Run by Dr. Chris Pepin-Neff, this marine social science research is a collaboration with the Sydney Environment Institute and looks at the way the human-shark relationship can be redefined.
For millions of years sharks have swum through native waters, and dating back to Aboriginal carvings, sharks have represented a threat in the human imaginary. The recent opposition to shark culling in Australia represents a leading tip of the international “Save the Shark” movement. This project aims to devise long-term public education tools and policy options to redefine the human-shark relationship in Australia. The project will:
- Investigate Australian’s attitudes and views of shares as native species, beach hazard, and conservation target affect policymaking.
- Analyse how public education can facilitate the coexistence, public safety, and conservation of sharks in Australian waters.
- Develop inter-disciplinary approaches for reconciling political interests around beach safety and environmental preservation with the ethical treatment of wildlife.
- Devise a policy mechanism that allows for a post shark-net consideration of shark bite mitigation in NSW and QLD.
Find out more here.