The effects of prescribed fire on biota in a diverse range of carefully managed vegetation communities. This project will be a large-scale retrospective and prospective longitudinal study of the effects of fire on the vertebrate biota (mammals, birds and reptiles) inhabiting a range of vegetation types. The key aim of this study will be to quantify changes in vertebrate biota (reptiles, birds, arboreal marsupials and terrestrial mammals) within vegetation types subject to alternate burning strat ....The effects of prescribed fire on biota in a diverse range of carefully managed vegetation communities. This project will be a large-scale retrospective and prospective longitudinal study of the effects of fire on the vertebrate biota (mammals, birds and reptiles) inhabiting a range of vegetation types. The key aim of this study will be to quantify changes in vertebrate biota (reptiles, birds, arboreal marsupials and terrestrial mammals) within vegetation types subject to alternate burning strategies. The investigation will provide critical new knowledge for use in fire management, vegetation management and biodiversity conservation within national parks, state forests and similar types of land.Read moreRead less
Best practice biodiversity management in reserves and other natural areas. Well designed studies including rigorous experimental work are needed to quantify biotic responses to fire and invasive species control. This is essential to help guide managers of parks, military training areas and state forests in best practice methods to manage fire, invasive species and biodiversity. Thus, this project will have far reaching implications for improved environmental and biodiversity management in a wide ....Best practice biodiversity management in reserves and other natural areas. Well designed studies including rigorous experimental work are needed to quantify biotic responses to fire and invasive species control. This is essential to help guide managers of parks, military training areas and state forests in best practice methods to manage fire, invasive species and biodiversity. Thus, this project will have far reaching implications for improved environmental and biodiversity management in a wide range of sectors. Rapid climate change will exacerbate problems associated with altered fire regimes and invasive species. New insights from this research will enhance the capacity to manage Australia and overseas landscapes in response to rapid climate change.Read moreRead less
Guiding early silvicultural interventions through predicting canopy and crown dynamics in plantations of sub-tropical eucalypts. This project aims to establish the scientific basis for silvicultural treatments of eucalypt plantations for clear wood production. While eucalypt plantations in north-eastern NSW have dramatically increased in recent times, the knowledge base for the production clear, branch-free wood from the tree species used does not exist. A physiological, mechanistic understandin ....Guiding early silvicultural interventions through predicting canopy and crown dynamics in plantations of sub-tropical eucalypts. This project aims to establish the scientific basis for silvicultural treatments of eucalypt plantations for clear wood production. While eucalypt plantations in north-eastern NSW have dramatically increased in recent times, the knowledge base for the production clear, branch-free wood from the tree species used does not exist. A physiological, mechanistic understanding of crown and canopy dynamics as well as branch shedding will form the scientific foundation for stand manipulations such as pruning and thinning to enhance wood quality. Project outcomes will provide the basis for a stand management simulation model for the most important eucalypt species.Read moreRead less
Innovative measurement and modelling of greenhouse fluxes at regional scales across Australia. Carbon dioxide accounts for around 60% of the enhanced greenhouse effect. This proposal aims to markedly improve knowledge of the exchange of carbon, mostly as CO2, between atmospheric, ocean and land-based reservoirs in the Australian region. This will be achieved through a suite of measurements using innovative technologies: satellite and ground based remote sensing as well in situ measurements at ....Innovative measurement and modelling of greenhouse fluxes at regional scales across Australia. Carbon dioxide accounts for around 60% of the enhanced greenhouse effect. This proposal aims to markedly improve knowledge of the exchange of carbon, mostly as CO2, between atmospheric, ocean and land-based reservoirs in the Australian region. This will be achieved through a suite of measurements using innovative technologies: satellite and ground based remote sensing as well in situ measurements at Darwin and on the Ghan railway from Darwin to Adelaide. The measurements will be used to constrain inverse models of the carbon cycle and significantly reduce uncertainties in regional carbon source estimates. These estimates will in turn be compared to the Australian National Greenhouse Gas Inventory for comparison and verification.Read moreRead less
An unprecedented opportunity to quantify biodiversity recovery after major wildfire. Recent fire disasters in southern Australia emphasise that wildfire is one of the major social, economic and ecological issues facing the nation. Biodiversity loss and environmental degradation are also substantial national issues. The outcomes and new understanding obtained from this project will have enormous rural, regional, national and international benefits through developing better informed, and ecologica ....An unprecedented opportunity to quantify biodiversity recovery after major wildfire. Recent fire disasters in southern Australia emphasise that wildfire is one of the major social, economic and ecological issues facing the nation. Biodiversity loss and environmental degradation are also substantial national issues. The outcomes and new understanding obtained from this project will have enormous rural, regional, national and international benefits through developing better informed, and ecologically sustainable, principles and practices for biodiversity conservation, vegetation management, and fire management. It also will guide natural resource managers such as national park staff and state forest managers in best practice methods to manage post-fire ecological recovery on land under their jurisdiction. Read moreRead less
Integrative assessment of disturbance and land-use change on total greenhouse gas balance and nutrient cycling in savanna ecosystems. Climate change and variability is expected to have an impact on the NT environment and economy. This project will enable NT specific calibrations of climate variability-land use models, such as the National Carbon Accounting System. The NT Government will have access to a high quality database and calibrated models relating to greenhouse gas emissions as a functio ....Integrative assessment of disturbance and land-use change on total greenhouse gas balance and nutrient cycling in savanna ecosystems. Climate change and variability is expected to have an impact on the NT environment and economy. This project will enable NT specific calibrations of climate variability-land use models, such as the National Carbon Accounting System. The NT Government will have access to a high quality database and calibrated models relating to greenhouse gas emissions as a function of land use change. The project will improve estimates and management of GHG and provide a basis for the NT to potentially exploit future carbon-trading initiatives or GHG abatement schemes as fundamental data describing emissions as a function of land use will be available. This is of national significance given the size of the savanna biome in Australia.Read moreRead less
Quantifying tree and soil respiration and their responses to global change. The Australian Greenhouse Office, as well as independent analysis, recognizes that belowground processes must be better quantified if Australia's contributions to atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases (GG) are to be firmly based. A major issue is the lack of dedicated research focused on soil and plant root emissions of GG and, in particular, a lack of testing of methodologies suited to Australian soils and con ....Quantifying tree and soil respiration and their responses to global change. The Australian Greenhouse Office, as well as independent analysis, recognizes that belowground processes must be better quantified if Australia's contributions to atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases (GG) are to be firmly based. A major issue is the lack of dedicated research focused on soil and plant root emissions of GG and, in particular, a lack of testing of methodologies suited to Australian soils and conditions. This project will address these concerns. We will also be addressing the clear need for further training of PhD qualified researchers in the field of climate change. Read moreRead less
Improving production of essential oils from Australian trees. Production of essential oils from eucalypts and tea tree is an important rural industry in Australia but we are only a minor producer worldwide. Using new genetic discoveries about how plants make oils, this project will help the industry improve the yield and profitability from both eucalypts and tea tree and contribute new technologies to rural industry.
Breeding for resistance: Diagnostic toolkit for predicting variation in plant defence compounds in Eucalyptus. Pulp and timber from plantations are important for Australia's economic and environmental future. However, we must ensure that these plantations are grown sustainably. One area of concern is the current reliance on pesticides to control herbivores of plantation eucalypts. The work proposed here aims to use existing ecological findings together with early access to the genome of Eucal ....Breeding for resistance: Diagnostic toolkit for predicting variation in plant defence compounds in Eucalyptus. Pulp and timber from plantations are important for Australia's economic and environmental future. However, we must ensure that these plantations are grown sustainably. One area of concern is the current reliance on pesticides to control herbivores of plantation eucalypts. The work proposed here aims to use existing ecological findings together with early access to the genome of Eucalyptus to develop ways of using the natural resistance of Eucalyptus as an alternative to chemical pesticides. The work will also help us to understand how eucalypts produce the distinctive odours that are so characteristic of Australian landscapes.Read moreRead less
The capacity of forests to protect regional climate under global warming. The project plans to develop a new understanding of the capacity of forests to increase moisture recycling, which enhances cloud and precipitation processes and exerts a cooling influence on the land surface. Deforestation and climate change are major global challenges. The role of forests in the carbon cycle is well recognised. Less attention is given to their role in the energy and water cycles, and their capacity to reg ....The capacity of forests to protect regional climate under global warming. The project plans to develop a new understanding of the capacity of forests to increase moisture recycling, which enhances cloud and precipitation processes and exerts a cooling influence on the land surface. Deforestation and climate change are major global challenges. The role of forests in the carbon cycle is well recognised. Less attention is given to their role in the energy and water cycles, and their capacity to regulate regional climate. The project plans to apply an innovative land use-climate scenario modelling to quantify the impacts of deforestation and afforestation on the climate of northern Australia and south-east Asia under global warming. It also plans to evaluate the capacity of restoring forests to offset regional climate change, to inform regional land use planning and climate mitigation and adaptation.Read moreRead less