How can human rights help safeguard coral reefs and support environmental protection? Associate Professor Genevieve Wilkinson's research explores how human rights frameworks can be used to protect vulnerable ecosystems and empower communities.
Protecting coral reefs through human rights
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A/Prof Genevieve Wilkinson presenting at Research Cafe
Her work investigates human rights-based approaches to intellectual property, technology and environmental protection, with a focus on advancing social justice and human rights.
In 2025, Genevieve was awarded a Social Impact Grant to collaborate with researchers from UTS's Climate Change Cluster (C3) including A/Prof Emma Camp, Hadley England, Dane Wattle and the Anindilyakwa Land and Sea Rangers on Groote Eylandt in the Gulf of Carpentaria.
“The rangers are both Indigenous and non-Indigenous and they care for country, including reefs, waterways and land. They already had an established partnership with researchers from UTS from C3 who were studying the island's unique coral reef ecosystems.”
The research project aimed to develop a digital tool that would help communities monitor environmental change and advocate for environmental protection through the emerging human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.
“Emma and I had previously researched how an emerging human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment could support coral reef protection and guide ethical approaches to reef restoration and we were looking for ways to translate that,” Genevieve said.
“Our initial aim was to develop a digital tool that translated this research into practice, We wanted to empower local communities to engage with environmental monitoring and advocate for environmental protection through a human rights framework.”
However, after consulting with Rangers, Elders and community members, the team recognised that a different approach was needed. Instead of creating an environmental monitoring app, they focused on developing educational resources that would engage local young people and strengthen their understanding of environmental rights.
“We recognised that this island was experiencing a significant moment of change. With the community's future heavily reliant on its primary industry, manganese mining, current and future mining developments may have long term environmental implications.”
Through conversations with community members, the team realised that developing an environmental monitoring app was not what was needed.
We recognised that this island was experiencing a significant moment of change. With the community's future heavily reliant on its primary industry, manganese mining, current and future mining developments may have long term environmental implications.
“So we pivoted to creating educational resources that would resonate more strongly with the local communities, particularly with schoolchildren,” Genevieve explained.
Working with three schools on Groote Eylandt, the team introduced students to coral reef restoration, environmental stewardship and the connection between healthy ecosystems and human rights. Activities included an interactive coral reef collapse game and demonstrations of underwater drone technology used to monitor reef health.
The project resulted in the development of a website explaining reef restoration and environmental rights in an accessible and engaging way.
Genevieve and her team also created a student competition, inviting young people to share their vision of a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. This initiative generated strong participation and creative responses.
“Looking ahead, we are excited to potentially expand this website and competition model to other communities and help more people understand the relationship between human rights, environmental protection and reef restoration,” she said.
Through education and community engagement, the project demonstrates how research can create practical pathways for environmental action and social impact.