Dr Colin Hunt passed away on 27 December 2013.
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Dr Colin Hunt has been researching and publishing on climate change, natural resource protection and ecological management for over 20 years. His research takes a multi-disciplinary approach with a strong focus on economics. He now has over 70 publications to his name, including 7 books.
A global approach has been taken in investigating the role of forestry and forests, and markets for sequestered carbon in mitigating climate change.
In Asia, prospects for mitigating greenhouse emissions in fast-growing economies has been published; as have the potential benefits and costs of reducing deforestation (REDD) and logging in PNG and Indonesia.
In Australia, a focus on research has been the prospects for meeting Australia's greenhouse targets - given the relative costs of renewable energy and the lack of global markets for carbon. Implications of coal seam gas extraction have also been publicised.
He has wide work experience in South Asia, South-east Asia and the Pacific. For four years he was Principal Economist at Papua New Guinea's National Research Institute; where he undertook research in forestry and fisheries. For four years he taught in the graduate programme in the National Centre for Development Studies at the Australian National University. He currently teaches the economics of sustainable fisheries part-time at the University of Queensland. His past fisheries management experience includes the position of Executive Director of the South Australian Fishing Industry Council (SAFIC).
His involvement in management of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area goes back 20 years, when he was a member of the stakeholder team that authored the Reef's 25 Year Strategic Plan. His recent published research has investigated the benefits and costs of the Coral Sea Marine Reserve, and the conflict between economic development and marine and coastal ecosystems. See, for example: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X12002539.
In a voluntary capacity he has served as a director of Far North Queensland Natural Resource Management (now Terrain NRM) and a vice president of Trees for the Evelyn and Atherton Tablelands Inc. (TREAT).
He holds the degrees of Bachelor of Science and Master of Agricultural Economics, and his PhD is in social sciences. Since 2008 he has held the position of Fellow in Economics at the University of Queensland.