Integrating the conservation and ecosystem-service value of Australia's catchments. This project addresses the Priority Goal of Sustainable Use of Biodiversity by explicitly linking the intrinsic value of biodiversity and supporting ecosystems with the services they provide to humanity (e.g. carbon storage and nutrient cycling). It will employ a comprehensive, innovative approach to integrating conservation, market and non-market values of land holdings in Australia's catchments using the concep ....Integrating the conservation and ecosystem-service value of Australia's catchments. This project addresses the Priority Goal of Sustainable Use of Biodiversity by explicitly linking the intrinsic value of biodiversity and supporting ecosystems with the services they provide to humanity (e.g. carbon storage and nutrient cycling). It will employ a comprehensive, innovative approach to integrating conservation, market and non-market values of land holdings in Australia's catchments using the concept of nature's services. Through extensive collaboration among leading scientists and land managers, the project will identify sites of high value requiring special attention, yield important theoretical advancements to how we value ecosystems, and provide practical and easily applied guidelines for land managers. Read moreRead less
Building capacity for adaptive management in protected areas through improved systems for monitoring and evaluation. The project demonstrates how evaluation can lead to improved management of protected areas. Effectively managed protected areas are essential for biodiversity conservation. Improved management, and hence improved conservation outcomes will flow from enhanced use of monitoring and evaluation data in decision-making. Identifying strengths and weaknesses in management will allow mana ....Building capacity for adaptive management in protected areas through improved systems for monitoring and evaluation. The project demonstrates how evaluation can lead to improved management of protected areas. Effectively managed protected areas are essential for biodiversity conservation. Improved management, and hence improved conservation outcomes will flow from enhanced use of monitoring and evaluation data in decision-making. Identifying strengths and weaknesses in management will allow managers to better allocate resource for more effective conservation outcomes. The project establishes connections with all protected area management agencies in Australia, and will contribute to the development of national policy and practice in protected area evaluation and reporting, thus helping to meet national and international reporting obligations. Read moreRead less
Farmer Adoption of Sustainable Land Management Practices in the Fitzroy Basin, Central Queensland. The research project will identify the barriers to, and facilitators of, the adoption of sustainable land management practices in the grazing industry in the Fitzroy Basin, Central Queensland. Current agricultural extension approaches to environmental innovations in grazing have been criticised for their inability to facilitate rapid implementation of necessary on-ground changes. This research is s ....Farmer Adoption of Sustainable Land Management Practices in the Fitzroy Basin, Central Queensland. The research project will identify the barriers to, and facilitators of, the adoption of sustainable land management practices in the grazing industry in the Fitzroy Basin, Central Queensland. Current agricultural extension approaches to environmental innovations in grazing have been criticised for their inability to facilitate rapid implementation of necessary on-ground changes. This research is significant in identifying key socio-economic and environmental factors that need to be considered in developing regional policy approaches to sustainable agricultural development. Outcomes will include better uptake of environmental measures by graziers and policy advice to government and industry on sustainable development options.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
Greenhouse gas emission from sugarcane and mangrove communities in coastal Queensland. Greenhouse gases threaten the global climate. Many estimates of vegetation as sinks and sources for greenhouse gases have a high degree of uncertainty. This project will generate important information about greenhouse gas emissions from Queensland coastal vegetation. Characterised by moist and nutrient rich conditions, sugarcane fields and mangrove ecosystems represent significant sources/sinks of potent green ....Greenhouse gas emission from sugarcane and mangrove communities in coastal Queensland. Greenhouse gases threaten the global climate. Many estimates of vegetation as sinks and sources for greenhouse gases have a high degree of uncertainty. This project will generate important information about greenhouse gas emissions from Queensland coastal vegetation. Characterised by moist and nutrient rich conditions, sugarcane fields and mangrove ecosystems represent significant sources/sinks of potent greenhouse gases nitrous oxide and methane. Sugarcane and mangroves exposed to different nutrient inputs will allow to (i) identify mechanisms of N2O and CH4 emission, (ii) model N2O and CH4 emissions under different nutrient and climate conditions, and (iii) control/reduce emissions by improving coastal ecosystem management.Read moreRead less
Conservation of tropical forests for their carbon and biodiversity values. International efforts to save tropical forests for the carbon they store could help mitigate climate change and biodiversity loss. This project will aid these efforts by developing methods to model future deforestation and extending decision theory for the new challenges presented by international carbon-payment schemes.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160101207
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$334,000.00
Summary
Predicting fisheries change from cumulative impacts to aquatic habitats. This project intends to quantify the role that aquatic habitats play in fisheries, and to help identify where to restore degraded aquatic habitats. Fisheries are a globally important resource but their status is declining in many regions, often because of the loss of aquatic habitats. However, the role of habitat in fishery declines is poorly quantified, and new models are needed that integrate existing datasets to attribut ....Predicting fisheries change from cumulative impacts to aquatic habitats. This project intends to quantify the role that aquatic habitats play in fisheries, and to help identify where to restore degraded aquatic habitats. Fisheries are a globally important resource but their status is declining in many regions, often because of the loss of aquatic habitats. However, the role of habitat in fishery declines is poorly quantified, and new models are needed that integrate existing datasets to attribute change in a fishery to change in its habitats. The project aims to develop a new statistical analysis to examine the role of habitat loss in the global status of fisheries and how multiple human impacts to habitats affect fisheries, to decide how we can best protect aquatic habitats.Read moreRead less
Restoring ecosystem function in altered landscapes to achieve ecologicallly sustainable development goals. Mining and agriculture contribute approximately 10 per cent of Australia's gross domestic product. Hence the sustainable development of these sectors is critical to our long term economic growth and well being. However, this growth is leading to degradation of landscape ecosystem function and loss of ecosystem services. Community reaction will curtail production in these sectors where funct ....Restoring ecosystem function in altered landscapes to achieve ecologicallly sustainable development goals. Mining and agriculture contribute approximately 10 per cent of Australia's gross domestic product. Hence the sustainable development of these sectors is critical to our long term economic growth and well being. However, this growth is leading to degradation of landscape ecosystem function and loss of ecosystem services. Community reaction will curtail production in these sectors where function and services continue to be lost. This project addresses the demand for accurate scientific information, needed by industry and government, to understand ecosystem responses to change, and to develop optimal conservation interventions that take account of the costs and benefits in landscapes where the intensive mining industry intersects with extensive land uses for food and fibre production.Read moreRead less
Delivering Benefits from Nature in a Highly Connected World . This project aims to improve knowledge of the implications of global flows of ecosystem services (the benefits people receive from nature) for achieving sustainable land use by developing novel predictive models and decision tools. The project is significant because it will resolve the complex challenge of assessing land use strategies when land use change has impacts on ecosystem service provision locally and globally. Expected outco ....Delivering Benefits from Nature in a Highly Connected World . This project aims to improve knowledge of the implications of global flows of ecosystem services (the benefits people receive from nature) for achieving sustainable land use by developing novel predictive models and decision tools. The project is significant because it will resolve the complex challenge of assessing land use strategies when land use change has impacts on ecosystem service provision locally and globally. Expected outcomes will be new evidence for the effect of land use change on the global distribution of ecosystem service benefits and how ecosystem services trade-off against each other. This should provide significant benefits by enabling better assessment of land use policy in an increasingly highly connected world.Read moreRead less
Operationalizing marine reserve design for rebuilding tropical fisheries. Operationalizing marine reserve design for rebuilding tropical fisheries. This project intends to maximise the scope for rebuilding reef fisheries while ensuring short-term levels do not become too low. Like many developing countries, Indonesia wishes to rebuild its heavily over-exploited coral reef fisheries. Marine reserves allow fish populations to recover and replenish fished areas. However, because reserves remove fis ....Operationalizing marine reserve design for rebuilding tropical fisheries. Operationalizing marine reserve design for rebuilding tropical fisheries. This project intends to maximise the scope for rebuilding reef fisheries while ensuring short-term levels do not become too low. Like many developing countries, Indonesia wishes to rebuild its heavily over-exploited coral reef fisheries. Marine reserves allow fish populations to recover and replenish fished areas. However, because reserves remove fishing grounds, fish catches tend to decrease in the short-term while fish recover in reserves; a process that can take a decade. Loss of yield can be so burdensome that managers abandon fisheries. This research is intended to improve the economic security of fishers and food security, and inform World Bank and Australian aid programs.Read moreRead less