Developing solutions to marine mammal interactions with long-line fisheries. Developing solutions to marine mammal interactions with long-line fisheries. This project aims to use innovative techniques to determine aspects of natural marine mammal behaviour that can be exploited, in conjunction with optimal fishing vessel operations, to minimise their interactions with commercial fisheries. Marine mammal interactions with commercial fisheries are a growing worldwide issue with both ecological (in ....Developing solutions to marine mammal interactions with long-line fisheries. Developing solutions to marine mammal interactions with long-line fisheries. This project aims to use innovative techniques to determine aspects of natural marine mammal behaviour that can be exploited, in conjunction with optimal fishing vessel operations, to minimise their interactions with commercial fisheries. Marine mammal interactions with commercial fisheries are a growing worldwide issue with both ecological (incidental bycatch and increased dependence on fisheries) and economic consequences (annual losses of tens of millions of dollars to the fishing industry). Successful solutions to reduce these interactions have remained elusive. Outcomes from this research are expected to be applicable worldwide, have substantial economic and ecological benefits, and ensure the sustainability of the fishing industry.Read moreRead less
Management of fire-prone shrublands in Western Australia: testing the effects of frequent fire. Understanding the impacts of different fire regimes (frequency, intensity, patchiness, size of fires) on high diversity shrublands will help CALM (the land managers) develop fire management prescriptions that ensure the conservation of rare and threatened flora, and maintain biodiversity. The research will identify relationships between weather, fuel and fire behaviour that is currently lacking for s ....Management of fire-prone shrublands in Western Australia: testing the effects of frequent fire. Understanding the impacts of different fire regimes (frequency, intensity, patchiness, size of fires) on high diversity shrublands will help CALM (the land managers) develop fire management prescriptions that ensure the conservation of rare and threatened flora, and maintain biodiversity. The research will identify relationships between weather, fuel and fire behaviour that is currently lacking for shrubland vegetation types. It offers advances in our understanding of ecosystem structure and function, with applied value in fire management for conservation and asset protection. The project contributes to development of ecological theory, and provides a scientific basis for improved management of Australia's unique natural heritage.Read moreRead less
Automation of species recognition and size measurement of fish from underwater stereo-video imagery. The project aims to develop algorithms to automate the processing of stereo-video images recorded to count and measure the size of fish. This will improve husbandry and monitoring for finfish aquaculture at reduced costs, create technology export for industry partners, and develop cost effective, non-destructive finfish sampling tools for marine agencies.
Towards the health care system of the future: The role of institutional entrepreneurship in service redesign and innovation. The reform of healthcare systems presents one of the most pressing and fundamental challenges for nations such as Australia. To date, hospital redesign and innovation initiatives have had limited impacts and outcomes at a system level with improvements limited to discrete areas. The aim of this inter-disciplinary research is to promote the scaling up of such initiatives to ....Towards the health care system of the future: The role of institutional entrepreneurship in service redesign and innovation. The reform of healthcare systems presents one of the most pressing and fundamental challenges for nations such as Australia. To date, hospital redesign and innovation initiatives have had limited impacts and outcomes at a system level with improvements limited to discrete areas. The aim of this inter-disciplinary research is to promote the scaling up of such initiatives to have systems-wide outcomes. The research aims to address institutional constraints and organisational factors and will develop practical frameworks, processes and resources. These intend to enable hospitals to develop organisational and leadership capacities to ensure investments in redesign and innovation have ‘whole system’ economic and healthcare benefits.Read moreRead less
Dynamics of woody vegetation and water in the central Pilbara - understanding and managing for environmental change. The development and application of technologies and knowledge for enhancing sustainable management of semi-arid environments are of high priority and significant economic, social and environmental benefit. The value of iron ore exports from the Pilbara is expected to grow by nearly 30% in the next year, while the projected production of iron ore over the next 4 years is expected t ....Dynamics of woody vegetation and water in the central Pilbara - understanding and managing for environmental change. The development and application of technologies and knowledge for enhancing sustainable management of semi-arid environments are of high priority and significant economic, social and environmental benefit. The value of iron ore exports from the Pilbara is expected to grow by nearly 30% in the next year, while the projected production of iron ore over the next 4 years is expected to be valued in excess of 60 billion dollars. However, continued and rapid expansion in the development of these resources is contingent on environmental oversight and adoption of an adaptive management approach. This research will thus make a major contribution to understanding the Pilbara ecosystems that provide tremendous economic wealth for all Australians.Read moreRead less
Movement ecology of granivores: informing fire management of savannas. This project aims to examine the decline in granivorous finches across north Australia and test the hypothesis that an increasingly nomadic lifestyle, associated with tracking grass seed availability over larger spatial scales, is the cause. The project also aims to evaluate how fire affects rangeland functioning, particularly grass diversity, to improve fire management of tropical savannas in northern Australia. This project ....Movement ecology of granivores: informing fire management of savannas. This project aims to examine the decline in granivorous finches across north Australia and test the hypothesis that an increasingly nomadic lifestyle, associated with tracking grass seed availability over larger spatial scales, is the cause. The project also aims to evaluate how fire affects rangeland functioning, particularly grass diversity, to improve fire management of tropical savannas in northern Australia. This project will provide new tools and technologies that will monitor mobile small vertebrates. Expected outcomes will improve the understanding of tropical savanna functioning and fire management. The research aligns with ‘savanna burning’ methodologies and carbon sequestration goals in north Australia.
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Optimal management of threatened amphibian metapopulations in urbanising landscapes. This project will enable the identification of optimal management strategies for many species threatened by the loss and fragmentation of their habitat, both in Australia and internationally. Our research will contribute to the recovery of the endangered Growling Grass Frog, and drive the conservation of wetland biodiversity on the fringe of Australia's fastest growing city. Both the methods and specific recomme ....Optimal management of threatened amphibian metapopulations in urbanising landscapes. This project will enable the identification of optimal management strategies for many species threatened by the loss and fragmentation of their habitat, both in Australia and internationally. Our research will contribute to the recovery of the endangered Growling Grass Frog, and drive the conservation of wetland biodiversity on the fringe of Australia's fastest growing city. Both the methods and specific recommendations for management that we develop will contribute to the goal of an environmentally-sustainable Australia. This project will expand Australia's capacity to solve conservation problems, and will promote biological diversity in urban environments, to the benefit of their human inhabitants.Read moreRead less
Greening procurement of infrastructure construction: optimising mass-haul operations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This project will develop and prototype tools to reduce the high environmental impact of mass haul operations in road and rail infrastructure projects. Both contractors and clients need practical methods for calculating, optimising and procuring optimal solutions, because mass haul is one of the few areas where a contractor can reduce carbon dioxide impact.
Ecological sustainability and changing land use in the Pilbara. Land use change is frequently associated with large changes in key elements of 'sustainability? ? biodiversity, productivity, and water and nutrient cycles. However, in the Pilbara, fires and flooding rains are so frequent that detecting consequences of land use change is frequently confounded by other ?disturbances?. We aim, through controlled field experiments, to disentangle effects of land use change (e.g. de-stocking of range ....Ecological sustainability and changing land use in the Pilbara. Land use change is frequently associated with large changes in key elements of 'sustainability? ? biodiversity, productivity, and water and nutrient cycles. However, in the Pilbara, fires and flooding rains are so frequent that detecting consequences of land use change is frequently confounded by other ?disturbances?. We aim, through controlled field experiments, to disentangle effects of land use change (e.g. de-stocking of rangelands, altered water availability through mining activity or infrastructure) from those of natural disturbance and variability (both spatially and temporally). This research will improve understanding of key areas in resilience of rangelands and of major processes that are critical for sustainable management.Read moreRead less
A molecular ecophysiological assessment of the importance of using local provenance seed in plant biodiversity restoration. The rehabilitation of Australia's unique plant diversity, following disturbance, is an increasingly important activity nationally, involving industry, government and community. The use of local seeds is recognised as best practise, but how local is local? We will use molecular tools to identify the extent of local seed transfer zones, conduct trials to assess the relative ....A molecular ecophysiological assessment of the importance of using local provenance seed in plant biodiversity restoration. The rehabilitation of Australia's unique plant diversity, following disturbance, is an increasingly important activity nationally, involving industry, government and community. The use of local seeds is recognised as best practise, but how local is local? We will use molecular tools to identify the extent of local seed transfer zones, conduct trials to assess the relative performance of local and non-local seeds (is there a home-site advantage?), and assess the consequences of mixing provenances for future generations. We will work closely with industry and community restoration practitioners to improve the effectiveness of restoration, with benefits flowing nationally through general provenance guidelines.Read moreRead less