Development of a framework for assessing the vulnerability of eco-environmental health to climate change. Many governments and international agencies are increasingly concerned about the potential eco-environmental and public health impact of emerging issues such as climate change, urbanisation and loss of biodiversity. However, it remains unclear how the vulnerability of eco-environmental health to these changes can be assessed and which framework should be adopted. This research will focus on ....Development of a framework for assessing the vulnerability of eco-environmental health to climate change. Many governments and international agencies are increasingly concerned about the potential eco-environmental and public health impact of emerging issues such as climate change, urbanisation and loss of biodiversity. However, it remains unclear how the vulnerability of eco-environmental health to these changes can be assessed and which framework should be adopted. This research will focus on the development of a framework for assessing the vulnerability of eco-environmental health to climate change, and will provide valuable information to help identify knowledge and information gaps in the risk assessment of major eco-environmental health hazards.Read moreRead less
Modelling contaminant dynamics in a well-mixed/stratified estuary. The proposed mixed/stratified estuarine model is unique and will predict effects of stormwater discharge on water quality, provide guidelines for loading from various contaminant sources, assess impact of marine construction activities, establish effects of natural and anthropogenic resuspension and determine spatial/temporal changes in contaminant distributions. Knowledge generated will assist making decisions locally and overse ....Modelling contaminant dynamics in a well-mixed/stratified estuary. The proposed mixed/stratified estuarine model is unique and will predict effects of stormwater discharge on water quality, provide guidelines for loading from various contaminant sources, assess impact of marine construction activities, establish effects of natural and anthropogenic resuspension and determine spatial/temporal changes in contaminant distributions. Knowledge generated will assist making decisions locally and overseas regarding the protection of valuable living resources, the future environmental status of estuarine systems under alternative management and remedial strategies, management contaminated sediments, new legislation for best management practise, and support for long-term policy development for this estuary type. Read moreRead less
Oral Delivery - A Viable Strategy for Fertility Control Vaccination of Kangaroos ? Local overabundance of kangaroos poses significant, environmental, economic, social and animal welfare problems in Australia. The only management tool available for free ranging populations is shooting. Fertility control is a highly desirable alternative but current 'hands on' methods are not cost-effective options for wild populations. Immunologically-mediated contraception has the potential to be such a manag ....Oral Delivery - A Viable Strategy for Fertility Control Vaccination of Kangaroos ? Local overabundance of kangaroos poses significant, environmental, economic, social and animal welfare problems in Australia. The only management tool available for free ranging populations is shooting. Fertility control is a highly desirable alternative but current 'hands on' methods are not cost-effective options for wild populations. Immunologically-mediated contraception has the potential to be such a management tool if the vaccine can be delivered effectively. The investigators and their colleagues have achieved contraception by vaccine injection in kangaroos. This project aims to establish proof-of-concept for arguably the only viable vaccine delivery option for free ranging macropods: Oral delivery via an edible pellet or lick.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120101890
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Purification of contaminated wastewaters by modified Bayer layered double hydroxides. This project intends to develop enhanced adsorbent materials, prepared from industrial wastewater and seawater, for the decontamination of environments affected by Australian industries. This inexpensive novel material will be applicable to a wide range of purification applications and will reduce the environmental impact of Australian industries.
Predicting the effects of desalination plant discharge in a changing ocean environment. This project will test whether changes to the ocean environment associated with climate change (a warmer and more acidic ocean) will influence the sensitivity of marine organisms to hyper-saline discharges. Novel toxicity tests will be developed using locally relevant species that will provide crucial tools for the management of coastal habitats.
Exploiting natural processes to effectively remediate acidified coastal environments. Working with local government, industry and communities, this project aims to identify how natural processes can best be manipulated to limit acid sulfate soil discharge in many Australian estuaries. The expected outcomes are systematic remediation of these areas and improvement in estuarine water quality.
The regeneration niche of invasive plants: managing the weed-shaped hole. In Australia $20 million was spent on weed control in natural areas in 2001-02 and is indicative of the level of funding for weed control programs each year. An understanding of how current weed control programs affect the regeneration of weeds in the system will give us novel insights into the persistence of weed populations despite sustained investment in control. Environmental weeds threaten biodiversity and ecosystem ....The regeneration niche of invasive plants: managing the weed-shaped hole. In Australia $20 million was spent on weed control in natural areas in 2001-02 and is indicative of the level of funding for weed control programs each year. An understanding of how current weed control programs affect the regeneration of weeds in the system will give us novel insights into the persistence of weed populations despite sustained investment in control. Environmental weeds threaten biodiversity and ecosystem function in unique Australian communities, better management of weeds will have conservation, ecosystem service provision and amenity values nationally. This project highlights the importance of understanding the weed regeneration niche for successful long-term and sustainable control.Read moreRead less
Optimising seed sourcing for effective ecological restoration. This project aims to address the sourcing of native seed for ecological restoration under global change. The great demand for native seed to deliver ecological restoration provides a clear need and responsibility to use this seed as efficiently as possible. This project expects to develop detailed new knowledge that links plant and environmental genomics, plant physiology, seed and soil biology in embedded experiments at post-mining ....Optimising seed sourcing for effective ecological restoration. This project aims to address the sourcing of native seed for ecological restoration under global change. The great demand for native seed to deliver ecological restoration provides a clear need and responsibility to use this seed as efficiently as possible. This project expects to develop detailed new knowledge that links plant and environmental genomics, plant physiology, seed and soil biology in embedded experiments at post-mining rehabilitation sites. Expected outcomes include clear industry guidelines that refine seed sourcing strategies for ecological restoration for current and future climates. This should provide significant benefits for improved ecological restoration outcomes when using native seed today and into the future.Read moreRead less
Planning for the impacts of land-uses on coral reef fisheries. This projects aims to develop models that can determine the ecological and economic impacts of land-use changes (e.g. agriculture) on fisheries and assess alternative land-use plans that seek to maximise economic opportunity while protecting fisheries. Fisheries support the livelihoods of 12 per cent of the world’s population. Land-based activities are among the most significant threats to coral reef fisheries because sediments and n ....Planning for the impacts of land-uses on coral reef fisheries. This projects aims to develop models that can determine the ecological and economic impacts of land-use changes (e.g. agriculture) on fisheries and assess alternative land-use plans that seek to maximise economic opportunity while protecting fisheries. Fisheries support the livelihoods of 12 per cent of the world’s population. Land-based activities are among the most significant threats to coral reef fisheries because sediments and nutrients degrade reefs, yet they are often ignored in fisheries management. By improving the sustainability of coastal development, biodiversity conservation, and health of fisheries, the models developed by the project could deliver socio-economic and environmental benefits for millions of people reliant upon fisheries for their livelihoods.Read moreRead less
Reproducibility and open science in environmental research. The goal of this project is to improve the reproducibility and transparency of environmental science. Disturbingly low levels of reproducibility have recently been uncovered in other disciplines, and there are good reasons to suspect the same conditions in environmental science. However, it has thus far been excused from evaluation because of the large spatial scales, long time horizons and dependencies among processes that prohibit dir ....Reproducibility and open science in environmental research. The goal of this project is to improve the reproducibility and transparency of environmental science. Disturbingly low levels of reproducibility have recently been uncovered in other disciplines, and there are good reasons to suspect the same conditions in environmental science. However, it has thus far been excused from evaluation because of the large spatial scales, long time horizons and dependencies among processes that prohibit direct replication of empirical field research. The project plans to assess the reproducibility of environmental research and develop systematic review methods that account for bias in published research. In this way, it seeks to contribute to the standards for statistical inference and reporting in the discipline, and facilitate a cultural shift to ‘Open Science’ to ensure a more reliable evidence base for environmental decisions. Read moreRead less