Miss Melissa
Gordon
PhD student
Topic: Adoption of community
engagement in Australian plantation forest companies
Tasmanian
Institute of Agricultural Research, University of Tasmania
Melissa’s research aims to improve forest plantation
companies’ adoption of community engagement practices and
commitment to the principles of corporate social responsibility. As
part of that, her research explores company culture.
Effective participation and engagement between plantation
companies and the community is essential to achieving positive
social outcomes of sustainable forest management.
Melissa works with two forest plantation organisations to
understand how and why those companies undertake community
engagement. Using this case study method, the research aims to
provide insights to help Australian forest plantation managers
overcome practical limitations to community engagement
adoption.
Melissa brings varied academic and practical experience to her
current research. She studied a Bachelor of Environmental
Management (Tropical Forestry) in her native Queensland, before
gaining a range of work experience. This included one year as an
AusAID Youth Ambassador for Development working on a tree farm
project in the Philippines and two years as a tree farm supervisor
with a plantation company in Western Australia.
Melissa’s passion is to contribute to sustainable forest
management outcomes and to promote good communication between
plantation companies and the community.
Melissa’s supervisors are:
Professor
Frank Vanclay, University of Tasmania
Dr Michael Lockwood, University of Tasmania
Dr Jacki
Schirmer, Australian National University
Her PhD studies contribute to the CRC for Forestry 'Communities'
Project 4.3.
