The Human Ecology Forum
10am-12noon, Friday 24 February 2012
Roundtable on "The Culture of Weeds"
Dr Joslyn Moore ARCUE, Royal Botanic Gardens and the University of Melbourne
‘Aliens in the garden: an outline of our new project’
Sharon Willoughby, Australian Garden, Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne
‘What have botanic gardens taught us about gardening?’
Dr Dave Kendal ARCUE, Royal Botanic Gardens and the University of Melbourne
‘A cultivated nature - social and ecological patterns in urban gardens, parks and streetscapes’
Abstract: In the new project on The Culture of Weeds, Libby Robin and Cameron Muir from Fenner will join forces with a team from the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne (both the Urban Ecology unit, ARCUE and the Australian Garden, Cranbourne) to look at the relations between people and plants (and other biota) in Australia. The first part of the project, which is the section that involves the Melbourne group, focuses on the relations between the aesthetics of gardens and the emergence of environmental weeds in the Australian bush. The vast majority of introduced plant species are introduced for gardens, most often for aesthetic purposes, and it is these that tend to become the invaders of the bush. This has been true over two centuries. Weedy plants continue to be introduced even in the 21st century.
Joslin Moore wants to use modelling to look at the relations between introduction and problem weeds in the bush. Sharon Willoughby will introduce some themes she will explore further in a PhD project she commences at Fenner school in July. She will also discuss some of the ideas for biodiversity conservation emerging from an international group of botanical gardens educators, of which she is a member. Dave Kendal will speak about his new work on plants and garden taste in the rapidly expanding suburbs of Melbourne.
This forum is a ‘work in prospect’ event and we welcome discussion and participation.
This event will kick off the Human Ecology forum for the year on 24 February. All welcome!
Chair: Professor Libby Robin, Fenner School of Environment and Society
Forum themes and the calendar for 2012 are available.
The overarching forum theme for 2012 will be focused on the Society for Human Ecology Conference which will is being held at ANU from 5-8 February 2013. The theme for the conference is, "Decisions that Work: Linking Sustainability, Environmental Responsibility and Human Well-being". Sub-themes for the conference will be developed at the Human Ecology Forum during the year. The conference flier is available from the Society for Human Ecology web site (pdf).
Anyone who wishes to lead a forum session or would like to convene/develop a theme in 2012 is welcome to nominate themselves. Please send your abstract and available date(s) or theme suggestions for the forum to Sandra Lauer or Rob Dyball.
Past Forum Sessions
For previous presentations from 2010 and 2011, please go to the 2010 archive or the 2011 archive.
Book News... Tackling Wicked Problems Through the Transdisciplinary Imagination (2010)
Valerie A. Brown, John A. Harris and Jacqueline Y. Russell (eds)
This book is the outcome of a year's work of the Human Ecology Forum, Australian National University. Fifteen research papers put into practice theoretical papers on transdisciplinarity, a framework for open critical inquiry, combining multiple knowledges and the value of uncertainty and ignorance. For more information visit Earthscan Publishers.
Tackling Wicked Problems is now available through NewSouthBooks at the special price of $48.00 and $9.90 postage from 02 87789999 and www.newsouthbooks.com.au .
Tackling Wicked Problems was awarded the 2010 Gerald Young Book Award for 'the highest standards of scholarly work in the field of human ecology'.
Review of the book in the Human Ecology Review, Volume 18, no.1, 2011 (pdf, 2Mb).
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Photography courtesy of Alan Fox
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