Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100059
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$100,000.00
Summary
Dual frequency identification SONAR (DIDSON) facility for sampling benthic and pelagic fish populations. Many Australians enjoy marine and freshwater resources, and we are exploiting fisheries and waterways in particular at an increasing rate. Effective management of fisheries requires understanding the abundance and behavior of fish. This facility will provide novel acoustic video technology for researchers to count fishes and sharks near weirs, under wharves or logs, and within seagrass beds. ....Dual frequency identification SONAR (DIDSON) facility for sampling benthic and pelagic fish populations. Many Australians enjoy marine and freshwater resources, and we are exploiting fisheries and waterways in particular at an increasing rate. Effective management of fisheries requires understanding the abundance and behavior of fish. This facility will provide novel acoustic video technology for researchers to count fishes and sharks near weirs, under wharves or logs, and within seagrass beds. The dual frequency identification sonar (DIDSON) will also allow accurate and standardised study of fish movements in response to floods, algal blooms or re-stocking events without disturbing the fish or their habitats. This will enhance our understanding of the top-down control by fish of aquatic ecosystems that are directly adjacent to human activity.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160101141
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$366,000.00
Summary
Critical regions and network connectivity of coral reef ecosystems. This project aims to measure the degree of connectivity between isolated reefs in Australia's Coral Sea and the Great Barrier Reef and identify the biological and environmental mechanisms that enhance management strategies or mitigate against disturbances. The movement of individuals in fragmented landscapes plays a central role in the ecology and evolution of species. The project seeks to measure connectivity at multiple scales ....Critical regions and network connectivity of coral reef ecosystems. This project aims to measure the degree of connectivity between isolated reefs in Australia's Coral Sea and the Great Barrier Reef and identify the biological and environmental mechanisms that enhance management strategies or mitigate against disturbances. The movement of individuals in fragmented landscapes plays a central role in the ecology and evolution of species. The project seeks to measure connectivity at multiple scales and identify critical regions for the design of networks of marine protected areas. This is anticipated to improve our understanding of connectivity in marine seascapes and benefit management of important fishery species and current efforts in coral reef conservation.Read moreRead less
The importance of edge effects in determining the value of seagrass landscapes as fish nurseries. Seagrasses are a conspicuous element of Australian marine environments, and are crucial in the conservation and maintenance of biodiversity. Degradation of seagrass ecosystems from climatic extremes, increased sediment and nutrients in the water, and other pollutants results in loss and fragmentation of meadows. These changes to seagrass are linked with increased coastal erosion, severe loss of bio ....The importance of edge effects in determining the value of seagrass landscapes as fish nurseries. Seagrasses are a conspicuous element of Australian marine environments, and are crucial in the conservation and maintenance of biodiversity. Degradation of seagrass ecosystems from climatic extremes, increased sediment and nutrients in the water, and other pollutants results in loss and fragmentation of meadows. These changes to seagrass are linked with increased coastal erosion, severe loss of biodiversity, and collapse of fisheries. Increased understanding of how biological processes such as predation and food availability influence animal associations with seagrasses, and how these effects change with landscape structure, will have important applications in the sustainable management of Australia's threatened coastal habitats.Read moreRead less
Feeding and breeding: Rainfall effects on connectivity and fidelity of iconic coastal fishes. Large predatory fish are of great significance to recreational anglers, not only for their trophy status but also for their disproportional fecundity and contribution to future fishing. Remarkably, the distribution and movements of large estuarine fish in estuaries and the coastal ocean are unknown, despite their importance to the national economy. We will determine the role of freshwater discharge an ....Feeding and breeding: Rainfall effects on connectivity and fidelity of iconic coastal fishes. Large predatory fish are of great significance to recreational anglers, not only for their trophy status but also for their disproportional fecundity and contribution to future fishing. Remarkably, the distribution and movements of large estuarine fish in estuaries and the coastal ocean are unknown, despite their importance to the national economy. We will determine the role of freshwater discharge and oceanography on the coastal and estuarine habitat requirements, movements and home ranges of mulloway, flathead and bream from the scale of hours to years, and extend these findings to evaluate population sub-structuring and connectivity in the context of a changing climate.Read moreRead less
An innovative approach to maximising catchment water yield in a changing climate. Australia is facing a crisis in water availability and management within many of the continent's major cities and the Murray-Darling and Sydney Basins. Risk to water resources will also be exacerbated by climate change. Past solutions of increasing water supply by building dams are no longer easily implemented because of the significant environmental consequences. To maximise yield, better management of current res ....An innovative approach to maximising catchment water yield in a changing climate. Australia is facing a crisis in water availability and management within many of the continent's major cities and the Murray-Darling and Sydney Basins. Risk to water resources will also be exacerbated by climate change. Past solutions of increasing water supply by building dams are no longer easily implemented because of the significant environmental consequences. To maximise yield, better management of current resources is required, dependent on understanding what factors affect water yield and how they may be better manipulated. This project innovatively integrates ecological and hydrological processes by modelling the expression of water use by vegetation and its management and water availability at fine resolutions.Read moreRead less
Setting Geographic Priorities for Integrated Landscape Restoration in a Fragmented Agricultural Region. This research project aims to develop the theory and application of integrated landscape restoration in a fragmented agricultural region - the Mt. Lofty Ranges of South Australia. Spatially explicit priorities will be set for the type and location of habitat to be restored for the benefit of the natural biodiversity within a physical environmental, economic and social context. Heuristic and op ....Setting Geographic Priorities for Integrated Landscape Restoration in a Fragmented Agricultural Region. This research project aims to develop the theory and application of integrated landscape restoration in a fragmented agricultural region - the Mt. Lofty Ranges of South Australia. Spatially explicit priorities will be set for the type and location of habitat to be restored for the benefit of the natural biodiversity within a physical environmental, economic and social context. Heuristic and optimisation models will be created within a Geographic Information System (GIS) and assessed for their ability to set such priorities in integrated landscape restoration. The techniques will help sustain ecological, physical and human systems in many other over-cleared regions.Read moreRead less
Assessing long term change in rangeland health and building models for change, using historical photos and monitoring data. Long-term photo sites and vegetation data will be used to make an assessment of change over the last few decades in the arid pastoral rangelands of Western Australia.
The aims are to: make a judgement about whether the changes have been positive or negative (for particular value systems); make a case for causality; explore links between vegetation data and soil surface, ....Assessing long term change in rangeland health and building models for change, using historical photos and monitoring data. Long-term photo sites and vegetation data will be used to make an assessment of change over the last few decades in the arid pastoral rangelands of Western Australia.
The aims are to: make a judgement about whether the changes have been positive or negative (for particular value systems); make a case for causality; explore links between vegetation data and soil surface, biodiversity and remotely-sensed data; and contribute to the building of models of expected change.
Outcomes will include the meeting of national and international conventions and strategies, and an increased ability of the pastoral industry to access international markets.
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Restoring riverine ecosystems: effective model-based planning and monitoring. Australia's riverine ecosystems are considerably degraded and require efficient and immediate attention to restore them to a sustainable condition. Restoration activities at all levels will benefit from the development of a robust framework that will improve understanding of restoration responses at both species and ecosystem levels. This will in turn enhance substantially the ability of managers of restoration project ....Restoring riverine ecosystems: effective model-based planning and monitoring. Australia's riverine ecosystems are considerably degraded and require efficient and immediate attention to restore them to a sustainable condition. Restoration activities at all levels will benefit from the development of a robust framework that will improve understanding of restoration responses at both species and ecosystem levels. This will in turn enhance substantially the ability of managers of restoration projects to identify realistic goals and provide a context for rigorous evaluations of the effectiveness of management interventions. This will result in scarce resources for conservation being directed to efforts with the greatest ecological benefits for stressed Australian lowland rivers.Read moreRead less
Management of rehabilitated bauxite mines to accelerate the return of vertebrate fauna. This project will examine the effect of thinning and burning mine-site rehabilitation on the abundance of terrestrial mammals and reptiles. This nationally significant project will provide Resource Managers in Western Australia with measures of impacts of forestry thinning and burning (for timber production and drinking water catchment) on vertebrates, and will provide management tools to conserve biodiversit ....Management of rehabilitated bauxite mines to accelerate the return of vertebrate fauna. This project will examine the effect of thinning and burning mine-site rehabilitation on the abundance of terrestrial mammals and reptiles. This nationally significant project will provide Resource Managers in Western Australia with measures of impacts of forestry thinning and burning (for timber production and drinking water catchment) on vertebrates, and will provide management tools to conserve biodiversity within productive forest environments. Expected outcomes are procedures to accelerate returns of vertebrate fauna to mine-sites, measurements of thinning and burning practices on tree-health, and trial procedures for forest thinning (the 12000 Ha Wungong catchment) that minimise impacts on terrestrial vertebrates.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354677
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000.00
Summary
Sustainable terrestrial and riverine systems through integrated assessment and modelling. Australia must take the lead internationally in sustainability assessment and management; it hosts both the problems and expertise, and is proactive in integrating research and management. This Initiative unites, for the first time, leading researchers from all relevant disciplines to advance our knowledge for achieving sustainable terrestrial and riverine systems (STARS). The intended network can produce a ....Sustainable terrestrial and riverine systems through integrated assessment and modelling. Australia must take the lead internationally in sustainability assessment and management; it hosts both the problems and expertise, and is proactive in integrating research and management. This Initiative unites, for the first time, leading researchers from all relevant disciplines to advance our knowledge for achieving sustainable terrestrial and riverine systems (STARS). The intended network can produce assessments, strategies and policy directions that are objective, adaptive and inclusive. It can evaluate trade-offs between sustainability strategies, integrating research and outcomes, making them accessible to managers. It will build a coordinated research capability that directly supports Australia's goal of ecologically sustainable development. Read moreRead less