At Social Innovations we aid our clients to develop innovative products and services to meet their requirements.

Current Projects

Feasibility Study - Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Interpretive Centre, Murchison Shire.

Capacity Assessment - Murchison Shire.

Impact Assessment Queensland University of Technology

Social Innovations is engaged by CSIRO Pullenvale Queensland and is currently undertaking  projects to do with impact pathways and science excellence.

Recent Projects

Social Innovations recently assisted the Badimaya Barna Tjuba Native Title claimants in preparing documentation for the Badimaya Barna Juda Native Title Claim heard in the Federal Court in January 2020.

Recent projects also include the development of  the Murchison Regional Vermin Cell Revitalisation Program. The Program will assist pastoralists within the vermin cell to manage wild dog predation while at the same time addressing total grazing pressure.  The current challenge facing pastoralists in the Murchison, is the need to implement policies and programs that support coordinated wild dog management and total grazing pressure contemporaneously, in order to ensure the benefits of programs are fully realised, but to do this in a way that does not take over, or crowd out, private investment/s.

Social Innovations worked collaboratively with CSIRO Earth Science & Resource Engineering Queensland and DPIF Alice Springs. The aim of the study was to conduct exploratory research into the adaptation capacity of pastoralists in the southern rangelands region of Western Australia using stakeholder engagement methods. The research is focused on developing and piloting two holistic economic models, based on a four quadrant design and utilising theory from a Five Capitals approach

Video Projects

Filming Project -Tourism Videos - Yalgoo Shire and Paynes Find

Both videos inform the audience about the history of Yalgoo  township and highlights a number sights of interest located throughout the Shire of Yalgoo.

Social Innovations produced two 30 minute documentaries on pastoralists in the Southern Rangelands.

  • Sustainable Pastoralism: Collaboration - A Way Forward.
  • The Bash
Charleville_Documentary

Filmed in Charleville, South West Queensland, the video follows nine pastoralists and one staff member of Rangelands NRM WA who travelled to Charleville to meet with the CEO of South West NRM. The purpose of the visit was to  brief the pastoralists  about the Collaborative Area Management Cell Project and cluster development which had recently been established to manage macropods and wild dogs.  The group  had opportunities to meet with their counterparts who talked about their experiences forming the clusters.  The documentary highlights the benefits of working collaboratively - building networks and relationships within industry and interest groups as well as cross border information transfer to address issues that impact on their natural resources and affect their livelihoods.

  • Sustainable Pastoralism :The Bash

Filmed in Western Australia’s outback, ‘The Bash’ highlights the move by pastoralists in the Southern Rangelands to embrace the concept of ‘working together collaboratively’ for the benefit of the industry and the environment. The theme of the Bash was re-igniting enthusiasm for the pastoral industry and enhancing communities through collaboration. It demonstrated what working together can achieve and the potential benefits of collaboration to tackle ‘wicked’ problems; feral herbivores and wild dog management are examples of these. Examples of collaboration were on show, with presentations of projects that have achieved success through participation and collaboration. Potential opportunities from emerging industries, giving pastoralists an eye to the future, will be discussed. All this was to encourage the culture of information transfer.

Meka

Previous Projects

  • Karen Cosgrove managed the Sustainable Pastoralism Program for Rangelands Natural Resource Management Western Australia between Jan 2013 to December 2014.  The program adopted a participatory action learning and research process, engaging pastoralists in group activities which extended beyond for example, workshops and the devolved grant process.  Participatory action learning and research adopts an innovative approach to learning.  The action learning dimension involved pastoralists, who are the ultimate users’ of natural resources and science-based component technologies.
  • Evaluation and Report : Motivation of Young Agricultural Professionals : Qualitative Analysis of Developing and Underdeveloped Countries - Eritrea, India, Iraq, Niger, Tibet.
  • Member Expert Group – Designed and applied Community Capacity Assessment Tool (CCA Tool) for Primary Industries and Resources South Australia (PIRSA) in conjunction with University South Australia across Riverton and Orroroo, Pinnaroo and Ceduna South Australia.  Client: Department Primary Industries and Resources South Australia.   
  • Designed and applied a natural resource management assessment tool for community based natural resources management.  This tool was a subtool of the CCA Assessment Tool.  The tool was piloted in the South Australian Arid Lands and later used as a standard benchmarking tool.   Client: Department Water, Land , Biodiversity and Conservation South Australia (DWLBC).
  • NRM Community Assessment – Eyre Peninsular NRM Board – Community and Board self-assessment of capacity to implement – administer natural resource management policy and projects across the Eyre Peninsula. Client: Eyre Peninsula NRM Board. 
  • Community Capacity Assessment – District Council Ceduna , District Council Orroroo -Carrieton, District Council Pinnaroo, District Council Riverton, District Council Yankallila South Australia.
  • Social and Cultural Impact Assessment – Far West Coast Native Title Claimant Group.  Undertake a social and cultural assessment of the impact of mineral sands mining and related activities on Aboriginal communities located in and around the Ceduna township, and those communities located along the haulage route. Client: Far West Coast Native Title Claimant Group and Iluka Resources Pty Ltd.
  • Community Based Natural Resource Management Assessment and Analysis – Capitals Based Assessment – SAAL Board and Community Capacity to Administer and undertaken natural resource management.  Client: South Australian Arid Land NRM Board. 
  • Community Based Natural Resource Management Assessment and Analysis – Capitals Based Assessment – Board and Community Capacity to Administer and undertaken natural resource management.  Client: Eyre Peninsula NRM Board. 
  • Research and Analysis – How primary industry organisations in South Australia both obtain and transfer climate change knowledge and information.   Client:  NRM Research Alliance South Australia.
  • Building Partnerships Program – Evaluation of a Commonwealth funded, joint Western Australian and South Australian pastoral program. Client: Rangelands Natural Resource Management Co-ordinating Group.
  • Develop Indicators for Minerals and Energy Scorecard Primary Industry Resources South Australia (PIRSA).
  • Guest Speaker - Thinkers In Residence - Adelaide South Australia.
  • Invited by the Commission Rural Communities, London UK to demonstrate Community Capacity Audit Tool and attend several workshops, London and Reading United Kingdom.
  • Develop Indicators for and undertake Evaluation Food Summit Adelaide, South Australia  - Present Findings to South Australian Parliament.
  • Major Research - Industry Adjustment - Diary Industry South Australia, PIRSA SA.