Rate My Professor Taegan Calnan

Taegan Calnan is a PhD candidate in the Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods at Charles Darwin University, holding an additional affiliation with Murdoch University. Under the supervision of Professor Jeremy Russell-Smith, her doctoral research investigates the governance of market-based savanna fire management projects, with a focus on Aboriginal-owned savanna burning carbon abatement initiatives in northern Australia, particularly Arnhem Land. She explores decision-making structures, benefit-sharing mechanisms, and factors influencing positive outcomes for people and Country, drawing on semi-structured interviews conducted between 2020 and 2022 with Indigenous leaders from organizations involved in the savanna burning industry across North Queensland, the Northern Territory, and the Kimberley. Her work emphasizes the role of relationships between traditional landowners, Indigenous Ranger Groups, and two-way knowledge sites in multilevel governance frameworks.

With over two decades of experience as an environmental scientist in natural resource management across Western Australia, the Northern Territory, and North Queensland, Calnan has contributed across university, government, and non-government organization sectors. Her expertise encompasses vegetation management, biocultural knowledge transmission, and community engagement in natural resource management. She earned a Bachelor of Applied Environmental Science from James Cook University in Townsville and a Master of Science by research from Charles Darwin University in Darwin, where her 2006 thesis examined erosion control using soil surface treatments and native grasses at Craig Creek, Northern Territory. A key publication is her 2024 co-authored article, 'Fire for the future: governance of market-based savanna fire management projects in Arnhem Land, northern Australia,' published in the International Journal of Wildland Fire. This study analyzes the Arnhem Land Fire Abatement projects' governance model, highlighting benefits such as cultural fire responsibilities, regional networking, and collective decision-making, alongside concerns over external influences on traditional landowner roles. Her contributions align with UN Sustainable Development Goals 12 and 16, supporting the Indigenous Land and Sea Management movement through Aboriginal ecological knowledge, landscape health, and remote livelihoods.