With bushfires affecting our community and so many others across Australia, the University of Canberra is committed to providing help through our expertise, community-facing services and research. A working group has come together to coordinate our effort and make sure what we do has impact and is what affected communities need and want.
There are things we can do in the short term to help people and communities get back on their feet, but there is also enormous expertise inside UC to help our communities over the long term: supporting the regeneration of the environment, new community infrastructure, and building resilience for the future.
This will require careful listening and outreach, and in the coming weeks and months we will be working with communities to hear and understand their priorities and future aspirations.
Recovery
While some bushfires are still active across Australia, the recovery effort has begun. Experts from the University of Canberra will visit communities to understand how the University can provide valuable support.
Regeneration »
The bushfires have caused considerable harm to our communities and ecosystems. University of Canberra experts can provide advice on the environmental impact of the fires and best practice for regeneration of our natural resources as well as heritage conservation.
Resilience
University of Canberra experts can offer advice to communities on how to improve resilience for events such as prolonged drought and bushfires. This includes long-term solutions for climate change policy, regional planning, wildlife and ecosystem resilience and health and wellbeing.
What's happening
Capability and expertise
Our researchers are focused on addressing the consequences of the bushfire crisis and climate change. Our research related to bushfire support is focused around these themes.
| Theme | Lead researchers | Research Centre |
|---|---|---|
| Regional planning to mitigate bushfire risk and other effects of climate change | Professor Barbara Norman | Canberra Urban and Regional Futures |
| Environmental impacts on ecosystems of bushfires and assessment of subsequent ecosystem resilience | Professor Ross Thompson Professor Fiona Dyer Professor Janine Deakin Professor Arthur Georges |
Institute for Applied Ecology |
| Politics and governance in response to public disasters and climate change | Professor John Dryzek Associate Professor Simon Niemeyer |
Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance |
| Development of policy solutions to climate change and natural disasters and assessing the socio-economic impacts of such policies | Professor Robert Tanton Associate Professor Lain Dare |
National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling Centre for Change Governance |
| Mitigation of bushfires and their impacts and strengthening community resilience | Associate Professor Jacki Schirmer | Regional Wellbeing Survey |
| The use of creative arts in addressing trauma in individuals and communities | Associate Professor Jordan Williams Assoicate Professor Bethaney Turner Assistant Professor Petra Buergelt |
Centre for Creative and Cultural Research |
| Heritage conservation in bushfire affected areas | Professor Tracy Ireland Assistant Professor Alison Wain |
Centre for Creative and Cultural Research |
| Injury prevention and recovery in fire fighters | Assistant Professor Wayne Spratford Assistant Professor Celeste Coltman Associate Professor Julien Periard |
Research Institute for Sport and Exercise |
| Coming later in 2020 - Indigenous land management for care of country | Professor Peter Radoll Associate Professor Bethaney Turner |
UC acknowledges the Ngunnawal people, traditional custodians of the lands where Bruce campus is situated. We wish to acknowledge and respect their continuing culture and the contribution they make to the life of Canberra and the region. We also acknowledge all other First Nations Peoples on whose lands we gather.