Staff Profiles

Angela Wardell-Johnson is an Environmental Sociologist leading Curtin's Institute for Biodiversity and Climate Theme of Integration. Angela's research is considered ‘post-disciplinary’ effectively spanning and integrating ecological and social sciences through a framework of resilience. Angela’s key theoretical focus considers the rationales for decision-making in complex adaptive landscape contexts through the lenses of sense of place, social capital and environmental discourses.

Angela’s current research interests relate to the social dimensions of resilience in dynamic landscapes with climate change as a key consideration. This approach is based on an integration of social and landscape scale and innovative qualitative and quantitative methods.

Director, Board of Blackwood River Foundation

Board Member, Journal of Ecological Management and Restoration

• Environmental Sociology
• Social Dimensions of Landscapes
• Biodiversity
• Food Systems
• Sense of Place
• Social Capital
• Discourses of the Environment

Current Postgraduate Supervision:       

• Human Rights and Complexity
• Climate change, carbon accounting and food-systems
• Climate change and rural communities
• Sociology of the environment and rural landscapes

RESEARCH PROGRAM

·        Biodiversity conservation in global biodiversity hotspots: social values in an era of climatic challenges to resilience. Targeted Research Fellowship, Curtin University. $30 K. 2009 – 2012.

·        Creating a climate for food security: the business, people & landscapes in food production. NCCARF total value $194459.22 with A/Prof Nazrul Islam and Dr Tanmoy Nath (WA Gov Department of Agriculture and Food); and Brian Stockwell (Dep. of Employment, Economic Development & Innovation, Qld Gov). 2011-2012.   

·        Adaptive capacity and adaptive strategies of broadacre farms experiencing climate change. 2011 – 2012. NCCARF $664 K with Prof Ross Kingwell, UWA & DAFWA. 2011- 2012.

·        Centre for Complexity, University of Warwick, Visiting Fellowship, July - August 2010.

·        York Centre for Complex Systems Analysis, University of York, Visiting Fellowship, June – July 2010.

·        Biodiversity conservation and social justice. Funded through Curtin's Office of Research and Development, Faculty of Humanities Research Program, the Australia-Malaysia Institute and Danish International Development Assistance for $55 K. 2009.

·        The Impact of Climate Change on the Margaret River Tourism Region – developing adaptation and response strategies.  CRC Sustainable Tourism for $100 K. 2009 – 2010.

·        Food: Opportunities, Options and Development in SW WA.  Agricultural Research WA (ARWA), a consortium of UWA, Curtin, Murdoch, CSIRO, Dept of Food and Agriculture WA, and a number of private sector companies and had a research team comprising members of these groups for $105 K. 2009 – 2010.

·        Prof John Smithers, University of Guelph, Visiting Research Fellow, Local Food and Local Markets. Wardell-Johnson, A. CASAAP.  $3 K. 2009.

·        Revitalising Rural Image, UQ Institute for Social Science Research. Blueprint for the Bush, Qld Gov $200 K. 2007-2009.

·        Value frameworks of people living in peri-urban landscapes.  Centre for Rural and Regional Innovation, University of Queensland, CSIRO Tropical Landscapes and the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Qld Gov for $220 K. 2006 – 2007.

·        A postgraduate practicum on integrative learning in the environment, UQ Teaching and Learning Strategic Large Grants Scheme. Pullar D., Wardell-Johnson G., Baker N., Smith C., Bryceson K., Wardell-Johnson A.,  Phinn S. & McAlpine C. $45.2K. 2007

·        Social values frameworks for integrated landscape planning: living sustainably in resource-challenged peri-urban futures.  UQ Competitive FIRST LINK, ARC Linkage Development Grant, Angela Wardell-Johnson and Janelle Allison Centre for Rural and Regional Innovation, UQ $2 K. 2006.

PUBLICATIONS

Lo, Y. W.,  Potdar, V.M. and Wardell-Johnson, A. (2011) Analysis of an Airport Ecosystem from Emissions Perspective.  Sustainability in Energy and Buildings 2011.

Wardell-Johnson, A., Islam, N., Nath, T., and Bizjak, S. (2011) The Future of Food: the triple-bottom-line, expert opinion and a world class food system. In The International Journal of Environmental, Cultural, Economic and Social Sustainability.

Islam, N., Nath, T., and Wardell-Johnson, A. (2011). Exploring the Determinants of 'World-class' Agriculture and Food Systems: An Overview. Social Development Issues.

Wardell-Johnson, A., Ramakrishna, S. Malar Selvaratnam, R. and Amram, Naama (eds). (2011). Biodiversity and Social Justice – practices for an ecology of peace. Black Swan Press.

Wardell-Johnson, A. (2011). Value connections between people and landscapes. In “Biodiversity and Social Justice – practices for an ecology of peace”.  Black Swan Press.

Wardell-Johnson, A., Ramakrishna, S., Malar Selvaratnam, R. (2011). Peace, Gender and Biodiversity: an ecology of peace. In “Biodiversity and Social Justice – practices for an ecology of peace”.  Black Swan Press.

Wardell-Johnson, A., Ramakrishna, S., Malar Selvaratnam, R. (2011). Peace, Gender and Biodiversity: a future. In “Biodiversity and Social Justice – practices for an ecology of peace”.  Black Swan Press.

Evans, Chris, Christine Storer, and Angela  Wardell-Johnson. "Rural Farming Community Climate Change Acceptance: Impact of Science and Government Credibility." International Journal of Sociology of Agriculture and Food 18, no. 3 (2011): 217-35.

Wardell-Johnson, A., Wardell-Johnson, G and Trigger, D. (2010 in review) Iconic Species: biodiversity values in social landscapes. XVII World Congress of Sociology, 2010, Gothenburg, Sweden.

Wardell-Johnson, A. and Bizjak, S. (2010) Sustainable Tourism and Climate Change in the Margaret River Region. Curtin University. Report for Sustainable Tourism Co-operative Research Centre.

Wardell-Johnson, A. and Bizjak, S. (2009) Food: Opportunities, Options and Development in SW Australia – Expert Panel Report. Curtin and ARWA, Perth.

Evans, C., Storer, C. and Wardell-Johnson, A. (2009) Climate Change Response in Rural WA: Rural People’s Attitudes to Climate Change. Proceedings of Climate 21; “Understanding climate change and how to manage it”: Agriculture and Food Futures: Department of Agriculture and Food, Agricultural Research Western Australia, 27 March 2009, Perth WA.

Wardell-Johnson, A. and Strike, L. (2009) Discourses of Rural Australia: context of rural image. Brisbane, Uniquest, University of Queensland.

Wardell-Johnson, A. and Strike, L. (2009) Characterising Country Queensland. Brisbane, Uniquest, University of Queensland.

Wardell-Johnson, A. (2008). Discourses of Rural Australia: Historical context of current expression. Brisbane, Uniquest, University of Queensland.

Wardell-Johnson, A. (2008). Value Frameworks of People living in Peri-Urban Landscapes. Brisbane, Uniquest, University of Queensland: 104.

Wardell-Johnson, G., Pullar, D., Smith, C. & Wardell-Johnson, A. (2007). Biodiversity Conservation. Towards Landscape Intelligence. In Proceedings of the MEDECOS XI 2007 Conference, 2-5 September, Perth, Australia. Eds. Rokich, D, Wardell-Johnson, G., Yates, C., Stevens, J., Dixon, K., McCleelan, R. & Moss, G. pp 265-266. Kings Park and Botanic Garden, Perth Australia.

Wardell-Johnson, A. (2007) Critical Social Dimensions of Complex Landscape Systems: decision-making at the landscape scale. PhD thesis, Murdoch University, Western Australia.

Smith, T., Brake, L., Larson, S., Herr, A. Wardell-Johnson, A., Stafford Smith, M., Lynam, T. and Leitch, A. (2006) People, Communities and Economies of the Lake Eyre Basin. Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre and Lake Eyre Basin Rangelands Conference 2006.

Smith, T. F., L. Brake, Larson, S., Herr, A., Wardell-Johnson, A., Stafford-Smith, M., Lynam, T., Measham, T., Robinson, C. Leitch, A. (2006). Enhancing Community Engagement in the Lake Eyre Basin, Desert Knowledge CRC.

Wardell-Johnson, A. (2006) Social Networks of the Lake Eyre Basin. Internal Report to CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems Desert Knowledge CRC group.

Wardell-Johnson, A. (2005) Social relationships in landscape systems: identifying values and variables that drive social interactions. For proceedings for Systems Thinking and Complexity Science: Insights for Action, 11th Annual ANZSYS Conference/Managing the Complex V, Christchurch, NZ, December 2005.

Wardell-Johnson, A. (2005) A Sense of Place: valuing landscapes in the Condamine Headwaters. Proceedings of Asia Pacific Extension Network: Building Capacity for Sustainable Resource Management Conference: Toowoomba, 28 – 29 September 2005.

Cook, F.J., X. Su, A.P. Campbell, G.D. Carlin, A. Wardell-Johnson, B. Nancarrow, A. Rixon, S. Asseng (2005) Uncertainty In Modelling Human-Landscape Interactions. International Congress on Modelling and Simulation, December 2005, Melbourne, Australia.

Campbell, P., Asseng, S., Su, X., and Wardell-Johnson, A. (2005) Coupling Bio-physical and Social Models: Conceptual Model and Implementation Details for a Simulation of the Katanning Zone, West Australian Wheat Belt.  Proceedings of The Agent-Based Modelling Working Group and Human Ecosystems Modelling with Agents (CABM-HEMA-SMAGET) Workshop: “Smart models? Good uses?”, Les Arcs, France.

Wardell-Johnson, A. & Trotter, R. (2002). Moreton Bay catchment: historical discourses in a dynamic catchment. In Web Proceedings for Fifth International River Management Symposium, Brisbane, September 2002.

Horwitz, P. and Wardell-Johnson, A. (1996). Historical Association of Wetlands and Rivers in the Busselton-Walpole Region. Water Resource Technical Series. Water and Rivers Commission Report WRT21996.

Wardell-Johnson, Angela and Brooker, Belinda (1994) Discover the Karri - field guide to the Forest Discovery Centre, Pemberton, Western Australia.

Wardell-Johnson, A. & Frith, M. (eds) (1992). The Jarrah Book: Proceedings of a weekend workshop on the Jarrah forest. B-G Friends of the Forest: Bridgetown, WA.

Book Chapters (Authored, Research Quality)

• Ramakrishna , S, Wardell--Johnson , A, and Malar Selvaratnam , R. 2011. Peace, Justice and Biodiversity. In Biodiversity & Social Justice- practices for an ecology of peace, 1st Edition, 1-14. Perth WA: Black Swan Press.
• Malar Selvaratnam , R, and Wardell--Johnson , A. 2011. Practices for Social Justice in Biodiversity. In Biodiversity & Social Justice- Practices for an ecology of peace, 1s Edition, 111-125. Perth WA: Black Swan Press.
• Wardell--Johnson , A. 2011. Value Connections between People and Landscapes. In Biodiversity & Social Justice- practices for an ecology of peace, 1st Edition, 15-29. Perth WA: Black Swan Press.

Refereed Articles (Scholarly Journals)

• Wardell--Johnson , A, Storer, C, and Evans, C. 2011. Rural Farming Community Climate Change Acceptance: Impact of Science and Goverment Credibility. International Journal of Sociology of Agriculture and food 18(3): 217-235.
• Nazrul , I, Wardell--Johnson , A, and Nath, T. 2011. Exploring the Determinants of World-Class Agriculture and Food Systems: An Overview. Social Development Issues 33(3): 1-24.