James Butler has a background in agricultural economics, terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecology gained in southern Africa, Europe and Australia. He joined CSIRO in 2006. Based in Brisbane, James leads the Livelihoods and Adaptive Development Team. His research analyses complex development problems in the Asia-Pacific region, with a focus on transboundary issues linking northern AusKeynote speakers 9tralia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. He applies concepts of social-ecological systems, resilience, transformation and well-being to explore alternative livelihood development pathways and trade-offs through participatory action research. Consequently, he has an interest in agriculture, fisheries, health, biosecurity, aquaculture, biodiversity, human-wildlife conflict and their governance. James enjoys integrating the varied knowledge of science disciplines, communities and policy-makers to generate systems understanding, innovation and change. His current research areas are adaptation pathways planning processes, the Sustainable Development Goals, regional trans-boundary security risks, and the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security.