Where's the beef? A systems model for taming a wicked environmental problem. Demand for beef is increasing dramatically, particularly in Asia. This project aims to build systems models of local environmental impacts of beef production coupled with models of global beef trade to analyse production and policy scenarios. Beef is the food commodity with the largest ecological footprint, and increased production will have globally significant impacts on land and water resources, biodiversity, and cli ....Where's the beef? A systems model for taming a wicked environmental problem. Demand for beef is increasing dramatically, particularly in Asia. This project aims to build systems models of local environmental impacts of beef production coupled with models of global beef trade to analyse production and policy scenarios. Beef is the food commodity with the largest ecological footprint, and increased production will have globally significant impacts on land and water resources, biodiversity, and climate. The scale of these impacts depends on where and how cattle production occurs. Outcomes of this research include a framework for projecting regional and global ecological impacts of domestic cattle production policies, allowing informed decisions that consider and benefit environmental and socio-economic values.Read moreRead less
The ecological impact of large carnivore restoration. This project aims to assess the ecological changes that have arisen due to the repatriation of estuarine crocodiles to Australian ecosystems. It is significant because the restoration provides a rare opportunity to empirically test changes in ecosystem processes under varying degrees of large carnivore predation pressure. Expected outcomes include improved understanding of the processes that govern the strength of predator-ecosystem interacti ....The ecological impact of large carnivore restoration. This project aims to assess the ecological changes that have arisen due to the repatriation of estuarine crocodiles to Australian ecosystems. It is significant because the restoration provides a rare opportunity to empirically test changes in ecosystem processes under varying degrees of large carnivore predation pressure. Expected outcomes include improved understanding of the processes that govern the strength of predator-ecosystem interactions and an ability to quantify the biomass, social structure, and behaviours of predators required to influence these processes. Benefits should include improvements in how the ecological role of large carnivores is measured, and when and where carnivore populations should be culled or conserved.Read moreRead less
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
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200100683
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$418,735.00
Summary
Catastrophic shifts: the value of knowing more about ecosystem feedbacks. Ecosystems respond to gradual change in unexpected ways. Feedback processes between different parts of an environment can perpetuate ecosystem collapse, leading to potentially irreversible biodiversity loss. However, it is unclear if greater knowledge of feedbacks will ultimately change environmental decisions. The project aims to identify when feedbacks matter for environmental decisions, by generating new methods that pr ....Catastrophic shifts: the value of knowing more about ecosystem feedbacks. Ecosystems respond to gradual change in unexpected ways. Feedback processes between different parts of an environment can perpetuate ecosystem collapse, leading to potentially irreversible biodiversity loss. However, it is unclear if greater knowledge of feedbacks will ultimately change environmental decisions. The project aims to identify when feedbacks matter for environmental decisions, by generating new methods that predict the economic benefit of knowing more about feedbacks. Combining ecological modelling and value-of-information theory, the outcomes of these novel methods will provide significant and broad environmental benefits, by enabling managers to make informed decisions and stay one step ahead of potential ecosystem collapse.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.
ARC Centre of Excellence for Integrated Coral Reef Studies. The overarching aim of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Integrated Coral Reef Studies is to provide the scientific knowledge necessary for sustaining ecosystem goods and services of the worlds coral reefs, which support the livelihoods and food security of millions of people in the tropics. The Centre will enhance Australia's global leadership in coral reef science through three ambitious research programs addressing the future of coral ....ARC Centre of Excellence for Integrated Coral Reef Studies. The overarching aim of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Integrated Coral Reef Studies is to provide the scientific knowledge necessary for sustaining ecosystem goods and services of the worlds coral reefs, which support the livelihoods and food security of millions of people in the tropics. The Centre will enhance Australia's global leadership in coral reef science through three ambitious research programs addressing the future of coral reefs and their ability to adapt to change. A key outcome of the research will be providing tangible benefits to all Australians by building bridges between the natural and social sciences, strengthening capacity, and informing and supporting transformative changes in coral reef governance and management.Read moreRead less
Conservation of tropical forests for their carbon and biodiversity values. International efforts to save tropical forests for the carbon they store could help mitigate climate change and biodiversity loss. This project will aid these efforts by developing methods to model future deforestation and extending decision theory for the new challenges presented by international carbon-payment schemes.
Resilience of Coral Reef Ecosystems to Climate Change. Science-based management of coral reefs provides enormous environmental, social and economic benefit to Australia and other tropical maritime nations. The proposed research will provide scientific knowledge and research training that underpins the management and long-term sustainability of Australian reef resources. Climate change research is vital for supporting the sustainable use of the ecosystem goods and services provided by reef ecosy ....Resilience of Coral Reef Ecosystems to Climate Change. Science-based management of coral reefs provides enormous environmental, social and economic benefit to Australia and other tropical maritime nations. The proposed research will provide scientific knowledge and research training that underpins the management and long-term sustainability of Australian reef resources. Climate change research is vital for supporting the sustainable use of the ecosystem goods and services provided by reef ecosystems (e.g. to tourism and fishing industries, recreational users and indigenous Australians). This research will place Australia in the forefront of understanding and responding to the regional-scale impacts of climate change on tropical societies and economies.Read moreRead less
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