Lilli Ireland

Hello, I'm Lilli! I joined the University of Oxford in 2024 as a student of the MSc of Biodiversity, Conservation and Management (BCM), funded by the Rhodes Scholarship.

In my undergraduate studies at the Australian National University, I studied a double degree in science and law. I since have worked in the legal sector in Australia as a legal researcher working on Indigenous rights; as an associate to judicial officers of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory; and as a lawyer in an environmental law firm. I am also a proud Melukerdee woman of the South-East Nation of Lutruwita/Tasmania.

In my BCM dissertation, I will be conducting a case study mapping Indigenous priorities in the seascape of Lutruwita/Tasmania. This will involve participatory research with the Palawa (Aboriginal Peoples of Lutruwita/Tasmania) of the South-East Nation. By mapping and recording Palawa values, practices and concerns regarding the seascape, my goal is to provide insight on how cultural seascapes can and must form part of marine spatial planning for effective marine governance. For this research, I am part of both the Seascape Ecology Lab at the School of Geography and the Environment and the Interdisciplinary Centre for Conservation Science at the Department of Biology.

I am passionate that our climate and biodiversity crises cannot be solved without the knowledge and leadership of Indigenous Peoples, and hope to use this case study to support the implementation of Indigenous rights in marine conservation and governance more broadly.
When I'm not working, you can find me with friends, doing anything by/on the sea, hiking, or doing one of many creative projects!