Co-designing a resilient water-energy toolbox with Indigenous communities. The aim is to collaboratively create a toolbox of innovative, community-based approaches for water and energy management in remote Australia. This project will combine digital and cultural approaches to create a novel set of tested and evaluated tools for engaging both community and service providers in transforming water and energy use practises in remote Indigenous communities. The key output will be an empirically-test ....Co-designing a resilient water-energy toolbox with Indigenous communities. The aim is to collaboratively create a toolbox of innovative, community-based approaches for water and energy management in remote Australia. This project will combine digital and cultural approaches to create a novel set of tested and evaluated tools for engaging both community and service providers in transforming water and energy use practises in remote Indigenous communities. The key output will be an empirically-tested and user friendly water-energy toolbox tailored to reduce the currently extreme cost of supplying essential services to remote communities. Application of these outputs will significantly reduce demand on local water sources and diesel-generated energy use while creating a skill base for local employment opportunities.Read moreRead less
Using community engagement and enhanced visual information to promote FireWatch satellite communication as a support for collaborative decision-making. Using continuously updated satellite data, FireWatch will repurpose its professional service for use by the wider public, informing community-based decision-making and action. Communication flows and community decision-making will promote informed action at times of fire stress. Complex visual data will be communicated in clear and compelling way ....Using community engagement and enhanced visual information to promote FireWatch satellite communication as a support for collaborative decision-making. Using continuously updated satellite data, FireWatch will repurpose its professional service for use by the wider public, informing community-based decision-making and action. Communication flows and community decision-making will promote informed action at times of fire stress. Complex visual data will be communicated in clear and compelling ways.Read moreRead less
Threats to the water quality and ecosystem of Coffin Bay, South Australia. Coffin Bay (South Australia) is experiencing worsening environmental conditions despite its major economic and ecological importance. Research is needed to understand the cause of this decline, particularly in light of a recent bacterial outbreak that impacted the aquaculture industry. This multidisciplinary project aims to deliver world-leading scientific advice based on novel field techniques and innovative models of th ....Threats to the water quality and ecosystem of Coffin Bay, South Australia. Coffin Bay (South Australia) is experiencing worsening environmental conditions despite its major economic and ecological importance. Research is needed to understand the cause of this decline, particularly in light of a recent bacterial outbreak that impacted the aquaculture industry. This multidisciplinary project aims to deliver world-leading scientific advice based on novel field techniques and innovative models of this complex inverse estuary system and its surrounding catchment. The new understanding of the sources, fluxes and fate of nutrients within the bay and the surrounding catchment, arising from this project, is expected to benefit management decision-making and establish a new standard in estuarine water quality investigation.Read moreRead less
Improved Indigenous population projections for policy and planning. This project will use a range of methods to understand the population dynamics of the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) population. This information will allow policy makers to plan and target resources and help Indigenous organisations understand what is happening to the population in their communities.
The Macroderma initiative: conserving ghost bats and informing development. This project aims to improve methods for capturing biological information required for environmental assessments of highly mobile species and enable strategic environmental planning in Northern Australia. Using Australia’s iconic ghost bat as a focus, the project will test and apply emerging technologies to obtain key information on a species’ population status and its critical resources to inform assessments of ecologic ....The Macroderma initiative: conserving ghost bats and informing development. This project aims to improve methods for capturing biological information required for environmental assessments of highly mobile species and enable strategic environmental planning in Northern Australia. Using Australia’s iconic ghost bat as a focus, the project will test and apply emerging technologies to obtain key information on a species’ population status and its critical resources to inform assessments of ecological impacts of industry development. Important benefits of the project include information and tools for streamlining development approvals and accurately assessing risks to threatened species to improve outcomes for both our economy and our natural environment.Read moreRead less
Towards sustainable co-management of groundwater in the Beetaloo region, NT. This project aims to improve understanding of connections between groundwater, climate, surface water and Indigenous cultural values, in a region of major resource development in the Northern Territory. It will use a novel, inter-disciplinary approach, involving remote sensing of climate-water-landscape interactions, documenting Indigenous water knowledge, environmental isotope monitoring, and water policy analysis. The ....Towards sustainable co-management of groundwater in the Beetaloo region, NT. This project aims to improve understanding of connections between groundwater, climate, surface water and Indigenous cultural values, in a region of major resource development in the Northern Territory. It will use a novel, inter-disciplinary approach, involving remote sensing of climate-water-landscape interactions, documenting Indigenous water knowledge, environmental isotope monitoring, and water policy analysis. The project expects to generate enhanced understanding of hydrological processes, and associated Indigenous cultural values. This is anticipated to improve capacity to analyse risks to groundwater-dependent values, and foster greater Indigenous participation in water planning and monitoring, benefiting multiple stakeholders.Read moreRead less
Microbiology of a tropical creek impacted by sewage effluent: novel assessment using N-cycle functional markers and changes in community composition. Although most of Darwin Harbour has good water quality, there is much concern about local 'hot spots' where sewage has degraded ecosystem processes and values. As no bio-indicators of tropical marine water and sediment quality are known, the project will identify functional markers and microbial indicators of stress for integrated environmental mo ....Microbiology of a tropical creek impacted by sewage effluent: novel assessment using N-cycle functional markers and changes in community composition. Although most of Darwin Harbour has good water quality, there is much concern about local 'hot spots' where sewage has degraded ecosystem processes and values. As no bio-indicators of tropical marine water and sediment quality are known, the project will identify functional markers and microbial indicators of stress for integrated environmental monitoring.Read moreRead less
Surviving in a toad-colonised landscape: manipulating predator behaviour to reduce the impact of the cane toad invasion. Invasive species pose a major threat to biodiversity; and within Australia, cane toads are widely viewed as one of the biggest such problems. Vigorous attempts at toad control have failed to slow the invasion front, and toads are now entering the Kimberley region. If we can’t stop the toads, are there other ways to reduce the numbers of native predators killed by eating thes ....Surviving in a toad-colonised landscape: manipulating predator behaviour to reduce the impact of the cane toad invasion. Invasive species pose a major threat to biodiversity; and within Australia, cane toads are widely viewed as one of the biggest such problems. Vigorous attempts at toad control have failed to slow the invasion front, and toads are now entering the Kimberley region. If we can’t stop the toads, are there other ways to reduce the numbers of native predators killed by eating these poisonous invaders? Predators given nausea-inducing chemicals with their first toad meal rapidly learn to avoid cane toads as prey, enabling them to survive even where toads are present. The study will develop those methods for several vulnerable native species, including techniques for deployment of aversion-inducing baits in advance of the toad invasion.Read moreRead less
Incentivising On Country Aboriginal Employment: Anangu Futures. . This project aims to investigate the changing face of cultural tourism in central Australia and examine pathways towards sustainable aboriginal employment in and around Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. The project is significant because it brings together Aboriginal community members, industry and government stakeholders to identify micro-business opportunities, youth training initiatives, better relations across cultural divides, ....Incentivising On Country Aboriginal Employment: Anangu Futures. . This project aims to investigate the changing face of cultural tourism in central Australia and examine pathways towards sustainable aboriginal employment in and around Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. The project is significant because it brings together Aboriginal community members, industry and government stakeholders to identify micro-business opportunities, youth training initiatives, better relations across cultural divides, and the economic value of Aboriginal knowledge. Outcomes include a model for sustainable Aboriginal employment in remote and very remote contexts, and the development of culturally relevant and sustainable governing guidelines for regional investment. Benefits include more sustainable jobs for Aboriginal people.Read moreRead less
Estimating fishing-related mortality and designing sustainable management protocols for shark fisheries in Northern Australia. Sharks are extremely valuable economically, with the landed catch in the NT alone exceeding $10 million in 2004. The increasing world demand for high-quality protein will necessitate appropriate management so that over-exploitation does not occur as it has in most other shark fisheries worldwide. The proposed project will provide key information that will direct careful ....Estimating fishing-related mortality and designing sustainable management protocols for shark fisheries in Northern Australia. Sharks are extremely valuable economically, with the landed catch in the NT alone exceeding $10 million in 2004. The increasing world demand for high-quality protein will necessitate appropriate management so that over-exploitation does not occur as it has in most other shark fisheries worldwide. The proposed project will provide key information that will direct careful and informed management decisions well into the future. The added benefit of collecting information on the rarer and more susceptible non-target species caught in this fishery will ensure that any negative impacts are reduced. The project will also provide information on the potential impact of illegal fishing by neighbouring countries to our north.Read moreRead less