Craig Thorburn

• Ph.D.
• Retired at Monash University (Australia)

Providing a detailed and comparative assessment of the humanitarian responses to a series of major disasters in Asia over the past two decades, including massive earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis, this book explores complex and changing understandings and practices of relief, recovery, and reconstruction. These critical investigations r...

Indonesia’s 11-year (1989–1999) National Integrated Pest Management Program was a spectacularly successful example of wide-scale adoption of integrated pest management (IPM) principles and practice in a developing country. This program introduced the innovative Farmer Field School model of agro-ecosystem-based experiential learning, subsequently ad...

Edible bird’s nests, made from the hardened saliva of cave-nesting swiftlets (Apodidae, Collocaliini) have long been a sought-after delicacy among Chinese gourmands and are among the most expensive animal products consumed by humans. The trade in birds’ nests is of considerable antiquity, dating perhaps as far back as the T’ang Dynasty (618–907 A.D...

The nests of the edible-nest swiftlet (Aerodramus spp., Apodidae: Collocaliini), constructed entirely of hardened saliva, have long been a highly prized delicacy in China, and are reputed to have a number of beneficial medicinal properties. Swiftlet nests are among the most expensive animal products consumed by humans, sometimes referred to as “the...

Peatlands play a crucial role in Indonesia's economic development, and in its stated goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Improved peatland management – including a national moratorium on the granting of any new conversion licenses – forms a cornerstone of Indonesia's climate change mitigation commitment. At the same time, rapid expansion of...

Indonesia's 11-year national integrated pest management program (IPM) (1989-1999) is considered to be one of the most successful examples of wide scale adoption of IPM principles and practice in a developing country. The program is best known for introducing the innovative farmer field school model of agroecosystem-based experiential learning, whic...

The evolution of development thinking and practice has been a process of ‘punctuated gradualism’, characterised by long periods of stasis or ponderous progress, juddered occasionally at moments when new conceptions, rationalities and vocabularies spawn shifts in approach, and in the flow of resources. As Sachs (1992: 26–7) points out, the vicissitu...

The 2005 Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement formally brought an end to nearly thirty years of violent conflict in Aceh. Since then, Aceh has been largely peaceful, and major strides have been made in laying the groundwork for lasting peace and social and economic recovery and development in th...

The present article reviews the adaptation of the popular farmer field school (FFS) approach to integrated watershed management in several Indonesian provinces, under the auspices of a major environmental management project. Indonesia is the site of origin of the FFS concept, developed to promote integrated pest management (IPM) in rice during the...

This paper examines changes taking place in village government in three districts on the west coast of Aceh, Indonesia that were severely affected by the December 26, 2004 Asian earthquake and tsunami. The paper is based upon findings of the Aceh Community Assistance Research Project, a multi-donor supported qualitative social research project desi...

This article provides a brief overview of issues relating to livelihood recovery assistance and achievements in Aceh since the December 2004 tsunami. 'Livelihood' programs were intended to help tsunami-affected households quickly resume productive activities and return to 'normal' life. They formed an important component of the tsunami recovery por...

 The turbulent events in Indonesia during the closing years of the 20th century prompted the reopening of public discussion on many longstanding issues of social and economic reform. Land reform is one of many agendas that have preoccupied policy makers, scholars and activists as the nation attempts to reinvent itself in the wake of the collapse of...

From p. 1: "The turbulent events in Indonesia during the closing years of the 20th century prompted the reopening of public discussion on many long-standing issues of social and economic reform. Land reform is one of many agendas that has preoccupied policy makers, scholars and activists as the nation attempts to reinvent itself in the wake of the...

The use of cyanide to stun and capture live food fish for export first appeared in the Philippines during the mid-1970s. Today, this technology has spread throughout Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific region, causing widespread damage to coral reef ecosystems. This study examines the local political and economic changes that have resulted since th...

In January 2001, Indonesia embarked on a historic effort to devolve many functions and responsibilities of government from the center to the district level. These changes are being attempted in the midst of the political and economic uncertainty that continue to bedevil Indonesia's government and population years after the "East Asian crisis" swept...

From the Introduction: "The Kei Islands of Southeast Maluku are renowned for their strong and vital customary law (adat ). Revealed in seven edicts, with several sets of sub-clauses, Hukum Larwul Ngabal ranks among the more fully elaborated, formalized adat law codes of Maluku. It has survived four centuries of sporadic warfare, the conversion of m...

Sasi, the spatial and temporal closure of fields, forests, reefs and fishing grounds, is a conspicuous feature of many Moluccan societies. Despite increasing domestic and international awareness and praise of what is considered by many analysts to be an exemplary indigenous resource conservation tradition, the practice is in decline in many parts o...

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, Los Angeles, 2000. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 376-400).

"The turbulent events in Indonesia during the closing years of the 20th century prompted the reopening of public discussion on many long-standing issues of social and economic reform. Land reform is one of many agendas that have preoccupied policy makers, scholars and activists as the nation attempts to reinvent itself in the wake of the collapse o...

"The ability of communities to use and manage forests and other natural resources in a sustainable manner has received much interest from various scholars, policymakers, donor agencies, and non-government organisations. With regards to the management of forests and natural resources by customary communities in Indonesia, there are two opposing view...