Conservation planning: incorporating patch dynamics and climate change to achieve better outcomes. This research will make significant contributions to planning for An Environmentally Sustainable Australia. Key outcomes will include guidelines for including, for the first time, the patch dynamics of coral bleaching and pelagic productivity in conservation planning. By using an Australian icon, the Great Barrier Reef, as the case study for this research, the findings will be directly applicable a ....Conservation planning: incorporating patch dynamics and climate change to achieve better outcomes. This research will make significant contributions to planning for An Environmentally Sustainable Australia. Key outcomes will include guidelines for including, for the first time, the patch dynamics of coral bleaching and pelagic productivity in conservation planning. By using an Australian icon, the Great Barrier Reef, as the case study for this research, the findings will be directly applicable and implementable. Furthermore, this study will result in an understanding of the potential effect of climate change on patch dynamics, and will provide guidelines and theory for planning for such changes. This research will enable Australia to effectively protect its biodiversity and to relate this knowledge to its neighbours.Read moreRead less
International Networks in Applied Bayesian Statistics: improving Australia''s knowledge through intelligent data analysis and modelling. National benefits of this project are fourfold: (i) new international networks between Australia, Southern Africa, France and USA in the priority area of mathematical sciences; (ii) state-of-the-art Bayesian statistical methods for integrating and analyzing non-standard data and diverse information sources, including expert opinion, in order to solve complex pr ....International Networks in Applied Bayesian Statistics: improving Australia''s knowledge through intelligent data analysis and modelling. National benefits of this project are fourfold: (i) new international networks between Australia, Southern Africa, France and USA in the priority area of mathematical sciences; (ii) state-of-the-art Bayesian statistical methods for integrating and analyzing non-standard data and diverse information sources, including expert opinion, in order to solve complex problems in environment, industry, health, defence; (iii) direct contribution to solution of global environmental problems, specifically water quality, threatened species and environmental risk; (iv) superior training of the next generation of the global community of researchers in applied statistics.Read moreRead less
Theory for global biodiversity conservation. Australia's biological diversity underpins much of our economic wealth - for example the remarkable diversity of coral reefs fuels a multibillion dollar tourism industry. We will devise methods to make better decisions about where to invest conservation dollars amongst the biodiversity "hotspots" of the world and Australia to deliver environmental sustainability. We will solve the problem of how much of any environmental budget should be spent on mo ....Theory for global biodiversity conservation. Australia's biological diversity underpins much of our economic wealth - for example the remarkable diversity of coral reefs fuels a multibillion dollar tourism industry. We will devise methods to make better decisions about where to invest conservation dollars amongst the biodiversity "hotspots" of the world and Australia to deliver environmental sustainability. We will solve the problem of how much of any environmental budget should be spent on monitoring conservation actions to make better and more cost-effective decisions. We will create new theory and freely available tools for building systems of marine reserves that allow for threats like coral bleaching and hurricanes.Read moreRead less
Economics of Conserving Australian Tropical Wildlife: An Analysis of the Role of Economic Valuation, Property Rights and Commercialisation. Australian tropical native animals are selected to analyse economic valuation (use and non-use valuation) of wildlife species and to assess systematically the role of property rights and commercialisation in conservation. The project will (1) reduce bias of Australian economic studies in favour of temperate species; (2) answer several unresolved questions ra ....Economics of Conserving Australian Tropical Wildlife: An Analysis of the Role of Economic Valuation, Property Rights and Commercialisation. Australian tropical native animals are selected to analyse economic valuation (use and non-use valuation) of wildlife species and to assess systematically the role of property rights and commercialisation in conservation. The project will (1) reduce bias of Australian economic studies in favour of temperate species; (2) answer several unresolved questions raised in the Parlimentary Report on Commercial Utilisation of Australian Wildlife; (3) advance economic theory (e.g. relating to dynamic influences on economic valuation) and provide new insights into property rights making use of empirical and experimental results, and (4) thereby contribute to public policy decision-making.Read moreRead less
Enhancing native seed performance for minesite restoration and biodiversity conservation. The knowledge and practical outcomes generated from this project will facilitate more effective restoration of degraded native ecosystems through the return of a wider range of key understorey plant taxa and more efficient use of seed supplies. Availability of a broader suite of species will increase biodiversity, improve ecosystem resilience to change, and help in the conservation and recovery of nationall ....Enhancing native seed performance for minesite restoration and biodiversity conservation. The knowledge and practical outcomes generated from this project will facilitate more effective restoration of degraded native ecosystems through the return of a wider range of key understorey plant taxa and more efficient use of seed supplies. Availability of a broader suite of species will increase biodiversity, improve ecosystem resilience to change, and help in the conservation and recovery of nationally threatened taxa. By increasing the range of species with horticultural potential available for commercial propagation, it will also reduce the harvest of wild flowers. More efficient production and use of seed stocks will reduce the pressure on limited seed resources from seed harvesting.Read moreRead less
Spatial prioritization in the context of climate change and unforeseen opportunities: maximizing conservation outcomes in Gondwana Link. The economic wealth of Australia is underpinned by its remarkable biological diversity. However, land and water degradation are eroding Australia's natural asset base and climate change is expected to magnify these impacts. Given limited funds for biodiversity conservation, we need to maximise the benefits of our investment in natural resource management. This ....Spatial prioritization in the context of climate change and unforeseen opportunities: maximizing conservation outcomes in Gondwana Link. The economic wealth of Australia is underpinned by its remarkable biological diversity. However, land and water degradation are eroding Australia's natural asset base and climate change is expected to magnify these impacts. Given limited funds for biodiversity conservation, we need to maximise the benefits of our investment in natural resource management. This research will deliver approaches and tools to ensure that we maximise the protection of biological diversity in the context of a changing world climate and a limited budget. We will share the results of our research with decision makers, scientists, and the general public.Read moreRead less
Fingerprints of global climate change and forest management on rhizosphere carbon and nutrient cycling. Using a series of innovative techniques, this project seeks to capture the excellent, exciting opportunities for studying impacts of global climate change (GCC) and forest management on plant-soil-microbe interactions in rhizosphere carbon and nutrient cycling, with two of the world's best GCC forest experiments in Sweden and USA and three long-term forest management experiments in Australia. ....Fingerprints of global climate change and forest management on rhizosphere carbon and nutrient cycling. Using a series of innovative techniques, this project seeks to capture the excellent, exciting opportunities for studying impacts of global climate change (GCC) and forest management on plant-soil-microbe interactions in rhizosphere carbon and nutrient cycling, with two of the world's best GCC forest experiments in Sweden and USA and three long-term forest management experiments in Australia. The successful conduct of this multidisciplinary collaborative research will result in: improved understanding and management of forest ecosystems in response to GCC and effective biodiversity conservation in managed forests; and enhanced international reputation and expertise of the Australian scientists in the relevant research fields.Read moreRead less
Network structure, connectivity and wildlife disease. Emerging infectious diseases of wildlife pose threats to human health (75% of human emerging diseases are zoonotic). They also threaten biodiversity and livestock. Changes in connectivity between wildlife individuals and populations are occurring because of human activities, including globalisation, climate change and habitat destruction. Understanding how these changes in connectivity affect wildlife disease dynamics is crucial for the deve ....Network structure, connectivity and wildlife disease. Emerging infectious diseases of wildlife pose threats to human health (75% of human emerging diseases are zoonotic). They also threaten biodiversity and livestock. Changes in connectivity between wildlife individuals and populations are occurring because of human activities, including globalisation, climate change and habitat destruction. Understanding how these changes in connectivity affect wildlife disease dynamics is crucial for the development of better strategies to manage their impacts. The project will also build Australia's wider capacity to manage outbreaks of infectious diseases.Read moreRead less
Maximising the conservation of biodiversity and the delivery of ecosystem services: What to do, where and when. The economic wealth of Australia is underpinned by its remarkable biological diversity. However, land and water degradation are eroding Australia's natural asset base damaging industries such as tourism, fisheries, and forestry. Given limited funds for biodiversity conservation, we need to minimise the misallocation of resources by making wise investments. This research will result in ....Maximising the conservation of biodiversity and the delivery of ecosystem services: What to do, where and when. The economic wealth of Australia is underpinned by its remarkable biological diversity. However, land and water degradation are eroding Australia's natural asset base damaging industries such as tourism, fisheries, and forestry. Given limited funds for biodiversity conservation, we need to minimise the misallocation of resources by making wise investments. This research will result in frameworks and tools to ensure that we maximise the protection of biological diversity and the delivery of ecosystem services (such as clean water) that are important for human well-being. We will share the results of our research with decision makers, scientists, and the general public.Read moreRead less
How can communities sustainably manage coral reefs? This project is relevant to the National Research Priority: An Environmentally Sustainable Australia. Key outcomes will include:
- a better understanding the most effective co-management arrangements for coral reefs;
- an evaluation of whether Australia's co-management models have the design principles associated with long-term success; and
- new insights into the socioeconomic environments under which co-management may be an effecti ....How can communities sustainably manage coral reefs? This project is relevant to the National Research Priority: An Environmentally Sustainable Australia. Key outcomes will include:
- a better understanding the most effective co-management arrangements for coral reefs;
- an evaluation of whether Australia's co-management models have the design principles associated with long-term success; and
- new insights into the socioeconomic environments under which co-management may be an effective management option.
These outcomes will promote the sustainable use of Australia's biodiversity by strengthening the capacity of co-management institutions. This project will also promote Australia's research capacity by providing research funds for one PhD student and one Honours student.
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