Improving the success of hybrid living shorelines for coastal protection. This project aims to improve the success of hybrid living shorelines that combine the restoration of mangroves and oysters with engineered structures to enhance restoration outcomes and coastal hazard resilience. It expects to generate new knowledge on the effectiveness of innovative coastal-manager-led solutions that have not yet been robustly evaluated. Expected outcomes of this project include delivery of the technical ....Improving the success of hybrid living shorelines for coastal protection. This project aims to improve the success of hybrid living shorelines that combine the restoration of mangroves and oysters with engineered structures to enhance restoration outcomes and coastal hazard resilience. It expects to generate new knowledge on the effectiveness of innovative coastal-manager-led solutions that have not yet been robustly evaluated. Expected outcomes of this project include delivery of the technical guidelines needed to practically design and implement nature-based coastal protection at scale. This should provide significant socio-economic and environmental benefits through improving Australia’s capacity to adapt to increased erosion and flood risk caused by climate change and coastal urbanisation.Read moreRead less
Outfoxing the fox: new cost-effective ways to protect threatened species. This project aims to address the damage caused by invasive foxes by applying new methods of protection for threatened species. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the areas of conservation biology and invasive species management by comparing the effectiveness of fox control strategies for improving the population viability of declining freshwater turtles. Expected outcomes of this project include a community- ....Outfoxing the fox: new cost-effective ways to protect threatened species. This project aims to address the damage caused by invasive foxes by applying new methods of protection for threatened species. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the areas of conservation biology and invasive species management by comparing the effectiveness of fox control strategies for improving the population viability of declining freshwater turtles. Expected outcomes of this project include a community-based conservation model that prevents turtle extinctions in south-eastern Australia at considerable cost savings. Significant benefits include improved management of the impacts of invasive species, and restoration of ecosystem services provided by the scavenging role of freshwater turtles for maintaining water quality.Read moreRead less
Private Land Conservation in a Dynamically Changing and Risky World. Climate change, and the increasing risk of drought, heatwaves, and fire, have major implications for the design and effectiveness of private land conservation programs. This project aims to generate new knowledge about the effect of climate change on adoption and outcomes of private land conservation agreements. It will use an innovative social-ecological approach focused on koalas. Expected outcomes include an innovative frame ....Private Land Conservation in a Dynamically Changing and Risky World. Climate change, and the increasing risk of drought, heatwaves, and fire, have major implications for the design and effectiveness of private land conservation programs. This project aims to generate new knowledge about the effect of climate change on adoption and outcomes of private land conservation agreements. It will use an innovative social-ecological approach focused on koalas. Expected outcomes include an innovative framework to help make decisions about private land conservation investments under climate change. This should provide significant benefits for government and non-government organisations by providing solutions to climate-proof their conservation investments on private land in a rapidly changing world.Read moreRead less
Seamless journeys to work for young adults with physical disabilities. This project seeks to explore the transition to work of young people with a disability and, in particular, the role that digital technologies can play in improving self-determination and employment. Promoting self-determination, workforce participation and job retention are key planks in Australia’s policy reforms in the field of disability services. In 2013, Australia invested $750 million to support access to employment for ....Seamless journeys to work for young adults with physical disabilities. This project seeks to explore the transition to work of young people with a disability and, in particular, the role that digital technologies can play in improving self-determination and employment. Promoting self-determination, workforce participation and job retention are key planks in Australia’s policy reforms in the field of disability services. In 2013, Australia invested $750 million to support access to employment for people with disabilities. However, 70 per cent of this group did not keep their jobs beyond the initial six months. The project aims to provide new knowledge for policy and service delivery and deliver a web-based platform to facilitate self-determination for young people with a disability.Read moreRead less
Horizontal ecological networks for understanding biodiversity maintenance. The project aims to develop new ecological theory on local diversity maintenance based on an innovative interaction network model, tested on Western Australian wildflower communities. It is novel in its focus on the complexity of species interactions and their importance to diversity maintenance in nature. This project aims to explore links between plant interaction networks and coexistence theory to provide theoretical e ....Horizontal ecological networks for understanding biodiversity maintenance. The project aims to develop new ecological theory on local diversity maintenance based on an innovative interaction network model, tested on Western Australian wildflower communities. It is novel in its focus on the complexity of species interactions and their importance to diversity maintenance in nature. This project aims to explore links between plant interaction networks and coexistence theory to provide theoretical expectations for how changes to the environment are expected to alter natural plant communities. It aims to fill theory-gap about mechanisms of multi-species coexistence, advance community ecology, and provide the theoretical foundations necessary for translating ecological theory to restoration and conservation in practice.Read moreRead less
Naracoorte caves: a critical window on faunal extinctions and past climates. This project aims to establish an unprecedented record of biodiversity and environmental change at Australia’s richest Quaternary fossil site – Naracoorte Caves. The study will integrate all aspects of the preserved deposits, employing new approaches in geochronology, palaeontology and geochemistry to develop truly comprehensive palaeoecological and palaeoclimate histories. This project will establish a benchmark datase ....Naracoorte caves: a critical window on faunal extinctions and past climates. This project aims to establish an unprecedented record of biodiversity and environmental change at Australia’s richest Quaternary fossil site – Naracoorte Caves. The study will integrate all aspects of the preserved deposits, employing new approaches in geochronology, palaeontology and geochemistry to develop truly comprehensive palaeoecological and palaeoclimate histories. This project will establish a benchmark dataset on past ecological and environmental change, strengthening scientific innovation in key research priority areas. It will have significant implications for understanding megafauna extinctions and past biodiversity responses, and will inform future conservation and climate change adaptation strategies. The project will transform the scientific profile of Naracoorte Caves, ensuring socioeconomic benefits to regional communities through education, ecotourism and knowledge marketing.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200100367
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$389,008.00
Summary
Characterisation of avian circovirus protein complexes. This project aims to better understand how the beak and feather disease virus (BFDV) is assembled. The virus affects Australian native birds, which are currently endangered or critically endangered and has the potential to disrupt native ecosystems. By using interdisciplinary research, this project will generate fundamental knowledge by which BFDV protein complexes are formed. The intended outcomes of the project include the identification ....Characterisation of avian circovirus protein complexes. This project aims to better understand how the beak and feather disease virus (BFDV) is assembled. The virus affects Australian native birds, which are currently endangered or critically endangered and has the potential to disrupt native ecosystems. By using interdisciplinary research, this project will generate fundamental knowledge by which BFDV protein complexes are formed. The intended outcomes of the project include the identification of key binding interfaces involved in viral formation processes. This information intends to guide cost-effective delivery of potential anti-viral options or vaccines for endangered Australian native parrots, and for use as a model to target other pathogenic DNA viruses of interest.Read moreRead less
More than a reserve? Measuring the benefits of private protected areas. This project aims to develop a framework for understanding the full suite of benefits derived from privately protected areas in Australia. It will develop and test a new interdisciplinary approach to measure the ecological, socio-cultural, and economic benefits of protected areas to both human and non-human beneficiaries. Outcomes will include a systematic process to effectively gather data, analyse, and report on the full s ....More than a reserve? Measuring the benefits of private protected areas. This project aims to develop a framework for understanding the full suite of benefits derived from privately protected areas in Australia. It will develop and test a new interdisciplinary approach to measure the ecological, socio-cultural, and economic benefits of protected areas to both human and non-human beneficiaries. Outcomes will include a systematic process to effectively gather data, analyse, and report on the full suite of benefits derived from protected areas. The framework will provide a robust evidence base for the range of benefits provided by private protected areas. This will be vital to manage and grow Australia’s protected area network to reduce biodiversity and environmental declines, and meet international commitments.Read moreRead less
Transforming Primary Healthcare Service Delivery: A Digital-Human Approach. This project aims to address the urgent need for a transformational shift in thinking and actions in primary healthcare service delivery. Primary care clinics, the front door of Australia's healthcare, are under considerable strain. By using a four-phase mixed methodology design across four Australian states, this project expects to generate a national evidence-based framework which takes a dual approach combining the us ....Transforming Primary Healthcare Service Delivery: A Digital-Human Approach. This project aims to address the urgent need for a transformational shift in thinking and actions in primary healthcare service delivery. Primary care clinics, the front door of Australia's healthcare, are under considerable strain. By using a four-phase mixed methodology design across four Australian states, this project expects to generate a national evidence-based framework which takes a dual approach combining the use of digital technology with humanness. Expected outcomes include the development of an Australian-first evidence-based digital resource kit, including two new tools, and a new co-designed roadmap to better facilitate this important change journey to enhance patient experience, employee wellbeing and clinic performance.
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Increasing amphibian immunity to combat disease causing mass extinction. This project aims to increase amphibian survival to combat the devastating chytrid fungus by identifying resistance genes and increasing their frequency in the host population. The project is interdisciplinary and uses targeted genetic manipulation techniques developed for agriculture to improve disease resistance in wildlife for the first time. Expected outcomes include 1) enhanced international collaborations in comparati ....Increasing amphibian immunity to combat disease causing mass extinction. This project aims to increase amphibian survival to combat the devastating chytrid fungus by identifying resistance genes and increasing their frequency in the host population. The project is interdisciplinary and uses targeted genetic manipulation techniques developed for agriculture to improve disease resistance in wildlife for the first time. Expected outcomes include 1) enhanced international collaborations in comparative immunology, 2) a comprehensive understanding of immunity to chytridiomycosis, and 3) disease resistant amphibians. The anticipated benefit is ability to apply the optimal method to improve conservation of wildlife threatened by emerging disease, such as marker assisted selective breeding or genetic engineering.Read moreRead less