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Dr Louise Gallagher

Honorary Senior Research Fellow

Sustainable Minerals Institute
louise.gallagher@uq.edu.au

Overview

Dr Louise Gallagher has devoted over 15 years to driving transformative change at the intersection of environment and development, with organisations such as the UN Environment Programme and WWF, among others.

Louise's current focus is advancing multistakeholder cooperation, sustainability analysis innovation, and responsible sourcing practices to address pressing issues related to sand and silicates utilisation and sustainability. She currently co-leads an initiative with OECD, IKEA and Roca group on responsible sourcing of sand and silicates with Professor Daniel Franks and Daniel Holm. She is the lead author of the UNEP (2019) report on Sand and Sustainability: Finding new solutions for environmental governance. She co-authored the UNEP (2022) Sand and Sustainability: 10 strategic recommendations to avert a crisis. She led the governance research and action for UNEP/GRID-Geneva’s Global Sand Observatory initiative until 2021. She was a lead contributor to The University of Queensland and the University of Geneva’s collaboration on Ore Sand: a potential new solution to the mine tailings and global sand sustainability crises.

Background

A human geographer and ecological economist with a PhD in environmental science and policy with extensive applied experience, the common thread throughout Louise's career has been the drive to link theory and interdisciplinary research to actions seeking to address challenges of sustainable consumption and production. Louise's knowledge and experience spans various fields, including sustainability science, natural capital valuation, circular and green economies, chemicals and waste management, environmental policy, local energy transitions, inclusive land use planning, and the water-energy-food-climate nexus, as well as minerals resource governance.

During her time at UNEP, she actively contributed to significant initiatives such as advocating for fisheries subsidies reform at the WTO, integrating waste and circular economy considerations into the Green Economy Report (2008), mainstreaming the sound management of chemicals in development planning, and contributing to the inaugural Global Chemicals Outlook (2011). At WWF, Louise pioneered the organisation's inaugural green economy programme in the Greater Mekong region, driving biodiversity conservation and sustainable development efforts across Southeast Asia's vital transboundary landscapes. From 2014 to 2017, she led science-policy-practice innovation to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem services analysis and conservation action. Louise's research and teaching at the University of Geneva centred on sustainability innovation processes for fostering inclusive, deliberative policy-making and collective action in the water-energy-food nexus, local energy transitions, and the global governance of sand resources.

In 2022, driven by her commitment to deeper engagement with the private sector and other non-governmental partners on issues related to sand and sustainability, Louise joined the Development Minerals Program at the University of Queensland's Sustainable Minerals Institute.

Research interests and approach

Louise’s research interests lie in methods for developing theories of systematic change and action for sustainability transformations and fostering successful collaboration in implementing these. Her preferred method for systems thinking and change is multistakeholder processes that integrate diverse perspectives and reach deep insights into sustainability challenges and opportunities for action. She works as an advisor and evaluator beyond university settings, lending her valuable expertise to different projects and programmes for organisations seriously engaging with strategy and action planning for systems change and transformation impact. Recent clients include the Gilbane Building Company, Mastercard Foundation, the International Institute for Environment and Development, the Packard Foundation, and WWF-Netherlands.

See her profiles on Google Scholar and ResearchGate for more information.

Skills and expertise

  • Sustainability risk, impact & reputational analysis and assessment

  • Participatory sensemaking & visioning for developing theories of systemic change

  • Strategy & action planning

  • Partnership brokering & facilitating multi-stakeholder processes

  • Powering impactful collaboration through co-design, co-creation, and facilitation

  • Complex project management

  • Evaluation

Knowledge domain expertise

  • Social and environmental risks and impacts in sand and silicate supply chains

  • Global environmental sustainability and governance

  • The Environment-Development nexus

  • Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services analysis, Conservation social science

  • Sustainability indicators

  • Science-Policy-Practice innovation

Languages

  • English

  • French

Research Interests

  • Development minerals
    My current research at the Sustainable Minerals Institute focuses on sand and sustainability, and responsible sourcing of sand and silicates.
  • Sustainability transformations
    My main research interest is the catalysis and implementation of sustainability transformations, including shaping governance of environmental public goods.
  • Transdisciplinary research design and evaluation
    I favour transdisciplinary research with mixed methods approaches and have developed a research strand over the years on science-policy-practice linkage design / theory of systemic change and action, strategies for effective collaboration in action research and evaluation of transdisciplinary research effectiveness and impact.

Research Impacts

Louise's research with the Development Minerals Program at The University of Queensland's Sustainable Minerals Institute is framing what sourcing standards and practices for sand and silicate minerals may be needed in future in voluntary private action and public policy. Her work enhances the understanding of risks and responsibilities associated with sand and silicate sourcing, while also fostering new avenues for constructive engagement between the scientific, business and policy communities.

Qualifications

  • Doctoral (Research) of Environmental Studies, University College Dublin National University of Ireland
  • Masters (Research) of Public Policy Analysis, University College Dublin National University of Ireland
  • Bachelor (Honours) of Interdisciplinary Studies, University College Dublin National University of Ireland

Publications

  • Other Outputs: Sand and sustainability: 10 strategic recommendations to avert a crisis.

    Vander Velpen, Arnaud , Smeets, Astrid , Torres, Aurora , Matheson, Alexander Bruce, Friot, Damien, Franks, Daniel M. , Cuperus, Geert , Yusuf, Halinishi , van der Vegt, Helena, Selby, Ian , Reimer Lynggaard, Josefine , Dawson, Kate , Pereira, Kiran , Gallagher, Louise , Goichot, Marc , Russell, Mark , Hemon, Nataša , Chuah, Stephanie, Wagenaar, Sybren , Peduzzi, Pascal , Van Lancker, Vera and Guigoz, Yaniss (2022). Sand and sustainability: 10 strategic recommendations to avert a crisis. . Geneva, Switzerland: GRID-Geneva, United Nations Environment Programme.

  • Other Outputs: Ore-sand: A potential new solution to the mine tailings and global sand sustainability crises: Final report

    Golev, Artem, Gallagher, Louise, Vander Velpen, Arnaud, Lynggaard, Josefine R., Friot, Damien, Stringer, Martin, Chuah, Stephanie, Arbelaez-Ruiz, Diana, Mazzinghy, Douglas, Moura, Luanna, Peduzzi, Pascal and Franks, Daniel, M. (2022). Ore-sand: A potential new solution to the mine tailings and global sand sustainability crises: Final report. Brisbane, Australia; Geneva, Switzerland: The University of Queensland; The University of Geneva. doi: 10.14264/503a3fd

  • Book Chapter: The danger of the single story

    Ofir, Zenda and Gallagher, Louise (2021). The danger of the single story. Ethics for evaluation. (pp. 188-210) edited by Rob D. van den Berg, Penny Hawkins and Nicoletta Stame. New York: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003247234-12

View all Publications

Publications

Book Chapter

  • The danger of the single story

    Ofir, Zenda and Gallagher, Louise (2021). The danger of the single story. Ethics for evaluation. (pp. 188-210) edited by Rob D. van den Berg, Penny Hawkins and Nicoletta Stame. New York: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003247234-12

  • Understanding, analysing and addressing conflicts in co-production

    Scolobig, Anna and Gallagher, Louise (2020). Understanding, analysing and addressing conflicts in co-production. The Palgrave handbook of co-production of public services and outcomes. (pp. 613-636) Cham, Switzerland: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-53705-0_32

  • Integrated economic and spatial planning for the food-energy-water nexus

    Bassi, Andrea and Gallagher, Louise (2019). Integrated economic and spatial planning for the food-energy-water nexus. Sustainable infrastructure: breakthroughs in research and practice. (pp. 458-476) Hershey, PA United States: IGI Global. doi: 10.4018/978-1-7998-0948-7.ch020

  • Matching supply and demand in IPES: The case of the greenpalm initiative

    Gallagher, Louise A., Norman, Bob and Zuehlke, Robert T. (2014). Matching supply and demand in IPES: The case of the greenpalm initiative. Global biodiversity finance: The case for international payments for ecosystem services. (pp. 140-169) edited by Joshua Bishop and Chloe Hill. Cheltenham, United Kingdom: Edward Elgar Publishing. doi: 10.4337/9781782546955.00019

Journal Article

Conference Publication

  • Embracing risk, uncertainty and water allocation reform when planning for green growth

    Gallagher, Louise, Laflaive, Xavier, Zaeske, Andrew, Brown, Casey, Lange, Glenn-Marie, Ahlroth, Sofia, Castaneda, Juan-Pablo, Fanaian, Safa, Joyce, John, Kamar, Eiman, Bahri, Akica and Miralles-Wilhelm, Fernando R. (2016). Embracing risk, uncertainty and water allocation reform when planning for green growth. Annual World Water Week on Water for Development, Stockholm, Sweden, 23-28 August 2015. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/j.aqpro.2016.06.004

Other Outputs

  • Sand and sustainability: 10 strategic recommendations to avert a crisis.

    Vander Velpen, Arnaud , Smeets, Astrid , Torres, Aurora , Matheson, Alexander Bruce, Friot, Damien, Franks, Daniel M. , Cuperus, Geert , Yusuf, Halinishi , van der Vegt, Helena, Selby, Ian , Reimer Lynggaard, Josefine , Dawson, Kate , Pereira, Kiran , Gallagher, Louise , Goichot, Marc , Russell, Mark , Hemon, Nataša , Chuah, Stephanie, Wagenaar, Sybren , Peduzzi, Pascal , Van Lancker, Vera and Guigoz, Yaniss (2022). Sand and sustainability: 10 strategic recommendations to avert a crisis. . Geneva, Switzerland: GRID-Geneva, United Nations Environment Programme.

  • Ore-sand: A potential new solution to the mine tailings and global sand sustainability crises: Final report

    Golev, Artem, Gallagher, Louise, Vander Velpen, Arnaud, Lynggaard, Josefine R., Friot, Damien, Stringer, Martin, Chuah, Stephanie, Arbelaez-Ruiz, Diana, Mazzinghy, Douglas, Moura, Luanna, Peduzzi, Pascal and Franks, Daniel, M. (2022). Ore-sand: A potential new solution to the mine tailings and global sand sustainability crises: Final report. Brisbane, Australia; Geneva, Switzerland: The University of Queensland; The University of Geneva. doi: 10.14264/503a3fd

  • Sand and Sustainability: Finding New Solutions for Environmental Governance of Global Sand Resources

    Louise Gallagher and Pascal Peduzzi (2019). Sand and Sustainability: Finding New Solutions for Environmental Governance of Global Sand Resources. Geneva: United Nations Environment Programme.

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ORCID: 0000-0003-4697-2246

Google Scholar ID: siFDu7YAAAAJ

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