Helping Local Government to Better Manage Coastal Environments
Gabrielle Wiltshire
School of Earth & Environmental Science
Gabrielle chose this topic because
she currently works as a Natural Resource Planning Officer for the NSW
Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources on coast and
estuary management.
Gabrielle Wiltshire is half way through her first year as a part-time research Masters student in the School of Earth and Environmental Science. She is hoping to develop a decision support tool for local governments to help them decide where to spend their limited funds on managing beaches and dunes. She’s doing this by developing a GIS model of susceptibility to erosion and potential for recovery. Gabrielle chose this topic because she currently works in the State Government on coast and estuary management issues and constantly observes Councils trying to respond to community concerns and environmental hazards with very limited budgets. As she’s part-time and only 6 months into the research, she has not yet progressed to fieldwork or model development, but has learned enough about her topic to realise that 4 years may not be enough time!
She describes herself: “I spent the first 25 years of my life living in various rural centres around Australia before moving to Jervis Bay and realising what a beautiful and fascinating place the coast is. I have since moved to Wollongong and have landed my dream job that will ensure I stay living on the coast. I work in the Coast and Estuaries section of the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources. I am doing a Masters to increase my understanding of coastal processes and GIS, and to address a pressing need of local governments in their management of the coast. I am finding part-time study challenging and am constantly amazed by people around me who manage to study and work and raise a family all at the same time.”
