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Re-defining the Human-Shark Relationship in Australia

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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.