DPhil Student
lillian.ireland@jesus.ox.ac.uk

Lilli Ireland

Background

I am proud Melukerdee woman from South-East Lutruwita/Tasmania, Australia. I am extremely lucky to have grown up on Country in a beautiful part of the world, but have witnessed the environmental harms threatening our land and seas. In my culture, women have a special relationship/belonging with the sea, and this drives my duty and studies in protecting it. I am passionate that our climate and biodiversity crises cannot be solved without the knowledge and leadership of Indigenous Peoples, and this has led me to my work in Indigenous rights in marine conservation and governance more broadly.

Research interests

In my undergraduate studies at the Australian National University, I studied a double degree in science and law. I wanted to understand the science of our environment, and the laws that shape how we protect the rights of both peoples and places. Since then, I have worked in the legal sector in Australia as a legal researcher on Indigenous rights, as an associate to judicial officers in court, and as a lawyer in an environmental law firm.

I am now studying a Masters of Biodiversity, Conservation and Management at the University of Oxford. This involves a dissertation focussing on a case study on marine management in Lutruwita/Tasmania. This research is supervised by Helen Newing at the ICCS and Lisa Wedding at the Seascape Ecology Lab at the School of Geography and the Environment.

Current research

My dissertation involves participatory research with the Aboriginal Peoples of the South-East Nation of Lutruwita/Tasmania. By mapping and recording Aboriginal values, practices and concerns regarding the seascape, my goal is to provide insight on how cultural seascapes can and must form part of marine spatial planning for effective marine governance.

Brief CV

Education

  • 2024-present: MSc Biodiversity, Conservation and Management (University of Oxford)
  • 2022: Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice (Australian College of Law)
  • 2017-2022: LLB (Australian National University)
  • 2017-2022: BS Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology (Australian National University)

Professional Experience

  • 2024: Lawyer, Environmental Justice Australia
  • 2023-2024: Researcher, University of Queensland
  • 2022-2023: Associate, ACT Supreme Court
  • 2020-2022: Legal researcher, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies

Links

https://www.oxfordseascapeecologylab.com/