Perth Laboratory – Public Seminar Series 2008

Resilience in Ecology and Belief

Dr Ram Ranjan
Research Scientist
CSIRO Land and Water
Water for a Healthy Country Flagship

Thursday 1 May 2008 at 3.30pm, CSIRO Auditorium

Abstract

This presentation explores the crucial linkage between societal risk perception and the survival of threatened ecosystems exhibiting non-linear stock dynamics. Formation of beliefs over specie’s importance and over its survival chances may be subject to resilience and therefore may differ from actual risks. Whereas, ecosystems stand a higher chance of survival if they aren’t stressed beyond their resilience thresholds. When subjective perception of risks and the affected ecosystems are both influenced by competing uses of resources, several equilibriums arise, not all of which may ensure sustainability of the ecosystem.

About the speaker

Dr Ram Ranjan is an economist with the Policy and Economic Research Unit (PERU) which is part of CSIRO Land and Water's Society, Economy and Policy research program. Ram's specialisation includes Environmental Economics, Risk and Uncertainty, Operations Research and Behavioural and Political Economics.

Before joining CSIRO, Dr Ranjan was as a Postdoctoral Associate at the International Agriculture Trade and Policy Center, Food and Resource Economics in the University of Florida, a Visiting Scholar at the US Department of Agriculture-Economic Research Services and a consultant at the World Bank. He did his PhD from Pennsylvania State University and, prior to that, worked as a Project Analyst for Institute of Economic Growth in New Delhi.

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