Crown of Thorns Starfish Control Innovation Program (CCIP) - R08 Translation Project

Co Investigator

2.1.1 Rationale, objectives and outcomes The Stakeholder perceptions of COTS management, socio-economic risks, opportunities and co-benefits project (CCIP R-08) signifies one of the first comprehensive social scientific examinations of community and public perceptions of COTS and COTS management. Leveraging social research conducted under the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program’s Stakeholder Engagement subprogram, this project established a baseline understanding of the nature and extent of these perceptions and gained insight into the processes through which Reef stakeholders and communities form views on existing and novel COTS management strategies. An important output of CCIP R-08 has been an empirically grounded ‘social license framework’ (Figure 1) which identifies eight domains around which communities evaluate the acceptability of COTS management and emerging CCIP technologies. These can be understood as the foundations for the social acceptability of CCIP and COTS management. By teasing out and visualising these eight domains, the framework offers valuable opportunities to systematically embed community expectations around Traditional Owner Rights and Responsibilities (TORR) and Social Licence to Operate (SLO) into CCIP research and outcomes and to strategically enhance the social responsibility of COTS management and its acceptability to Reef communities. For these opportunities to be realised, however, scientists, managers and decision-makers must understand the framework and be able to operationalise it in their projects and activities. This research translation project has two objectives: • To build awareness and familiarity amongst COTS scientists, managers and policymakers regarding the CCIP R-08 social licence framework and its strategic applications for innovative and responsible COTS management and communications. • To build capacity within COTS research and management in relation to TORR and SLO so that researchers, managers and science communicators can confidently implement actions to maintain and enhance these domains in the design and delivery of their projects.

01 Nov 2024 - 15 Dec 2025

N/A