Environment

Tasmania’s geography as an island state, its status as an Antarctic Gateway, and its economic reliance on forestry, aquaculture, agriculture and eco-tourism make us uniquely placed to do work of genuine and lasting impact.

Research from the University of Tasmania shapes our environmental future.

Our research maximises our location in relation to a series of overlapping regions—Australia, Asia, Antarctica, the Pacific, the Southern Ocean, Oceania, Australasia—and focuses on the unique cultures, indigeneities, communities, and practices that emerge from these contexts.

Our work generates new resources for creativity, regional development, policy intervention, and an environmentally sustainable Australia.

Our big questions:

How do we make regional areas resilient to environmental change?
What is the future of our energy markets?
What challenges does a changing environment pose for governance and international treaties?

How does art, literature, music, and the media reflect and construct environmental sentiment?
How do we ensure global food security?

Find out more about how you can Partner with us or Study with us.

Research Centres & Units

Australian Forum for Climate Intervention Governance (AFCIG)

Animal Studies Research Group

Antarctic Engagements Research Group

Environmental Humanities Research Group

Climate Justice Network

Featured Projects

CONSORT Bruny Island Battery Trial

How can batteries be used by householders to manage their energy while simultaneously being used to help manage the network?

CONSORT is a project aimed to alleviate congestion on Bruny Island undersea power supply cable and to reduce the reliance on costly and polluting diesel generation during peak season.

Learn more about the CONSORT project

Selling the land of extremes

Ever wondered how your perception of Antarctica has been shaped over the years? Influences are usually documentaries, advertising, or by reading books on the continent.

Hanne Nielsen is a PhD candidate at the School of Humanities, whose research is exploring how Antarctica has been used in advertising.

Learn more about Hanne's project

Derwent on display

The School of Creative Arts presented an exhibition at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) from their Derwent Project research showcasing the use of innovative photography using our local region to explore environmental issues.

Bringing seafood governance to the surface

Coco Cullen-Knox is a PhD candidate at the School of Social Sciences, whose research explores the roll of environmental campaigning and media in the governance of seafood.

Learn more about Coco's project

News

‘I tend to be very gentle’: how teachers are navigating climate change in the classroom

Climate change education is increasingly seen as an essential part of schooling.The main international test of 15-year-olds’ progress (which Australia participates in) has just announced the next round of testing will include environmental

Food sustainability the focus for AgriCULTURED conversation

Helping communities understand and nurture resilient local food systems will be the focus for Professor Alana Mann at this week’s AgriCULTURED event in the state’s North.The University’s Professor of Media and Communication, who specialises in

Spotlight on Kim Beasy, Senior Lecturer in Curriculum and Pedagogy

Dr Kim Beasy specialises in education for sustainability. Kim’s teaching and research engage diverse communities in the social, environmental, economic and cultural dimensions of sustainability. She seeks to inform and show how transitions toward

Poet Caitlin Maling awarded inaugural McAuley Fellowship

Ecological poet Caitlin Maling will tap into some deep Tasmanian roots when she takes up a new $10,000 creative fellowship at the University of Tasmania.The West Australian writer, whose most recent book was shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s