A work placement leveraging a unique skillset is improving the research utilisation at New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).
Inaugural Natural Hazards Research Australia’s (the Centre) intern, Shabnam Varzeshi (RMIT) in collaboration with Australian Postgraduate Intern (APR.Intern) and NSW NPWS, reviewed NPWS’ research utilisation to understand and bridge the gap between operational practice and research to enhance fire and land management decision making.
Shabnam’s research addressed the challenges of limited awareness and inconsistent integration of bushfire research into operational planning and delivery, focusing on overcoming organisational complexities and communication barriers.
Semi-structured interviews and focus groups helped Shabnam capture diverse insights from NPWS staff from field officers to program managers, to explore issues in organisational structures, training and the challenge of standardising research utilisation.
Shabnam said she gained valuable experience in qualitative data collection and analysis and stakeholder engagement within a complex organisational structure.
“Navigating the challenges of integrating academic research into practical fire management strategies has provided invaluable insights into the complexities of research translation in a real-world context,” Shabnam said.
“As I faced challenges in handling diverse viewpoints and synthesising them into actionable recommendations, I improved my ability to balance arguments, test these for validity and then synthesise and communicate them effectively.”
Shabnam’s findings provide practical opportunities to integrate and use research in NPWS’ fire and land management activities to improve decision making and operational capability. Four key themes highlight the barriers and enablers to research utilisation:
|
Key Themes |
Barriers |
Enablers |
|
- Decentralised structure challenges - Role-specific challenges - Need for standardisation |
- Strategic role utilisation - Diverse role engagement - Impact of training and development |
|
- Ad hoc integration practices - Communication challenges - Systemic integration issues |
- Decision-support tools integration - Enhancing knowledge sharing and learning processes |
|
- Internal collaboration challenges - External collaboration limitations |
- Strategic engagement with external partners - Enhancing communication strategies |
|
- Cultural and financial barriers - Variable support for research |
- Role of knowledge brokers - Enhancing systemic integration and communication |
Shabnam’s internship outcomes provide NPWS and similar organisation with opportunities to better integrate and use research, such as collaborative project design where operational staff co-design, targeting practical application of research to enhance training and cross-disciplinary involvement to encourage teamwork across specialities.
Andy McQuie (Senior Project Officer – Operational Improvement and Intern Supervisor, NSW NPWS) said that the internship has introduced them to fresh faces with new ideas and new thinking.
“This helps the agency grow,” Andy said. “It puts us in a better position to understand the challenges and impacts of the chosen topic, and in this case, the research implementation pathways.”
Mark Owens (Business Development Manager, APR.Intern) said that Shabnam seized the opportunity to use her higher degree by research skills.
“Shabnam contributed greatly to bushfire research, tackling these challenges and demonstrating the impact of an APR intern,” Mark said.
Shabnam’s findings could contribute to growing national conservation and land management improvements. Read more about Shabnam's findings in her final report here.
The Centre and APR.Intern are currently offering an internship opportunity for a postgraduate placement within Bushfires Northern Territory and Northern Territory Fire and Emergency Services for scholars with transferable skills to apply to the natural hazard and disaster risk reduction sectors. Applications close 19 February 2025. Learn more here.