Seminar – Community consultation in Uzbekistan and HVRF research

The next Hunter Environmental Institute (HEI) seminar will feature presentations by two local environmental specialists with a significant amount of experience in community consultation, stakeholder engagement and research – Louise Duff and Evan Steverson.

*Car parking Limited;

*Register and pay before 15 October 2010.

Louise Duff recently worked on a social safeguards and resettlement project in Uzbekistan as an intern with Andrew McIntyre of MPC Group. Her role was to conduct focus group interviews with affected women, and her report formed the basis of the Gender Action Plan and the Community Action Plan as well as informing the Resettlement Plan. Louise will present a snapshot of the project, covering Uzbekistan's vital statistics, the road development objectives, project Terms of Reference, Asia Development Bank's Resettlement Policy, survey methods and outcomes.

Evan Steverson will summarise the Hunter Valley Research Foundation’s (HVRF) most recent “Environmental Attitudes” research report. Evan will go through The Foundation’s findings on the perceptions people in the Hunter have regarding a range of high profile issues including climate change, nuclear power, the coal industry, recycled water usage, household use of energy and water, and personal environmental behaviours.

About the speakers

Louise Duff is a Hunter-based community consultation specialist, with 20 years of experience. Louise’s career also includes a significant amount of natural resource management experience, stakeholder engagement, environmental education and training.

Evan Steverson works with HVRF as a Research Fellow. Evan has over 15 years’ research experience, acquired through his employment at the Foundation, as well as in the Hunter’s mining and wine industries. He has a Bachelor of Science majoring in Geography from the University of Newcastle, and postgraduate qualifications in Antarctic and Southern Ocean Studies from the University of Tasmania.