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
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354677
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000.00
Summary
Sustainable terrestrial and riverine systems through integrated assessment and modelling. Australia must take the lead internationally in sustainability assessment and management; it hosts both the problems and expertise, and is proactive in integrating research and management. This Initiative unites, for the first time, leading researchers from all relevant disciplines to advance our knowledge for achieving sustainable terrestrial and riverine systems (STARS). The intended network can produce a ....Sustainable terrestrial and riverine systems through integrated assessment and modelling. Australia must take the lead internationally in sustainability assessment and management; it hosts both the problems and expertise, and is proactive in integrating research and management. This Initiative unites, for the first time, leading researchers from all relevant disciplines to advance our knowledge for achieving sustainable terrestrial and riverine systems (STARS). The intended network can produce assessments, strategies and policy directions that are objective, adaptive and inclusive. It can evaluate trade-offs between sustainability strategies, integrating research and outcomes, making them accessible to managers. It will build a coordinated research capability that directly supports Australia's goal of ecologically sustainable development. Read moreRead less
Sustainable farming in Australia: Market instruments for improved land management. Sustainable farming has become a national priority. As climate change and global economic pressures increase the problems facing rural areas, Australian governments have attempted to combine more sustainable land management with a competitive agricultural sector. Several policy instruments using market incentives have been proposed to manage the competing demands of farm viability and environmental sustainability. ....Sustainable farming in Australia: Market instruments for improved land management. Sustainable farming has become a national priority. As climate change and global economic pressures increase the problems facing rural areas, Australian governments have attempted to combine more sustainable land management with a competitive agricultural sector. Several policy instruments using market incentives have been proposed to manage the competing demands of farm viability and environmental sustainability. This project will examine the responses of beef, dairy and grain farmers to these initiatives and their potential for addressing pressing environmental issues. The research will make a vital contribution to the design of policies for the future of farming, resilient rural communities and an environmentally sustainable Australia.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354558
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000.00
Summary
Reimagining the ecosocial sustainability of the Murray-Darling Basin. Urgent work is required to prevent the ecological, social and economic collapse of the Murray-Darling Basin. Ecosocial sustainability, as a long-term goal for the Murray-Darling, requires dealing with complex patterns of settlement, production, consumption and governance. Traditional disciplines are too narrowly defined to deal with this complexity. This research network will advance Australia's interdisciplinary research on s ....Reimagining the ecosocial sustainability of the Murray-Darling Basin. Urgent work is required to prevent the ecological, social and economic collapse of the Murray-Darling Basin. Ecosocial sustainability, as a long-term goal for the Murray-Darling, requires dealing with complex patterns of settlement, production, consumption and governance. Traditional disciplines are too narrowly defined to deal with this complexity. This research network will advance Australia's interdisciplinary research on sustainability of the Murray-Darling by creatively bringing into dialogue notable groups of scholars whose work traverses the natural sciences, social sciences and the humanities. This network will integrate new interdisciplinary research with bold policy analysis and creative representations, to build informed public engagement.Read moreRead less
Mechanistic and probabilistic approaches to assessing the impact of pesticide mixtures in Australian waterways. This project will provide vital information on the impacts of pesticide mixtures in Australian waterways and will also provide information with respect to safe levels of pesticides for water quality management. This information will be used to develop scientifically sound management policies and provide advice to regulatory authorities such as the NSW Department of Environment and Cons ....Mechanistic and probabilistic approaches to assessing the impact of pesticide mixtures in Australian waterways. This project will provide vital information on the impacts of pesticide mixtures in Australian waterways and will also provide information with respect to safe levels of pesticides for water quality management. This information will be used to develop scientifically sound management policies and provide advice to regulatory authorities such as the NSW Department of Environment and Conservation and the Federal Department of Environment and Heritage. Specifically the results will contribute to ensuring the use of pesticides in market gardens close to Sydney does not threaten the health of local rivers. Read moreRead less
Designing landscapes to deliver ecosystem services to agriculture. This project addresses the Priority Goal of Sustainable Use of Biodiversity by employing a pioneering management framework that identifies situations where agriculture can gain maximum benefit from nature's services. Services like pollination are crucial; approximately 35% of global food production comes from crops pollinated by bees or birds. These services contribute billions of dollars to production. Our model will greatly enh ....Designing landscapes to deliver ecosystem services to agriculture. This project addresses the Priority Goal of Sustainable Use of Biodiversity by employing a pioneering management framework that identifies situations where agriculture can gain maximum benefit from nature's services. Services like pollination are crucial; approximately 35% of global food production comes from crops pollinated by bees or birds. These services contribute billions of dollars to production. Our model will greatly enhance the flow of services from nature to agriculture by linking land-use options with service availability. This will improve economic returns to local communities and agricultural industries, and promote protection of native species by recognising their contribution to agriculture. Read moreRead less
Water and Energy profiles for Sydney: Towards Sustainability. The critical problem of urban sustainability is addressed in collaboration with NSW Landcom. The sustainability problem in Australian cities arises largely because urban management systems have failed to account for the effects of the built environment on water and energy consumption patterns. Cities such as Sydney, and its western regions, require urgent attention due to huge foreseen urban growth and development. By examining the ne ....Water and Energy profiles for Sydney: Towards Sustainability. The critical problem of urban sustainability is addressed in collaboration with NSW Landcom. The sustainability problem in Australian cities arises largely because urban management systems have failed to account for the effects of the built environment on water and energy consumption patterns. Cities such as Sydney, and its western regions, require urgent attention due to huge foreseen urban growth and development. By examining the nexus between built environment composition, socio-economic factors and ecological 'load' new insights to this important matter are gained. Results will provide new strategies and models for urban management systems that will enhance environmental efficiency and effectiveness. Read moreRead less
Environmental risk assessment of acid sulfate soil formation and pollutant generation in Swan Coastal Plain. The urgency and importance of securing water sources for human use in a sustainable manner is dictated by drying climate and rapid population expansion in Australia. Dropping groundwater levels (less recharge, increased abstraction, enhanced drainage) result in formation of acid sulfate soils in oxidised layers that contain acid-bearing minerals. This project will produce an environmental ....Environmental risk assessment of acid sulfate soil formation and pollutant generation in Swan Coastal Plain. The urgency and importance of securing water sources for human use in a sustainable manner is dictated by drying climate and rapid population expansion in Australia. Dropping groundwater levels (less recharge, increased abstraction, enhanced drainage) result in formation of acid sulfate soils in oxidised layers that contain acid-bearing minerals. This project will produce an environmental risk assessment framework as a basis for (i) educated decisions regarding land development and soil disturbance vs conservation as well as (ii) identifying areas suitable for water abstraction from groundwater resources. This will ensure sustainable use of precious groundwater resources in this drying continent of ours.Read moreRead less
Sustainable development in urban environments: maximising biodiversity conservation where people live. This project directly addresses the National Research Priority of An Environmentally Sustainable Australia. This is achieved by a pioneering approach that links socio-economic variables with settlement design and biodiversity status. Human settlements have substantial capacity to support a rich biodiversity. Developing ecologically sensitive management strategies here will not only ensure the c ....Sustainable development in urban environments: maximising biodiversity conservation where people live. This project directly addresses the National Research Priority of An Environmentally Sustainable Australia. This is achieved by a pioneering approach that links socio-economic variables with settlement design and biodiversity status. Human settlements have substantial capacity to support a rich biodiversity. Developing ecologically sensitive management strategies here will not only ensure the conservation of many native species, but also provide considerable opportunities for interaction between people and nature. This can have significant social benefits including improved health, increased community well-being and greater understanding of the environment. It also ensures ready access to a broad range of ecosystem goods and services.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0567355
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$97,086.00
Summary
Bidwern: Managing multi-formatted digital data across disciplines on the western Arnhem Land Plateau. This project will develop processes and tools to manage digital data associated with multidisciplinary projects. A pilot project will use a selection of visual and audio data being collected by social and physical scientists working with Indigenous communities on a major land management project across the western Arnhem Land Plateau. Tools will be developed and methods formulated for preparin ....Bidwern: Managing multi-formatted digital data across disciplines on the western Arnhem Land Plateau. This project will develop processes and tools to manage digital data associated with multidisciplinary projects. A pilot project will use a selection of visual and audio data being collected by social and physical scientists working with Indigenous communities on a major land management project across the western Arnhem Land Plateau. Tools will be developed and methods formulated for preparing the data for uploading to suitable repositories, for capturing the metadata relating to each file, and for enabling the data to be retrieved for subsequent analysis and dissemination purposes. The tools will be used by a wide range of stakeholders, including researchers, the general public and remote communities.Read moreRead less