Novel habitat quality assessment to inform the development of recreational boating infrastructure. As Australians migrate towards the coast, the demand for recreational boating facilities such as moorings and marinas is increasing rapidly. These structures can remove habitat and fragment the seascape in a similar manner to roads and clearings in forest and grasslands. Coastal infrastructure can also reduce the quality of existing habitats and their full impact must be assessed if the diversity a ....Novel habitat quality assessment to inform the development of recreational boating infrastructure. As Australians migrate towards the coast, the demand for recreational boating facilities such as moorings and marinas is increasing rapidly. These structures can remove habitat and fragment the seascape in a similar manner to roads and clearings in forest and grasslands. Coastal infrastructure can also reduce the quality of existing habitats and their full impact must be assessed if the diversity and function of coastal seascapes is to be conserved. This project aims to use a combination of novel modelling, surveys, and large experiments to understand how threatened seagrass, fish, and sediment habitats are altered in human modified seascapes, and to assess the success of habitat restoration following the removal of boating structures.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354789
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000.00
Summary
Networking environmental science to achieve integrated management of Australian terrestrial biodiversity in an era of environmental change. Human activities impact Australian ecosystems profoundly and compound natural complexity by superimposing environmental changes. Thus, understanding, conserving and enhancing Australian biodiversity demands interdisciplinary research and management strategies. These activities lack overarching strategic coordination, being conducted mainly by groups with fo ....Networking environmental science to achieve integrated management of Australian terrestrial biodiversity in an era of environmental change. Human activities impact Australian ecosystems profoundly and compound natural complexity by superimposing environmental changes. Thus, understanding, conserving and enhancing Australian biodiversity demands interdisciplinary research and management strategies. These activities lack overarching strategic coordination, being conducted mainly by groups with focused interests. We will develop a Network uniting the skills, resources and energies of excellent and productive researchers and managers of natural resources across the relevant disciplines and organizations, and so work synergistically towards the National Research Priority of an Environmentally Sustainable Australia.Read moreRead less
Models for biodiversity futures for massively altered agricultural landscapes. Problems with soil and water and declines in native biodiversity have been linked to clearance of native vegetation. We consider future landscapes with substantially more native vegetation than at present to deal with these natural resource problems. Plantings will be slow to mature so optimal planning for landscape revegetation must consider how long it will take for the new vegetation to provide suitable habitat, bo ....Models for biodiversity futures for massively altered agricultural landscapes. Problems with soil and water and declines in native biodiversity have been linked to clearance of native vegetation. We consider future landscapes with substantially more native vegetation than at present to deal with these natural resource problems. Plantings will be slow to mature so optimal planning for landscape revegetation must consider how long it will take for the new vegetation to provide suitable habitat, both at patch and landscape scales. We will develop an optimization framework incorporating models of vegetation maturation and biotic responses to aid designs for placement and scheduling of replantings to give the best outcomes for biodiversity management given constraints on amounts of retired area and costs of implementation.Read moreRead less
The effects of prescribed fire on biota in a diverse range of carefully managed vegetation communities. This project will be a large-scale retrospective and prospective longitudinal study of the effects of fire on the vertebrate biota (mammals, birds and reptiles) inhabiting a range of vegetation types. The key aim of this study will be to quantify changes in vertebrate biota (reptiles, birds, arboreal marsupials and terrestrial mammals) within vegetation types subject to alternate burning strat ....The effects of prescribed fire on biota in a diverse range of carefully managed vegetation communities. This project will be a large-scale retrospective and prospective longitudinal study of the effects of fire on the vertebrate biota (mammals, birds and reptiles) inhabiting a range of vegetation types. The key aim of this study will be to quantify changes in vertebrate biota (reptiles, birds, arboreal marsupials and terrestrial mammals) within vegetation types subject to alternate burning strategies. The investigation will provide critical new knowledge for use in fire management, vegetation management and biodiversity conservation within national parks, state forests and similar types of land.Read moreRead less
Aquatic biodiversity: consequences of massive modification of agricultural landscapes. Agricultural landscapes have undergone great change. Significant shifts in land-use may sustain agricultural productivity, but nationally we risk the loss of our natural wealth - native plants and animals. This project develops a new vision for assessing conservation values of rural landscapes that will help land managers to plan for present and future land-use of both terrestrial and aquatic organisms. It wil ....Aquatic biodiversity: consequences of massive modification of agricultural landscapes. Agricultural landscapes have undergone great change. Significant shifts in land-use may sustain agricultural productivity, but nationally we risk the loss of our natural wealth - native plants and animals. This project develops a new vision for assessing conservation values of rural landscapes that will help land managers to plan for present and future land-use of both terrestrial and aquatic organisms. It will help managers to understand the biodiversity value of different landscapes, the types of species that may persist or be at risk of loss, and the landscape components that influence these outcomes. This knowledge will enhance our national capacity to jointly integrate nature conservation and agricultural productivityRead 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
A novel approach for assessing environmental flows using satellite data. This project will determine how ecosystems respond to environmental flow by linking flooding history with vegetation responses, using remote sensing, climate data layers, spatial statistics, models of environmental flows and ecological theory. Beneficiaries will include water and land managers in Australia.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150101870
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$342,100.00
Summary
More than pretty pictures? Ecological applications of modern remote sensing. Recent advances in remote sensing are allowing us to measure the biochemical and structural properties of ecosystems with increasing accuracy. This type of information is essential for sustainable natural resource management. However, we still lack a clear understanding of this technology's capabilities and limitations for environmental decision making. This project aims to investigate key gaps in our knowledge about th ....More than pretty pictures? Ecological applications of modern remote sensing. Recent advances in remote sensing are allowing us to measure the biochemical and structural properties of ecosystems with increasing accuracy. This type of information is essential for sustainable natural resource management. However, we still lack a clear understanding of this technology's capabilities and limitations for environmental decision making. This project aims to investigate key gaps in our knowledge about the extent to which modern remote sensing tools are capable of measuring landscape change and habitat quality. This collaborative research project aims to provide an unparalleled opportunity to examine these issues by combining state-of-the-art remote sensing with data from two intensively studied landscape-scale experiments.Read moreRead less
Unlocking the secrets of mangrove conservation success. This project aims to address the deterioration of mangrove ecosystems. Mangroves support fisheries, shoreline protection and carbon sequestration. The project aims to identify social-economic conditions that enable effective conservation in mangroves over multiple spatial scales. The project will use state of the art datasets and innovative modelling approaches to understand how factors such as population, governance and access to markets i ....Unlocking the secrets of mangrove conservation success. This project aims to address the deterioration of mangrove ecosystems. Mangroves support fisheries, shoreline protection and carbon sequestration. The project aims to identify social-economic conditions that enable effective conservation in mangroves over multiple spatial scales. The project will use state of the art datasets and innovative modelling approaches to understand how factors such as population, governance and access to markets influence changes in mangrove extent and restoration success. Expected outcomes include implementation of more effective environmental programs in Australia and overseas. This should provide significant benefits, including more cost-effective allocation of resources and increased delivery of ecosystem services.Read moreRead less
The capacity of forests to protect regional climate under global warming. The project plans to develop a new understanding of the capacity of forests to increase moisture recycling, which enhances cloud and precipitation processes and exerts a cooling influence on the land surface. Deforestation and climate change are major global challenges. The role of forests in the carbon cycle is well recognised. Less attention is given to their role in the energy and water cycles, and their capacity to reg ....The capacity of forests to protect regional climate under global warming. The project plans to develop a new understanding of the capacity of forests to increase moisture recycling, which enhances cloud and precipitation processes and exerts a cooling influence on the land surface. Deforestation and climate change are major global challenges. The role of forests in the carbon cycle is well recognised. Less attention is given to their role in the energy and water cycles, and their capacity to regulate regional climate. The project plans to apply an innovative land use-climate scenario modelling to quantify the impacts of deforestation and afforestation on the climate of northern Australia and south-east Asia under global warming. It also plans to evaluate the capacity of restoring forests to offset regional climate change, to inform regional land use planning and climate mitigation and adaptation.Read moreRead less