Dr. Matt Curnock is a senior research scientist at CSIRO whose work in social and environmental science focuses on how people perceive, value and interact with the Great Barrier Reef.

Matt realised early on in his career that “managing the environment is actually about managing people”. While people are often the source of negative impacts on the environment, it follows that they are also where solutions to environmental issues will be found.

Social science can help provide insights for reef management programs and policies.

Part of Matt’s work involves working on the Social and Economic Long-Term Monitoring Program (SELTMP). This program is designed to help to understand how changes to the Reef are impacting on communities, economies and industries that rely on it.