - 26, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2012.05.011
    Journal articles | 2011
    2011, 'A Landholder-Based Approach to the Design of Private-Land Conservation Programs', CONSERVATION BIOLOGY, 25, pp. 493 - 503, http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2010.01639.x
    Journal articles | 2011
    2011, 'Participation in biodiversity conservation: Motivations and barriers of Australian landholders', JOURNAL OF RURAL STUDIES, 27, pp. 331 - 342, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2011.04.001

My Research Supervision

Katharina-Victoria Perez Hammerle (at The University of Queensland)

Patrick Lucas

Penney Wood

Zoe Ford

My Teaching

ZBUS8210  Critical Analysis in Business: Post Graduate Masters (online mode)