I grew up on a dairy farm in New Zealand, and studied marine ecology at the University of Auckland where I completed my BSc and MSc. My research was completed at the University of Auckland's Marine Laboratory at Leigh, on the ecology of subtidal marine invertebrates. I then completed a PhD on subtidal marine invertebrates at the University of Sydney. By the end of the PhD I wanted to find a more interdisciplinary field that incorporated human dimensions. I was employed at Murdoch University in 1989 where I shortly established Australia's first course in sustainability, focussing on the interaction among social, economic, cultural and ecological fields. In 2008 I was employed by Curtin University, along with several other colleagues to form the new Curtin University Sustainability Policy (CUSP) Institute.

My main research activity currently is as Deputy Leader of the Coastal Collaboration Cluster. This research project, lead by Professor David Wood at Curtin University, is funded by the CSIRO and involves seven universities across Australia. The project examines how to improve the dialogue between knowledge-makers and decision-makers with a view to improving coastal sustainability, especially with respect to climate adaptation. Our work in the Governance Theme of this project focuses on the role of boundary organisations and more deliberative approaches to policy development.

I research coastal adaptation to climate change; enhancing the knowledge-governance dialogue for coastal management; participtory sustainability mapping using Google Earth; the role of art in sustainability; development of a website 'Nyungar Wardan Katitjin Bidi' about Cockburn Sound (with Len Collard); and conceptual aspects of sustainability.

I have authored stories in the life-writing genre about the life and times of my mother's Yiddish family over the last six generations.

I supervise or co-supervise students researching:

• Coastal governance
• Coastal adaptation to climate change
• Design for improving research communication
• Marine education
• Art and sustainability
• Indigenous sustainability
• Community and relational sustainability

Selected Recent Refereed Publications 

Books

Kenchington, R., L. Stocker & D. Wood, Editors. (Forthcoming in 2012). ‘Sustainable Coastal Management and Climate Change: Lessons from Regional Australia’. CSIRO Publishing.

Book Chapters

Pokrant B. & L. Stocker (2011) ‘Anthropology, climate change and coastal planning.’ Chapter 9, in Kopnina, H. & E. Shoreman Ouimet (eds) Environmental Anthropology Today: Cross Disciplinary Investigations, Routledge.

Stocker, L., Newman, P. & Duggie, J. (Forthcoming in 2012) ‘Climate Change and Perth (South West Australia).’ In, Blakely, E. (ed) Planning Urban Regions for Climate Change, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, Cambridge, MA.

Stocker, L., Pokrant, B., Wood, D., Harvey, N., Haward, M., O'Toole, K.  & Smith, T. (2010) ‘Australian Universities, Government Research and the Application of Climate Change Knowledge in Australian Coastal Zone Management.’ In, Leal Filho, W. (ed) Universities and Climate Change. Springer, Berlin.

Stocker, L. & Burke, G. (forthcoming) ‘A Participatory Approach to Mapping Sustainability Values’ in Marinova, D., Armstrong, R. (eds) Methodologies for Sustainability Research, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, UK.

Saleqazzaman, Md & Stocker, L.J. (forthcoming) ‘ Integrated Coastal Zone Development in Bangladesh’ in Marinova, D. (ed) Sustainability Issues in Asia, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, UK.

Netherwood, K., Buchanan, J., Palmer, D., Stocker, L. & Down, B. (2007) ‘Valuing Diversity in Children’s Voices – Case Study of the Western Australian Cluster’ in Lovat, T & Toomey, R. (eds) Values Education and Quality Teaching: The Double Helix Effect. David Barlow, Terrigal.

Stocker, L. & Netherwood, K. (2006) ‘Children Caring for the Coast: A Values Education Project on Sustainability in Place’, in Paulin, S. (ed.) Community Voices: Creating Sustainable Spaces. UWA Press, Perth.

Book Reviews

Kennedy, D. & Stocker, L, (2011). Book review: Orrin H. Pilkey and Rob Young, 2009, The Rising Sea, Island Press, Washington. Australian Journal of Environmental Management. In Press.

Refereed journal articles

Stocker, L., G. Burke, D. Kennedy and D. Wood. ‘Sustainability and Climate Adaptation: Using

Google Earth to Engage Stakeholders’. Submitted to Ecological Economics; under review.

Kennedy, D., Stocker, L. and Burke, G. (2010) 'Australian local government action on climate change adaptation: some critical reflections to assist decision-making', Local Environment, 15:9, 805 – 816

Wood, D. & Stocker, L. (2009) ‘Towards reflexive governance for coastal adaptation to climate change: an action research methodology’ The International Journal of Science in Society 1(3): 137-145. Winner of International Science in Society Award 2009.

Stocker, L. (2009) ‘Your past, my present: sustaining life across generations’. Australian Jewish Historical Society Journal Vol XIX (3): 354-381

Stocker, L. (2009) ‘Sea, self and sustainability’. Life Writing 6(1): 133-141

Gazzani, F., Marinova, D., Stocker, L. (2008) ‘Managing Ningaloo Reef: Choice Modelling and Policies’. Journal of Management and Sustainable Development 20(2): 96-102.

Stocker, L., Kennedy, D. & Marinova, D. (2008) ‘Cultural Models of the Coast in Australia’. Journal of Management and Sustainable Development 20(2):70-77.

Stocker, L., & Kennedy, D.  (2009) ‘Cultural Models of the Coast in Australia: Towards Sustainability’ Coastal Management 37(5): 387-404.

Stocker, L. & Kennedy, D. (2009) ‘Perspective matters: Towards sustainability in Western Australia’s coastal zone.’ The International Journal of Environmental, Cultural, Economic and Social Sustainability 5(5): 271-286

Fully Refereed and Edited Conference Papers

Stocker, L., Kennedy, D., Metcalf, S., Dambacher, J., Middle, G. & Wood, D. (2011). ‘Modelling coastal governance in the South West of WA: complexity, collaboration and climate adaptation’. Paper accepted for Modelling and Simulation Society of Australia and New Zealand, Sustaining Our Future: Understanding and Living with Uncertainty. December 12 – 16, 2011, Perth.  

Stocker, L. & Burke, G. (2009) ‘Teaching Sustainability with Overlay Mapping and Google Earth’ TL Forum (2009). Teaching and learning for global graduates. Proceedings of the 18th Annual Teaching Learning Forum, 29-30 January 2009. Curtin University of Technology, Perth, http://otl.curtin.edu.au/tlf/tlf2009/contents-all.html

Stocker, L. & Burke, G. (2006) ‘Overlay Mapping – A Methodology for Place-Based Sustainability Education’. Chapter 25, in Wooltorton, S. and Marinova, D. (eds) Sharing Wisdom for Our Future: Environmental Education in Action, Australian Association for Environmental Education, Sydney.

Netherwood, K., Buchanan, J., Stocker, L. & Palmer, D. (2006) ‘Values Education for Relational Sustainability: A Case Study of Lance Holt School and Friends’. Chapter 27, in Wooltorton, S. and Marinova, D. (eds) Sharing Wisdom for Our Future: Environmental Education in Action, Australian Association for Environmental Education, Sydney.

Davis, J. & Stocker, L. (2006) ‘Adopt a Beach: Educational Praxis for Sustainability. Chapter 26, in Wooltorton, S. and Marinova, D. (eds) Sharing Wisdom for Our Future: Environmental Education in Action, Australian Association for Environmental Education, Sydney.

Pollard, L., & Stocker, L. (2005) ‘Making Meaning Together - New approaches to Governance and Community in Modern Democracies’ in Gardiner, D. and Scott, K. (eds) Proceedings of the International Conference on Engaging Communities, Queensland Department of Main Roads, Brisbane, Queensland. http://www.engagingcommunities2005.org/ab-theme-11.html and http://www.engagingcommunities2005.org/PeerreviewedlistApril06.pdf (accessed 25 February 2008).

Conference Papers

Pokrant, B. & L. Stocker (2010) ‘Disciplines and Post-disciplinarity in coastal planning.’ 2010 International Climate Change Adaptation Conference. Climate Adaptation Futures: Preparing for the unavoidable impacts of climate change. NCCARF & CSIRO, Gold Coast, 28 June - 02 July 2010.

Stocker, L. (2009) ‘Discussion Panel: Comparison of Planning Issues and Reasons for Approval/Rejection for New Coastal Developments. National Environmental Law Association - Coastal Law Conference, UWA, 15 May 2009.

Stocker, L. & D. Wood (2009) ‘Adaptive Responses to Climate Change in Regional Cities: Coastal Governance in the South West of WA.’ State of Australian Cities Conference, Perth, 24-27 November 2009.

Stocker, L., D. Kennedy, C. Hofmeester, D. Wood (2010) ‘Coastal Governance in WA: response capacity to climate impacts.’ 2010 International Climate Change Adaptation Conference. Climate Adaptation Futures: Preparing for the unavoidable impacts of climate change. NCCARF & CSIRO, Gold Coast, 28 June - 02 July 2010.

Stocker, L., D. Kennedy, C. Hofmeester, D. Wood (2010) ‘Coastal Governance in WA: principles, policy and practice.’ NZ Geographical Society (with the Institute of Australian Geographers) Conference 2010, Christchurch 5-8 July 2010.

Stocker, L., G. Burke & D. Wood (2010) ‘Coastal adaptation in WA: Using Google Earth to Engage Stakeholders’ NZ Geographical Society (with the Institute of Australian Geographers) Conference 2010, Christchurch 5-8 July 2010.

Wood, D. & L. Stocker (2009) ‘Engaging Stakeholders in Climate Change Science: A Case Study in Australia’s Coastal Zone.’ International Science in Society Conference, Cambridge, 5-7 August 2009.

Wood, D., L. Stocker, B. Clarke, L. Cordner, N. Harvey, M. Haward, T. Smith, K. O’Toole (2009) ‘Enabling Science Implementation in Governing Australia’s Coastal Zone.’ WA Coastal Conference’, Fremantle, 7-9 October 2009

In addition to the Coastal Collaboration Cluster project mentioned above, I have just started work with my colleague Len Collard on the development of the website "Nyungar Wardan Katitjin Bidi" or "Ocean People's Knowledge Trail". This project makes a major contribution to the representation of Nyungar coastal/marine values. We will develop a website and poster showing Nyungar dreamtime narratives, and names of coastal places, plants and animals.  Using existing literature and records and new oral stories, we will present Nyungar Wardan Katitjin Bidi, including the history of Cockburn Sound from before the end of the last glacial period 7000-10000 ago when sea levels rose. Visuals will include: maps of places, names and stories in Nyungar and English; a timeline reflecting both Nyungar and Western concepts; various images; and a glossary. The project is funded by Coastwest and supported by City of Cockburn and Curtin University.

I recently led, together with Melanie Bainbridge of WALGA, the development of a web-based toolkit for the WA Local Government Association for use by their constituent local governments.

With a range of colleagues in the early 2000s, I helped lead an action-research project with 5 primary schools in WA, which involved mapping local sustainability values. This project built on a preceding action-research project with Lance Holt School about sustainable living and Coastcare.

An ongiong research project is titled “Where the Sea Carried Us: Moments in Diaspora” about sense of place, marine ecology and Diaspora. With this book I am exploring the possibilities of Life Writing as a genre for reflecting on sustainability.

I coordinate the Masters in Sustainability Studies. I teach one of the core units titled 'Pathways to Sustainability'. Next year I will co-teach a new unit on 'Coastal Sustainability in the Indian Ocean Regioon', with Bob Pokrant.

Interactivity is a goal I strive for in my classes: sustainability is as much or more about dialogue as about technical fixes. I find interactivity very rewarding and liberating both professionally and personally.

A second goal for my teaching is education of the whole person. Where possible, I take a “head, heart and hand” approach, and sustainability is a field that surely needs this approach. The ‘heart’ provides the passion and long-term motivation to work towards sustainability; without ‘heart’ sustainability runs the risk of being dry and technocratic. The ‘hands’ keep us grounded in practical outcomes; without ‘hands’ sustainability becomes a set of elegant but unimplemented plans. The ‘head’ gives us the ability to be critically reflexive in our practice; without the ‘head’ we lack strategic direction and judgement.

A third goal for my teaching is the active inclusion of Indigenous people and culture in the sustainable development program. The reason for this is several-fold. There are strong social justice reasons for enabling the education of oppressed people for emancipatory ends. This is well established. Furthermore, sustainability as a practice stands on the shoulders of giants with an 80 000-year history in the field. Admittedly the technological and socio-cultural parameters have changed dramatically in the last 200 years, but the land and sea have the same fundamental properties and capabilities. Thus it is important to the process of sustainability that Indigenous people are employed in decision-making positions in this field.

A fourth goal for my teaching is that of re-construction. A student once said to me that she had spent three years in the Arts learning to de-construct reality and it was only when she came to do an honours with us that she began to learn to re-construct reality. I emphasise both de-construction and re-construction.

Finally, interdisciplinarity is fundamental to teaching sustainability: understanding and solving real world sustainability problems requires interdisciplinarity. Interdisciplinarity also leads us to draw on an integration of creative and logical thought processes, so central to sustainability.

I coordinate the posgraduate courses in Sustainability and Climate Policy.

Book Chapters (Authored, Research Quality)

• Pokrant, R, and Stocker, L. 2011. Anthropology, Climate Change and Coastal Planning. In Environmental Anthropology Today, eds Helen Kopnina and Eleanor Shoreman-Ouimet, 179-194. London and New York: Routledge.
• Pokrant, R, and Stocker, L. 2011. Anthropology, climate change and coastal planning. In Environmental Anthropology Today: Cross Disciplinary Investigations, eds Helen Kopnina and Eleanor Shoreman-Ouimet, 179-194. London ; New York: Routledge.
• Haward, M, O'Toole, K, Stocker, L, Harvey, N, Wood, D, Smith, T, and Pokrant, R. 2010. Australian Unviersities, Government Research and the Application of Climate Change Knowledge in Australian Coastal Zone Management. In Climate Change Management - Universities and Climate Change, eds Professor Walter Leal Filho, 31-46. Berlin, Germany: Springer.
• Palmer, D, Buchanan, J, Stocker, L, Down, B, and Netherwood, K. 2007. Valuing Diversity in Children's Voice: a Case Study of Children, Stewardship and Mapping the Care of Special Places in the Western Australian Cluster. In Values Education and Quality Teaching: The Double Helix Effect, eds Terry Lovat and Ron Toomey, 91-114. NSW: David Barlow Publishing.

Refereed Articles (Scholarly Journals)

• Kennedy, D, and Stocker, L. 2011. Artistic representations of the sea and coast: implications for sustainability. Landscapes 4(2): 97-123.
• Burke, G, Kennedy, D, and Stocker, L. 2010. Australian local government action on climate change adaptation: some critical reflections to assist decision-making. Local Environment 15(9): 805-816.
• Stocker, L. 2009. Your past, my present: sustaining life across generations. Australian Jewish Historical Society Journal 19(3): 354-381.
• Kennedy, D, and Stocker, L. 2009. Cultural Models of the Coast in Australia: Toward Sustainability. Coastal Managemant 37(5): 387-404.
• Stocker, L. 2009. Sea, Self and Sustainability. Life Writing 6(1): 133-141.
• Stocker, L, and Kennedy, D. 2009. Perspective Matters: Towards Sustainability in Western Australia's Coastal Zone. The International Journal of Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability 5(5): 271-286.
• Wood, D, and Stocker, L. 2009. ‘Coastal Adaptation to Climate Change: Towards Reflexive Governance’. The International Journal of Science in Society 1(3): 137-145.
• Kennedy, D, Stocker, L, and Marinova, D. 2008. Cultural Models of the Coast in Australia. Management and Sustainable Development 20: 70-77.
• Marinova, D, Gazzani, F, and Stocker, L. 2008. Managing Ningaloo Reef: Choice Modelling and Policies. Management and Sustainable Development 20: 96-120.
• Te Momo, F, Marinova, D, Muchira , L, Stocker, L, and Prihatinah, T. 2002. Empowerment: Finding Voices and Strategies To Combat Globalization.. Community Development Journal 37(4): 361-374.

Fully written papers (Refereed Conference proceedings)

• Kennedy, D, Middle, G, Stocker, L, Wood, D, Metcalf , S, and Dambacherd , J. 2011. Modelling coastal planning in southwest Western Australia: complexity, collaboration and climate adaptation. MODSIM 2011 International Congress on Modelling and Simulation; Sustaining Our Future: understnding and living with uncertainty, 12/12/2011. Perth: Modelling and Simulation Society of Australia and New Zealand.
• Burke, G, and Stocker, L. 2009. Teaching Sustainability with Overlay Mapping and Google Earth. Teaching and learning for global graduates, 29/01/2009. Curtin University of Technology, Perth: Curtin University of Technology.
• Stocker, L, and Pollard, L. 2005. Making Meaning Together – New approaches to Governance and Community in Modern Democracies. International Conference on Engaging Communities, 14/08/2005. Brisabne: Queensland Department of Main Roads.

Major Creative Works

• Stocker, L. 2011. Liminal, Littoral, Labile (the moving edge of the sea). Curtin University: Gallery of the John Curtin Gallery at Curtin University.