Gillian Earl

Can we apply a duty of care to improve biodiversity outcomes at a regional scale?

A statutory duty of care has been proposed as a positive mechanism for addressing biodiversity conservation on private land, to complement the existing mix of policy approaches, but obstacles exist.

Drawing on document review and key informant interviews, Gillian has identified key characteristics that distinguish ‘duty of care’ from ‘stewardship’, terms that have often been conflated in natural resource management discourse. A framework has been developed, outlining how a statutory duty of care for biodiversity could operate at a catchment scale.

This framework is intended to provide guidance for policy developers, regional staff who might be charged with implementing a duty of care, and landholders. In the final stage of Gillian’s research, she will conduct key informant interviews with a range of stakeholders to assess the social acceptability of her framework.

Gillian’s research falls into the CRC’s Program 4 research area.

Objectives:

• Understand how ‘duty of care’ has been understood in natural resource management
• Understand how ‘duty of care’ has been applied in natural resource management
• Design a framework for supporting a statutory duty of care for biodiversity, and test its social acceptability.

For more information, email Gillian.