Managing evolutionary-ecological process in restoring Banksia woodland resilient to global environmental changes. By manipulating genetic diversity, local selection and gene flow in restored plant communities, this project will establish suitable regimes to manage evolutionary processes in large-scale restoration, thereby improving success and resilience to future changes. It will significantly advance our understanding of evolutionary processes operating in restoration efforts, and lead to impr ....Managing evolutionary-ecological process in restoring Banksia woodland resilient to global environmental changes. By manipulating genetic diversity, local selection and gene flow in restored plant communities, this project will establish suitable regimes to manage evolutionary processes in large-scale restoration, thereby improving success and resilience to future changes. It will significantly advance our understanding of evolutionary processes operating in restoration efforts, and lead to improved restoration success, better long-term ecological functioning in restored ecosystems, better investment of resources, and maintenance of Australia’s biodiversity in the face of rapid environmental change. These findings should be of relevance to broader restoration initiatives managed by the government, community, and industry nationally and internationally.Read moreRead less
Utilising plant-sediment-feedbacks to enhance seagrass restoration. This project aims to investigate the role of sediment microbes in promoting the health of threatened seagrass species across Australia. This project expects to create new knowledge for enhancing restoration success for seagrasses by integrating macro and micro-ecology, environmental genomics, plant ecology and ecosystem function (e.g. nutrient and biogeochemistry cycling). Expected outcomes are new knowledge to enhance seagrass ....Utilising plant-sediment-feedbacks to enhance seagrass restoration. This project aims to investigate the role of sediment microbes in promoting the health of threatened seagrass species across Australia. This project expects to create new knowledge for enhancing restoration success for seagrasses by integrating macro and micro-ecology, environmental genomics, plant ecology and ecosystem function (e.g. nutrient and biogeochemistry cycling). Expected outcomes are new knowledge to enhance seagrass restoration utilising sediment microbes that can be integrated into management and policy. This project should provide significant benefits, such as the development of key strategic alliances to enhance management of seagrasses, and the ecosystem services, and economic and social benefits they provide.Read moreRead less
Developing a framework for effective oyster reef restoration. This project aims to investigate ecological barriers to the recovery of functionally extinct Sydney Rock Oyster reefs on Australia’s east coast, and restoration methods to reinstate their key ecosystem services. This project expects to create new knowledge for designing functional reefs by integrating physiology, population, community and landscape ecology. Expected outcomes are an ecological decision framework for effective oyster re ....Developing a framework for effective oyster reef restoration. This project aims to investigate ecological barriers to the recovery of functionally extinct Sydney Rock Oyster reefs on Australia’s east coast, and restoration methods to reinstate their key ecosystem services. This project expects to create new knowledge for designing functional reefs by integrating physiology, population, community and landscape ecology. Expected outcomes are an ecological decision framework for effective oyster reef restoration that can be integrated into management and policy. This project should provide significant benefits, such as the development of key strategic alliances to enhance management of estuaries, and reestablish the environmental, economic and social benefits of oyster reefs.Read moreRead less
The spatial energetics of pollination failure in habitat restoration. This project addresses the reasons for pollination failure of threatened plant species during habitat restoration. Specifically, the project will determine the role of energetic constraints on pollinator movement in the hostile landscape matrix surrounding urban woodland remnants, and model future scenarios for restoring natural functioning woodland ecosystems.
Ecosystem restoration of bauxite-processing residue sand disposal areas in Western Australia: Important biogeochemical processes and effective fertilisation strategies. Alumina production is one of Australia's most important mining activities. Residue from bauxite-processing must be managed appropriately to minimise detrimental impacts on the surrounding environment. The location of Alcoa's WA Refineries in environmentally- and community- sensitive areas necessitates a detailed understanding of ....Ecosystem restoration of bauxite-processing residue sand disposal areas in Western Australia: Important biogeochemical processes and effective fertilisation strategies. Alumina production is one of Australia's most important mining activities. Residue from bauxite-processing must be managed appropriately to minimise detrimental impacts on the surrounding environment. The location of Alcoa's WA Refineries in environmentally- and community- sensitive areas necessitates a detailed understanding of residue disposal area (RDA) management. Currently little is known about the biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen, phosphorus and carbon in the residue sand despite its importance for sustainable rehabilitation practice. Findings from this project are critical for developing improved fertilisation strategies and protocols for ecosystem restoration of RDAs, which will be applicable both in Australia and overseas. Read moreRead less
Novel strategy for optimising fertilizer input coupled with organic residue management for sustainable reconstruction of jarrah forest ecosystem. This project is aimed at judicious management of the rehabilitation process following surface mining by reducing initial fertilizer input along with using organic residue accumulated following pre-mine clearing of vegetation. This approach has the potential for 'speeding-up' the ecosystem development process by initiating early microbial development in ....Novel strategy for optimising fertilizer input coupled with organic residue management for sustainable reconstruction of jarrah forest ecosystem. This project is aimed at judicious management of the rehabilitation process following surface mining by reducing initial fertilizer input along with using organic residue accumulated following pre-mine clearing of vegetation. This approach has the potential for 'speeding-up' the ecosystem development process by initiating early microbial development in rehabilitation practice and reducing the deleterious effect of heavy fertilization. Apart from these ecological advantages, reducing fertilizer application lowers minesite rehabilitation cost incurred by mining companies. This project will be the first attempt to use organic residue and streamlining the use of mineral fertilizers in mine rehabilitation practice.Read moreRead less
Improved quality and interpretation of terrestrial fauna surveys for environmental impact assessments in the mining industry. This study will improve the quality and interpretation of the terrestrial fauna surveys used as a basis for Environmental Impact Assessment in the mining industry. As a consequence, the Environment Protection Authority will better understand the potential impacts of mining on biodiversity and ecosystems, and can place more appropriate conditions on mining companies and th ....Improved quality and interpretation of terrestrial fauna surveys for environmental impact assessments in the mining industry. This study will improve the quality and interpretation of the terrestrial fauna surveys used as a basis for Environmental Impact Assessment in the mining industry. As a consequence, the Environment Protection Authority will better understand the potential impacts of mining on biodiversity and ecosystems, and can place more appropriate conditions on mining companies and their rehabilitation programs. In addition, the study will report on strategies for detecting rare and endangered species, and the development of appropriate databases to enable terrestrial fauna data to be interpreted in the context of soils and vegetation at habitat, landscape and regional scales.Read moreRead less
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.
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
Catchment restoration: generating prescriptions for evidence-based best practice in the future, from experience of the past. Catchment management programs, supported by substantial government finances, have been leading landscape rehabilitation measures across Australia for more than a decade. Few, if any, projects assessed the outcomes of the measures in terms of action success, plant survivability, landscape stabilisation and water resource benefit. This project will audit the proposed and act ....Catchment restoration: generating prescriptions for evidence-based best practice in the future, from experience of the past. Catchment management programs, supported by substantial government finances, have been leading landscape rehabilitation measures across Australia for more than a decade. Few, if any, projects assessed the outcomes of the measures in terms of action success, plant survivability, landscape stabilisation and water resource benefit. This project will audit the proposed and actual rehabilitation measures undertaken in five catchments and assess the modern condition of plantations, catchments and waterways. Lessons from this audit will generate prescriptions that will be integrated into a web decision support system optimising the outcomes from future catchment management in terms of biodiversity, landscape stability and stream condition.Read moreRead less