Socio-ecological models for environmental decision making. The success of efforts to solve environmental problems will hinge, at least partly, on human responses. Yet environmental decision analysis tools typically do not include social processes, due to theoretical and methodological obstacles including strong disciplinary divides. For the first time, this project will combine computational social science and ecology to develop a new approach to environmental decision science. Using case-studie ....Socio-ecological models for environmental decision making. The success of efforts to solve environmental problems will hinge, at least partly, on human responses. Yet environmental decision analysis tools typically do not include social processes, due to theoretical and methodological obstacles including strong disciplinary divides. For the first time, this project will combine computational social science and ecology to develop a new approach to environmental decision science. Using case-studies in the design of biodiversity markets, this project will provide concrete examples of how socio-ecological models can support management decisions. The use of socio-ecological models will represent a paradigm shift in environmental decision theory that will lead to more effective environmental management.Read moreRead less
From prediction to adaptation: responding to rapid ecosystem shifts under climate change. Nobody knows exactly how climate change will affect the ecosystems on which we depend for our own existence, though negative impacts are widely predicted. This project integrates mathematical, economic and ecological approaches to learn about the most effective way to spend limited funds for sustaining ecosystems threatened by climate change.
Robust strategies for restoring aquatic and riparian biodiversity. Effective restoration of Australia's degraded river ecosystems requires a diverse range of spatial data, models and a structured decision-making framework to predict ecological responses to alternative management interventions. This collaboration of universities and National Resource Management agencies will create the necessary tools to make and validate such predictions.
Beyond green facades: integrating ecology and architecture. This project aims to develop a novel architectural paradigm that embeds ecological science, working with nature to design cities that are more resilient to environmental upheavals. Methods aim to overcome substantial theoretical and technical challenges to embedding quantitative ecology into architectural design processes, including the development of new approaches for measuring and evaluating biodiversity benefits of alternative urban ....Beyond green facades: integrating ecology and architecture. This project aims to develop a novel architectural paradigm that embeds ecological science, working with nature to design cities that are more resilient to environmental upheavals. Methods aim to overcome substantial theoretical and technical challenges to embedding quantitative ecology into architectural design processes, including the development of new approaches for measuring and evaluating biodiversity benefits of alternative urban designs, from the building to landscape scale. Expected outcomes include enhanced capacity for the built form to address biodiversity considerations through nature-based solutions. The case study designs developed in this project should represent a template for more habitable, liveable, sustainable cities.Read moreRead less
Designing effective fish-friendly waterway culverts: integration of hydrodynamics and swimming performance. Man-made in-stream structures (for example, dams and road crossings) have contributed to major declines in native fish numbers, with more than 6,000 barriers to fish migration occurring in New South Wales alone. Recognising this, Fisheries New South Wales led the development of national guidelines for the design and construction of fish friendly road crossings. Unfortunately, these guideli ....Designing effective fish-friendly waterway culverts: integration of hydrodynamics and swimming performance. Man-made in-stream structures (for example, dams and road crossings) have contributed to major declines in native fish numbers, with more than 6,000 barriers to fish migration occurring in New South Wales alone. Recognising this, Fisheries New South Wales led the development of national guidelines for the design and construction of fish friendly road crossings. Unfortunately, these guidelines have little empirical backing. This project will integrate data on the swimming ability of Australian fish species with culvert hydrodynamic modelling to better understand fish requirements in and around road crossings. These data will strengthen national design guidelines and provide the tools engineers and planners need to balance fish migration with effective water management.Read moreRead less
Reproducibility and open science in environmental research. The goal of this project is to improve the reproducibility and transparency of environmental science. Disturbingly low levels of reproducibility have recently been uncovered in other disciplines, and there are good reasons to suspect the same conditions in environmental science. However, it has thus far been excused from evaluation because of the large spatial scales, long time horizons and dependencies among processes that prohibit dir ....Reproducibility and open science in environmental research. The goal of this project is to improve the reproducibility and transparency of environmental science. Disturbingly low levels of reproducibility have recently been uncovered in other disciplines, and there are good reasons to suspect the same conditions in environmental science. However, it has thus far been excused from evaluation because of the large spatial scales, long time horizons and dependencies among processes that prohibit direct replication of empirical field research. The project plans to assess the reproducibility of environmental research and develop systematic review methods that account for bias in published research. In this way, it seeks to contribute to the standards for statistical inference and reporting in the discipline, and facilitate a cultural shift to ‘Open Science’ to ensure a more reliable evidence base for environmental decisions. Read moreRead less
Linking flow, nutrients, seagrass and fish: an integrated approach to estuary management. Estuaries are iconic recreational areas providing both ecological habitat and millions of dollars in revenue to the tourism and fisheries industries. How estuaries respond to human pressures is highly variable with some such as the Gippsland Lakes succumbing to algal blooms, whilst other heavily nutrient laden systems such as the Werribee Estuary support extremely high fish populations. This project aims to ....Linking flow, nutrients, seagrass and fish: an integrated approach to estuary management. Estuaries are iconic recreational areas providing both ecological habitat and millions of dollars in revenue to the tourism and fisheries industries. How estuaries respond to human pressures is highly variable with some such as the Gippsland Lakes succumbing to algal blooms, whilst other heavily nutrient laden systems such as the Werribee Estuary support extremely high fish populations. This project aims to lead to an understanding of the links between freshwater flow, blue-green algal blooms, and recruitment of a key fishery species, black bream. The outcome of the project aims to give catchment managers greater confidence in setting levels of environmental flows that will both support fish populations but also mitigate against algal blooms.Read moreRead less
ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions. Despite facing the sixth global mass extinction of species, most conservation management is unevaluated and inefficient. The ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions will provide international research leadership in tackling the complex problems of environmental management and monitoring in an uncertain world. Working through six Australian universities and six international organisations, the Centre will forge new approaches and ....ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions. Despite facing the sixth global mass extinction of species, most conservation management is unevaluated and inefficient. The ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions will provide international research leadership in tackling the complex problems of environmental management and monitoring in an uncertain world. Working through six Australian universities and six international organisations, the Centre will forge new approaches and tools from ecology, mathematics, statistics, economics and the social sciences. It will lead the world in developing and delivering predictive models and decision-making approaches to improve outcomes in conservation.Read moreRead less
Enhancing biodiversity and ecosystem services in production landscapes. This project aims to develop new approaches using causal inference, optimal allocation theory, and spatial statistics to characterise impacts on a diverse suite of ecosystem services. It will endeavour to develop case studies from three continents and generalisations explicitly tested using simulated landscapes. Environmental and agricultural policies promote land sharing (biodiversity-friendly production) or land sparing (p ....Enhancing biodiversity and ecosystem services in production landscapes. This project aims to develop new approaches using causal inference, optimal allocation theory, and spatial statistics to characterise impacts on a diverse suite of ecosystem services. It will endeavour to develop case studies from three continents and generalisations explicitly tested using simulated landscapes. Environmental and agricultural policies promote land sharing (biodiversity-friendly production) or land sparing (protected areas, with yield increases elsewhere). Yet the impacts of such policies in diverse contexts and for multiple outcomes are poorly understood. The project could advance our ability to deliver sustainable outcomes and more effective as well as equitable policies for production landscapes.Read moreRead less
'Streamlining search and destroy': development of a robust prioritisation framework for weed eradication using Hawkweed species. Introduced species are one of the greatest threats to our biodiversity and agriculture, as evidenced by the ARC’s National Research Priority: Safeguarding Australia. This project will advance Australia’s ability to protect itself from invaders by developing tools that guide cost-effective detection and response. Our project will have a direct effect on the planning a ....'Streamlining search and destroy': development of a robust prioritisation framework for weed eradication using Hawkweed species. Introduced species are one of the greatest threats to our biodiversity and agriculture, as evidenced by the ARC’s National Research Priority: Safeguarding Australia. This project will advance Australia’s ability to protect itself from invaders by developing tools that guide cost-effective detection and response. Our project will have a direct effect on the planning and management of Hawkweed control in Victoria and New South Wales. The framework delivered will have direct application to numerous other weeds (and relevance to other pests and diseases) within and beyond Australia. Read moreRead less