Australasian Journal of Environmental Management
ISSN: 1448-6563 (Print) 2159-5356 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tjem20
Celebrating 25 years of the Australasian Journal
of Environmental Management: the environment
profession’s purpose, vision and values
Vicki Brady, Helen Ross & Claudia Baldwin
To cite this article: Vicki Brady, Helen Ross & Claudia Baldwin (2019) Celebrating 25 years
of the Australasian�Journal�of�Environmental�Management: the environment profession’s
purpose, vision and values, Australasian Journal of Environmental Management, 26:1, 1-5, DOI:
10.1080/14486563.2019.1577554
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/14486563.2019.1577554
Published online: 18 Feb 2019.
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AUSTRALASIAN JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
2019, VOL. 26, NO. 1, 1–5
https://doi.org/10.1080/14486563.2019.1577554
EDITORIAL
Celebrating 25 years of the Australasian Journal of
Environmental Management: the environment profession’s
purpose, vision and values
2019 is the 25th anniversary of the Australasian Journal of Environmental Management, the
journal of the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand. The journal was
founded in 1994, to provide an interdisciplinary source of scholarly articles to guide
policy and practice specific to the two member countries, later increasing in international
scope. A short history of the journal is provided in the editorial of the 20th anniversary
issue (Carter & Ross 2014). A history of the EIANZ (Anderson et al. 2014) is in the same
issue.
We celebrate this significant year with editorials featuring themes important to the Institute
and the profession, and special issues. In this issue, guest editor Vicki Brady, Vice-President
(Australia) of the EIANZ, explains the participatory process followed in refreshing the Institute’s purpose, vision and values. Later in 2019 we expect to publish one or more of three
special issues currently in preparation: on Aboriginal water management, wind energy development, and heritage as part of environmental management.
EIANZ professional purpose, vision and values
In July 2018, the EIANZ Board formed an eight -person working group to focus on the
development of a new draft purpose, vision and values for the EIANZ, to complement
revisions to the Corporate Plan, due in mid-2019. The highly participatory process led
by the working group demonstrated the values-based approach, aiming to engage and
consult with as many EIANZ members as possible. It elicited statements that would
define who we are (purpose), who we want to be (vision), and what we believe in and
how we behave (values).
Three steps have been held to date:
.
.
.
A Buzzword Bingo activity was carried out during August 2018, at Division and Chapter
annual general meetings. This activity gave participants the opportunity to choose from
over 30 words that relate to the EIANZ’s identity and how we serve our members. Participants were encouraged to rank these words to identify whether they were considered a good
(or not-so-good) fit with the EIANZ.
A member-wide survey was released in September 2018, with 116 responses. The findings of
the Buzzword Bingo activity were used to develop questions and gauge the level of agreement with each statement. Free text options enabled respondents to provide additional
information, which the working group considered during the assessment phase.
Trees of Aspiration were created at the EIANZ annual conference in Sydney in early
November 2018. Posters with outlines of trees were displayed prominently in the foyer
throughout the conference. All attendees were invited to annotate with felt pens or sticky
© 2019 Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand Inc.
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EDITORIAL
Figure 1: Tree of aspiration – purpose - filled at the EIANZ Annual Conference 2018
notes on what a purpose, vision or value means to them, along with agreeing (or respectfully
disagreeing) with what others had written (see figure 1).
From the results of these activities, the group worked through multiple iterations, presenting
the following draft purpose, vision and values to the EIANZ Board for comment on December
11th 2018.
AUSTRALASIAN JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
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Our purpose is to connect environmental professionals for a more sustainable tomorrow.
Our vision is to improve the environment for everyone, by:
. Representing the environment profession
. Striving and advocating for better outcomes through raising practice standards
. Unifying diverse practitioners towards common goals
Our values are that we are:
. Ethical: We share a commitment to ethical professional practice and environmental responsibilities.
. Excellence: We establish and enhance high standards of environmental practice.
. Engaged: We are a credible and engaged voice for evidence-based environmental management.
The draft is currently going through a final round of presentation to Institute members for
comment, to be ratified by the EIANZ executive late in March 2019 in time to influence the
next revision of the EIANZ Corporate Plan (2019-2021). Comments are welcome from all
EIANZ members and can be provided to Vicki Brady via newvision@eianz.org until COB
Thursday 28th February.
Articles in this issue
Each of the articles in this issue explores human attempts towards achieving sustainability.
Topics include: best practices for farmers to address climate risk; understanding drivers for
landholder protection of wetlands; uptake of household renewable energy; rationale for companies’ carbon disclosure strategies; and a survey of environmental professionals. These are an
apt reminder of the important and varied roles of environmental managers, researchers, and
policy makers in driving towards a sustainable future.
Two important issues in risk management and climate adaptation in agriculture are identifying best management practices and research priorities. David George, Jeff Clewett, David
Lloyd, Richard McKellar, Poh-Ling Tan, Mark Howden, Lauren Rickards, David Ugalde
and Snow Barlow treat the northern sub-tropical grains region of Australia as a case study.
They conducted a set of workshops with landholders to assess best management practice standards for dryland grains crops, then compared results from these workshops to literature, to
update research priorities. The authors recommend that increased priority be given to education and extension on risk management, and collaborative processes between farmers,
industry and scientists to improve best management practices. These should be developed
for incremental and transformative adaptation, and management of extreme climatic
events. Methods for increasing adoption are an important consideration.
Wetlands on private land, in Victoria’s Wimmera and elsewhere, are an important environmental asset. They are threatened by a number of processes, including cropping. Emily
Mendham and Allan Curtis surveyed Wimmera landholders’ views about cropping on or draining
wetlands, which despite being regulated, and considerable public engagement, continues to occur.
The drivers are mainly economic. Their analysis offers many suggestions for targeted engagement,
differentiating between commercial and other landholders who own wetlands. The authors also
suggest offering financial incentives for active management beyond that required by law.
Angela Paladino and Ameet Pandit studied the motivations behind household purchase of
green electricity in Australia, to help providers increase their appeal to consumers. The renewable marketplace has been confused by a number of policy changes since 2012. This marketplace needs development to realise its potential to ameliorate Australia’s status as one of the
world’s highest emitters of greenhouse gases per person. Governments have a role in disseminating clear and factual information, and in making policies that affect pricing mechanisms
and hence households’ incentives to consider renewable sources. Providers need to ‘inform
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EDITORIAL
and excite’ potential consumers through product differentiation, value-added services, and
building trust.
David Herold and Ki-Hoon Lee note that existing research on companies’ carbon disclosure
strategies has struggled to differentiate types of disclosure strategy, or to explore interactions
between internal and external pressures on companies in forming those strategies. Studying
leading global logistics companies, they created a typology of response to high and low internal
and external pressures respectively. They found that key internal drivers are the company’s policies and procedures, such as those concerning emissions reductions, while key external drivers
are high engagement with policy makers and NGOs. Most companies had a consistent approach
to carbon disclosure, either responding genuinely to both internal and external influences with
effective initiatives, or avoiding both drivers by relying on symbolic pronouncements.
Ian Thomas follows up two previous surveys of environmental professionals, to document
the most recent characteristics of those in the profession, their anticipation of the profession’s
future, and skills they find important. Within the sampling limitations of an internet survey
reliant on selected mailing lists, he found little change from previous surveys. The profession
continues to show great variety, in sectors of employment, degrees held and job descriptions.
Most respondents were optimistic about the profession, but shifts were evident in some of the
types of work, such as declines in policy, legislation and enforcement, and in research and
development. Concern was raised about general support for the profession in the future.
This set of data forms a useful basis for promotion and enhancement of the profession. Opportunities lie in increasing transferrable skills based on formal education and work experience, to
support mobility within the profession.
Editors tip:
How should an author respond to peer reviewer advice? It is easy to be dismayed if reviews are
unfavourable, especially if they are also worded in less than diplomatic ways.
First, put it aside for a day or two, then return to read it more carefully and calmly. Work
out what the reviewers are really saying, or looking for. A common approach is to use the
rejoinder table for the team of authors to plan and list how to address each comment.
Then, as the manuscript is finalised, edit the rejoinder table into a final form.
You may believe that the reviewers have failed to understand your work – if so, consider
whether you have communicated your purpose and arguments sufficiently. Address all
points in each review sincerely and diligently: editors and reviewers are not impressed if
you skimp. Look out for ways to address comments parsimoniously. For example, sometimes
if you are asked to explain or justify a point, a small edit to the words in contention may solve
the problem, rather than new content. You are permitted to disagree with some of the advice,
but always justify why you should not make the change requested. It is best not to do this often:
editors are unimpressed with authors who appear not to be trying or are rigid in defending
their viewpoint.
Above all, take a positive attitude. You, the reviewers and editor want to see the best possible
work published. Embrace this chance to raise your standard, to better communicate your
message to the reader, and welcome the assistance.
Acknowledgements
We acknowledge the members of the EIANZ working group created to develop EIANZ’s purpose,
vision and values: Vicki Brady (Chair and EIANZ Board representative), Carolyn Cameron (ACT
Division President, Advisory Council Chair and representative), Sophie Cowie (Students and Early
AUSTRALASIAN JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
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Careers Committee Chair and representative), Mark Bellingham (New Zealand Vice President),
David Carberry (SEQ Division), Jack Annear (SA Division), Jill Bunnell (Victorian Division),
and Alan Chenoweth (CEnvP Board Chair and representative).
References
Anderson, A., B. Haylock, T. Hundloe, S. Molesworth, M- L. Morris, J. Roper-Lindsay, P. Skelton, and J.
Womersley. 2014. “The evolution of environmental management as a profession in Australia and New
Zealand”. Australasian Journal of Environmental Management 21 (2): 128–142.
Carter, R.W. and H. Ross. 2014. “Celebrating 20 years of peer reviewed articles on Australasian environmental
management”. Australasian Journal of Environmental Management 21 (2): 121–127.
Vicki Brady
Vice President (Australia), The Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand
vice-presidentaust@eianz.org
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5422-9420
Helen Ross
The University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia
helen.ross@uq.edu.au
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4439-6273
Claudia Baldwin
University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0707-6564