Contacts
Marwan has a background in Agricultural and Animal Sciences, Agroforestry and Natural Resource Management. He undertook a PhD at the Fenner School of Environment and Society on sustainable management of the Australian rangeland goats. Marwan came to his PhD from a career in agriculture. After graduating with a M.Sc. in Animal science from the American University of Beirut, he worked in the poultry industry for two years before joining the Lebanese Ministry of Agriculture, where he worked as a forester for 3 years then as an extension officer in animal husbandry and nutrition.
After coming to Australia in 2008, Marwan joined RSPCA Australia where he worked as Standards and Compliance manager of the Approved Farming Scheme before joining ANU for his PhD. Marwan investigated the rangeland goat industry as a social ecological system characterised by the conundrum around goats as a pest and resource. Marwan used evidence-based systems frameworks to propose solutions for future collaborative management of goats towards environmental sustainability and growth of Australia’s goat meat industry. During his PhD, Marwan also taught in a number of courses and acted as HDR leader for a total of 3 years. Marwan is currently an honorary lecturer in Fenner School of Environment and Society.
Awards
- Australian Postgraduate Award for PhD studies 2011
- Meat & Livestock Australia Postgraduate Scholarship 2011
Affiliations
- The Australian Rangeland Society
Research interests
Marwan’s research interests include applying systems thinking in the context of human ecology and resilience theories to address challenges around sustainability and complex human environmental issues. Marwan is interested in frameworks based on systems methodologies and scenario modelling, as a way to see the big picture of the often-wicked problems within social ecological systems and understand their dynamics and behaviour. Marwan focusses on the importance of establishing platforms to facilitate dialogue, innovation and collaboration towards a shared understanding of social ecological systems. He is also interested in expanding his understanding of the goat problem by applying other theories, particularly resilience, adaptive pathways and Theory of Change. Ultimately, Marwan would like the opportunity to extend lessons learnt from understanding the goat social ecological system into other similarly complex problems, such as feral deer.
- El Hassan M., 2019. Goats, people and rangelands: Analysis of the rangeland goat industry as a social ecological system, PhD thesis, The Australian National University, Canberra.
- El Hassan, M., 2018. ‘The need for change in rangeland goat management in the Western Division’, in Landcare in Focus, November 2018
- El Hassan M., 2014. ‘From the Rangelands to the Tablelands: Farming Goats in an Integrated Silvopastoral System for Multiple Benefits Including the Sustainable Development of the Australian Goat Meat Industry’, in Animal Production in Australia, vol. 30, Proceedings of the Joint ISNH/ISRP International Conference 2014: Harnessing the Ecology and Physiology of Herbivores, Canberra
- El Hassan M. and Field, J. 2012. ‘Agroforestry for sustainable goat farming: shade, shelter, fodder and environmental benefits of trees’, in Proceedings of the 17th Australian Rangeland Society Biennial Conference, Australian Rangeland Society, Kunnunarra, WA.
- El Hassan M.I., 1995. Nutritive quality and availability of Lebanese rangelands to grazing sheep and goats, Master’s thesis, American University of Beirut, Lebanon.
ENVS3004: Land and Catchment Management (tutor/demonstrator)(2012-2017)
ENVS1006: The Blue Planet (demonstrator)(2017)
ENVS4001: Honours Thesis (reviewer)(2017)
ENVS1003: Introduction to Environmental and Social Research (demonstrator)(2014)
