Precious time-capsule: discovery of fossil-rich amber from Australia. Cape York's natural attributes are already of national and global significance. Our research, which focuses on the world's most recently discovered, fossil-rich amber deposit will significantly increase this value. In addition to discovery of hundreds of stunningly-well preserved fossil organisms, analysis of trapped bubbles of ancient air will enable us to reconstruct their prehistoric environment. This should improve ability ....Precious time-capsule: discovery of fossil-rich amber from Australia. Cape York's natural attributes are already of national and global significance. Our research, which focuses on the world's most recently discovered, fossil-rich amber deposit will significantly increase this value. In addition to discovery of hundreds of stunningly-well preserved fossil organisms, analysis of trapped bubbles of ancient air will enable us to reconstruct their prehistoric environment. This should improve ability to anticipate biotic responses to future climate change. The amber industry globally contributes to national wealth. Increasing understanding about the geology and palaeontology of this amber deposit will maximise commercial and scientific benefits to the nation.Read moreRead less
Time frame for the evolution of Australia's extraordinary mammals. This Project will refine a national biostratigraphic framework integrating growing understanding about the history of Australia's unique mammals, climate change and geological events. Increasing precision in correlating Australia's phylogenetic, palaeoecological and palaeoclimatological events will clarify how these act synergistically to change environments and biodiversity. Increased precision in the biostratigraphic framework ....Time frame for the evolution of Australia's extraordinary mammals. This Project will refine a national biostratigraphic framework integrating growing understanding about the history of Australia's unique mammals, climate change and geological events. Increasing precision in correlating Australia's phylogenetic, palaeoecological and palaeoclimatological events will clarify how these act synergistically to change environments and biodiversity. Increased precision in the biostratigraphic framework will also serve evolutionary genetics which needs age data to calculate molecular rates of divergence, economic geologists needing to know the age of Cainozoic sediments, biologists trying to understand the origins and nature of biodiversity and conservationists using divergence dates and relative branch lengths to help determine conservation priorities. Read moreRead less
Ten years is enough: the life and afterlife of Rick Farley. This project documents, for the first time, Rick Farley's contribution to our understanding of the urgent questions of Australia's economic, cultural and environmental sustainability. By analysing Farley's advocacy and action at all levels of government and society, and across the political spectrum, it provides a broadly accessible study of the shaping of agendas on these matters. Farley's insistence that community alliances were vit ....Ten years is enough: the life and afterlife of Rick Farley. This project documents, for the first time, Rick Farley's contribution to our understanding of the urgent questions of Australia's economic, cultural and environmental sustainability. By analysing Farley's advocacy and action at all levels of government and society, and across the political spectrum, it provides a broadly accessible study of the shaping of agendas on these matters. Farley's insistence that community alliances were vital to meeting global challenges, magnified by Australia's degraded landscapes and the alienation of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous custodians of those lands, remains as relevant now as it was when he brokered initiatives such as Landcare. Read moreRead less
Investigating the educational impact of wildlife-based leisure experiences in supporting visitors? adoption of environmentally sustainable practices. National environmental policy makers acknowledge the central role education plays in addressing the many serious environmental problems facing the country and encouraging Australians to adopt environmentally sustainable practices. This project will inform the design of free-choice, wildlife-based learning experiences that are relevant, meaningful a ....Investigating the educational impact of wildlife-based leisure experiences in supporting visitors? adoption of environmentally sustainable practices. National environmental policy makers acknowledge the central role education plays in addressing the many serious environmental problems facing the country and encouraging Australians to adopt environmentally sustainable practices. This project will inform the design of free-choice, wildlife-based learning experiences that are relevant, meaningful and accessible to the majority of society. Wildlife-based learning experiences offer a way to secure sustainable economic benefits while supporting both wildlife conservation and local communities. By developing new tools to assess and enhance the educational impact of such experiences this project will contribute to building the capacity of visitors to adopt environmentally sustainable practices.Read moreRead less
Unravelling the last great Gondwanan mystery: the first land vertebrate fauna from the Tertiary of New Zealand. This project will dramatically increase knowledge about Australia's and New Zealand's shared biodiversity and the history of trans-Tasman dispersals. By comparing Australian and New Zealand fossil records, it will be possible to assess the speed at which evolving vertebrates of one landmass invade another, as well as the biotic consequences of such events, and provide data important fo ....Unravelling the last great Gondwanan mystery: the first land vertebrate fauna from the Tertiary of New Zealand. This project will dramatically increase knowledge about Australia's and New Zealand's shared biodiversity and the history of trans-Tasman dispersals. By comparing Australian and New Zealand fossil records, it will be possible to assess the speed at which evolving vertebrates of one landmass invade another, as well as the biotic consequences of such events, and provide data important for predicting and responding to future potentially-damaging events of this kind. Developing understanding about the timing and intensity of antipodean faunal response to past climate change will improve ability to anticipate and manage processes that threaten ecosystem resilience in both lands.Read moreRead less
Sustaining practice: The theory and development of educational practice/praxis in the context of education for sustainability (EfS). This project investigates educational practice in ten Education for Sustainability initiatives, to characterise exemplary practice in schools and the community. It contributes to environmental, economic, cultural and social and dimensions of sustainability through improved educational practice, with implications for theory, policy and practice in sustainability, te ....Sustaining practice: The theory and development of educational practice/praxis in the context of education for sustainability (EfS). This project investigates educational practice in ten Education for Sustainability initiatives, to characterise exemplary practice in schools and the community. It contributes to environmental, economic, cultural and social and dimensions of sustainability through improved educational practice, with implications for theory, policy and practice in sustainability, teacher education and education for the professions. It will also contribute directly to sustainability through enhancing the work of Education for Sustainability Initiatives in communities and schools. It will provide enhanced tools for understanding practice/praxis to assist policy makers, especially those concerned with sustainability, Education for Sustainability, teacher education and education for the professions.Read moreRead less
The skin of commerce: the role of plastic packaging in the construction of food security, waste and consumer activism in Australia. Plastic packaging has been important to ensuring food security in Australia, however it is also a major waste burden. This project will critically assess new approaches to reducing plastic packaging in food markets and waste streams and will produce key insights into how sustainable food systems can be organised with less reliance on plastic.
Australia's mammalian carnivore diversity in space and time. To more effectively address the current extinction crisis we need to understand past diversity. This research program will comprehensively investigate the diversity of mammalian carnivores on three continents over geological time. Results will provide insight into whether the evolution of Australia's mammal carnivores differs fundamentally from those of other continents, as has often been suggested but not quantitatively demonstrated. ....Australia's mammalian carnivore diversity in space and time. To more effectively address the current extinction crisis we need to understand past diversity. This research program will comprehensively investigate the diversity of mammalian carnivores on three continents over geological time. Results will provide insight into whether the evolution of Australia's mammal carnivores differs fundamentally from those of other continents, as has often been suggested but not quantitatively demonstrated. Studies focused in the present are important, but often miss critical factors that can only be clarified through analyses with deep time perspectives. The findings will translate into an improved understanding of what makes Australia unique and better-informed decisions regarding wildlife management.Read moreRead less
Scientific voyages in the Antipodes. Thomas Huxley, John McGillivray and the Darwinian Revolution. This project examines the scientific British survey expeditions to Australasia during the nineteenth century. The research focuses on the importance of Australasia in the formation of Darwinism, one of the key scientific and social theories of modern western culture. Environmental change and scientific and cultural heritage in our region will be traced back to these early scientific voyagers.
Tracking the response of terrestrial and ocean waters to climate variations using space gravity observations. Climate change puts Australia at risk from sea level rise and an increase in the occurrence and intensity of droughts. We need to learn about issues concerning the water cycle that are still poorly understood, such as whether droughts cause a reduction in only surface water or also water stored in underground reservoirs and what happens to ocean waters when thermal expansion causes an in ....Tracking the response of terrestrial and ocean waters to climate variations using space gravity observations. Climate change puts Australia at risk from sea level rise and an increase in the occurrence and intensity of droughts. We need to learn about issues concerning the water cycle that are still poorly understood, such as whether droughts cause a reduction in only surface water or also water stored in underground reservoirs and what happens to ocean waters when thermal expansion causes an increase in sea surface height in some regions but not others. This proposal will provide new and accurate scientific information on the risks of sea level rise through the effects of thermal expansion of the oceans, in particular in shallow coastal zones. It will help us to understand droughts, variations in water resources and groundwater recharge patterns.Read moreRead less