Griffith University

PhD (Planning) (UQ), BRTP (Hons) (UQ)

Lecturer, Griffith School of Environment

Contact details for Dr Karen Vella

Biography

Dr Vella is an Urban and Environmental Planner with broad experience in research and planning practice and a passion for improving planning and governance for better social and environmental outcomes.  Karen obtained a PhD from the University of Queensland in 2005 and has held a number of positions at the interface between research and professional practice.   This includes a Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship at the CSIRO and managing social science research and monitoring for the Australian Government’s Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.  Karen has also played various regional leadership roles in planning, research, monitoring and evaluation in the Regional NRM sector in the Wet Tropics and the Reef Rescue Program.    Dr Vella has been extensively involved writing and supervising research projects and has substantial experience in collaborative research, environmental change management, and in establishing practical and effective monitoring and evaluation systems.  Dr Vella works closely with community, regional, sectoral and government stakeholders to advance leading edge environmental planning research and make a positive contribution towards building enhanced outcomes.

Recent Grants

• Dale (CI), Vella, Cottrell, Stevenson 2012, 'Understanding, assessing and monitoring community resilience as a basis for facilitating and securing regional climate change adaptation across the Wet Tropics, Northern Gulf, Cape York Peninsula and Torres Strait sub-regions of Far North Queensland'. ($85K Queensland Centre for Social Science Innovation Grant).
• Dale (CI) and Vella, 2011-2012, 'Governance, planning and the effective application of emerging ecosystem service markets to secure climate change adaptation and landscape resilience in Far North Queensland' .  2011-$60K, 2012-$60K.  National Environmental Research Program: Tropical Ecosystems Hub (administered through the Reef and Rainforest Research Centre).

Selected Publications

• Vella, K., Marshall, N. and Dale, A. (2010) 'Socially-based approaches for climate change adaptation in the GBR', Great Barrier Reef Research Foundation.
• Vella K., Harrison D, Blankeney S, Sing N, Reghenzani J and Cosgrove M. (2010) 'Wet tropics farm practice benchmark survey, 2008-09 results', Terrain Natural Resource Management, Innisfail.
• Vella K., Sing, N. and Bass, D. (2009) 'Wet tropics reef rescue impact report', Terrain Natural Resource Management, Innisfail.
• Fenton M., Kelly, G., Vella, K. and Innes, J. (2008) 'Climate change and Great Barrier Reef: industries and communities', in Johnson, J. and Marshall, P. (eds) Climate Change and the Great Barrier Reef, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and Australian Greenhouse Office, Australia.
• Vella K. (2008) 'State-wide ABCD framework for sugar cane environmental management systems', Terrain Natural Resource Management, Innisfail.
• Lahn, J., Vella, K., Innes, J. and Prideaux, B. (2007) 'Plan for a social, economic and institutional research and monitoring program for the Great Barrier Reef', report to the Marine and Tropical Sciences Research Facility, Cairns.
• Smajgl, A., Nursey-Bray, N., Vella, K. and Herr, A. (2007) 'Building institutional incentives in dying communities', in Smajgl, A. and Larson, S. (eds) Sustainable resource use: Institutional dynamics and economics, Earthscan, London.
• Haynes D, Waterhouse J, Innes J, Vella K, Furnas M, and Schaffelke B. (2005) 'Great Barrier Reef water quality protection plan (reef plan): First annual marine monitoring programme report', Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Townsville.
• Vella, K., Williams, R., Walker, D., Smajgl, A., Kirschbaum, M. and Greiner, R. (2005) 'Viewpoint: social and economic dimensions of involving savanna communities in carbon management systems', Australian Journal of Botany, 53(7): 741-747.
• Vella, K. and Nursey-Bray, M. (2005) 'Frameworks and analysis of institutional arrangements for multiple use: Reflections-Etheridge shire', CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Townsville.
• Walker, D., Vella K. and Kotzman M. (2004) 'Regional planning and the sugar industry', CSIRO, Townsville.