Forecasting fish resilience to environmental change in northern Australia. This project aims to use a traits-based modelling framework, incorporating variability both within and between species, to forecast the resilience of freshwater fishes in northern Australia to impending environmental change. While northern Australian rivers are among the most pristine and productive on earth, they face profound change due to human activity. Emerging evidence suggests that flexibility in functional traits ....Forecasting fish resilience to environmental change in northern Australia. This project aims to use a traits-based modelling framework, incorporating variability both within and between species, to forecast the resilience of freshwater fishes in northern Australia to impending environmental change. While northern Australian rivers are among the most pristine and productive on earth, they face profound change due to human activity. Emerging evidence suggests that flexibility in functional traits (e.g. life history, physiology, behaviour, diet) may result in resilience to environmental change. This project aims to provide decision-makers with essential information and new tools to underpin future planning and resource management.Read moreRead less
Mammal declines in northern Australia: science for conservation and recovery. Australia’s unique mammal fauna is a rich biological heritage for the nation. It provides a wealth of ecosystem services, and many mammal species have special cultural or aesthetic value. However, our mammals are sadly depleted, and we already have the worst record of recent mammal extinction of any nation. Preventing further mammal extinctions, and managing environments to allow declined mammals to recover, will be of ....Mammal declines in northern Australia: science for conservation and recovery. Australia’s unique mammal fauna is a rich biological heritage for the nation. It provides a wealth of ecosystem services, and many mammal species have special cultural or aesthetic value. However, our mammals are sadly depleted, and we already have the worst record of recent mammal extinction of any nation. Preventing further mammal extinctions, and managing environments to allow declined mammals to recover, will be of great benefit to Australian biodiversity and to the ecosystem processes and human values that depend on it.Read moreRead less
Coastal monitoring using metal resistant microbes. We will develop an early warning, rapid biological assessment (RBA) for sediment toxicity that can be used alongside chemical tests to detect sub-chronic changes in the environment. The assessment will be validated by extensive testing of impacted sediment. We will show how the RBA fits into existing decision trees defined by the Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council (ANZECC) 2000 Guidelines. The biological tests result ....Coastal monitoring using metal resistant microbes. We will develop an early warning, rapid biological assessment (RBA) for sediment toxicity that can be used alongside chemical tests to detect sub-chronic changes in the environment. The assessment will be validated by extensive testing of impacted sediment. We will show how the RBA fits into existing decision trees defined by the Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council (ANZECC) 2000 Guidelines. The biological tests resulting from this project will be as rapid and straightforward as existing chemical tests, which will facilitate industry acceptance. The project has strong industry involvement from mining companies, the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) and traditional owners. These partners will guide this project and facilitate communication to the wider industry to aid acceptance and uptake.Read moreRead less
Applying macroecology to assist in the management of Kakadu National Park. The ecological integrity of Kakadu National Park is threatened by fires, weeds, and feral animals. To help tackle these problems, we will develop a cost-effective, culturally appropriate, park-wide monitoring system based on changes in the boundaries of closed forests, woodland and grassland. We will gauge the effect of broad-scale land management interventions, and predict the consequences of future change. The findings ....Applying macroecology to assist in the management of Kakadu National Park. The ecological integrity of Kakadu National Park is threatened by fires, weeds, and feral animals. To help tackle these problems, we will develop a cost-effective, culturally appropriate, park-wide monitoring system based on changes in the boundaries of closed forests, woodland and grassland. We will gauge the effect of broad-scale land management interventions, and predict the consequences of future change. The findings of this study will be transferable to other landscape settings in Australia and overseas. It will contribute to debates about the ecological consequences of current land management practices and how these compare with past Aboriginal land management.Read moreRead less
Automated groundwater level mapping: a tool for catchment scale estimation of aquifer storage changes, fluxes and hydrogeological properties. Cutting-edge groundwater mapping tools will be developed by this project and made freely available. Water table maps will be derived for Victoria and used to quantify aquifer properties, recharge and the groundwater balance. Fundamental limitations to quantitative groundwater management will be overcome and the Bureau of Meteorology intend to adopt the fin ....Automated groundwater level mapping: a tool for catchment scale estimation of aquifer storage changes, fluxes and hydrogeological properties. Cutting-edge groundwater mapping tools will be developed by this project and made freely available. Water table maps will be derived for Victoria and used to quantify aquifer properties, recharge and the groundwater balance. Fundamental limitations to quantitative groundwater management will be overcome and the Bureau of Meteorology intend to adopt the findings.Read moreRead less
A landscape-scale experimental test of factors driving mammal declines in northern Australia. Australia has suffered the highest rate of modern mammal extinctions in the world. Foxes have been largely responsible for this extinction in southern Australia and probably also Central Australia. However the decline in mammals in northern Australia has occurred later than that in the south, and in the absence of foxes. We will adopt an experimental approach to determine the mechanisms driving mammal d ....A landscape-scale experimental test of factors driving mammal declines in northern Australia. Australia has suffered the highest rate of modern mammal extinctions in the world. Foxes have been largely responsible for this extinction in southern Australia and probably also Central Australia. However the decline in mammals in northern Australia has occurred later than that in the south, and in the absence of foxes. We will adopt an experimental approach to determine the mechanisms driving mammal declines and extinctions in northern Australia. Populations of brush-tail tree rats (Conilurus penicillatus) will be translocated to suitable habitat on mainland sites that experience different fire regimes and predation pressures.Read moreRead less
Conservation management of seed-eating birds in the tropical savannas. Biodiversity loss in the savannas indicates unsustainable management. This research will enhance our abilities to effectively manage Australia's tropical savannas, as well as contributing to several State and Territory, Commonwealth and international obligations to maintain biodiversity. Understanding the processes underlying current declines will also make the effects of future management or environment changes easier to pre ....Conservation management of seed-eating birds in the tropical savannas. Biodiversity loss in the savannas indicates unsustainable management. This research will enhance our abilities to effectively manage Australia's tropical savannas, as well as contributing to several State and Territory, Commonwealth and international obligations to maintain biodiversity. Understanding the processes underlying current declines will also make the effects of future management or environment changes easier to predict. Retaining threatened species can benefit remote and regional communities through tourism, and also through the extra employment required to implement the management prescriptions that will be developed from this research.Read moreRead less
Ecological-epidemiological models of feral swamp buffalo control in northern Australia. This research is locally, nationally and internationally significant because it 1) improves the capacity of the Northern Territory and its traditional aboriginal owners to manage together this prevalent species in an effort to minimise disturbance to native flora and fauna and to understand the long-term implications of continued proliferation, 2) provides a nationally relevant system to monitor and project t ....Ecological-epidemiological models of feral swamp buffalo control in northern Australia. This research is locally, nationally and internationally significant because it 1) improves the capacity of the Northern Territory and its traditional aboriginal owners to manage together this prevalent species in an effort to minimise disturbance to native flora and fauna and to understand the long-term implications of continued proliferation, 2) provides a nationally relevant system to monitor and project the spread of disease through feral animal populations in Australia, and 3) combines quantitative data and robust analytical tools that can be used as a template for solving many broad-scale feral animal problems around the world.Read moreRead less
Increasing the effectiveness of Australian threatened bird conservation. Conservation of threatened species is expensive and success rare or fleeting. Analysis of nearly three decades of threatened species conservation management, and an understanding of the complex of factors that affect success, will help increase the efficiency of conservation planning. Improved understanding of the biological, economic, social and institutional environment within which conservation management occurs will hel ....Increasing the effectiveness of Australian threatened bird conservation. Conservation of threatened species is expensive and success rare or fleeting. Analysis of nearly three decades of threatened species conservation management, and an understanding of the complex of factors that affect success, will help increase the efficiency of conservation planning. Improved understanding of the biological, economic, social and institutional environment within which conservation management occurs will help managers allocate resources appropriately. This type of analysis has never been done for an entire fauna at a continental scale and will have global significance. Furthermore the networks to which the investigators are connected will ensure that the results can be rapidly translated into practice.Read moreRead less
Analysis of legislation and policies affecting the development of Indigenous wildlife-based enterprises. Entrepreneurial enterprise development by Indigenous people in remote regions is being encouraged as part of government policy to move people off welfare and into work. Indigenous knowledge of wildlife makes it a logical source of wealth generation but a range of legal and policy constraints add to substantial existing social and logistical problems. An understanding of the legal processes in ....Analysis of legislation and policies affecting the development of Indigenous wildlife-based enterprises. Entrepreneurial enterprise development by Indigenous people in remote regions is being encouraged as part of government policy to move people off welfare and into work. Indigenous knowledge of wildlife makes it a logical source of wealth generation but a range of legal and policy constraints add to substantial existing social and logistical problems. An understanding of the legal processes involved in establishing and maintaining sustainable and ongoing wildlife-based enterprises will improve their chances of success, and will also offer the opportunity to change regulatory frameworks to ensure consistency, remove contradictions and encourage workforce participation. The research will have national and international implications.Read moreRead less