Water Scarcity and rural social hardship - can water markets alleviate the problem? Present review of water resources within catchments of the Murray-Darling Basin will result in reduced access to water for consumptive use with consequential significant socio-economic and community impacts. Water markets are seen as major instruments to assist farmers in managing this process and thereby minimize the impact within rural communities. However, research has identified several barriers to trade an ....Water Scarcity and rural social hardship - can water markets alleviate the problem? Present review of water resources within catchments of the Murray-Darling Basin will result in reduced access to water for consumptive use with consequential significant socio-economic and community impacts. Water markets are seen as major instruments to assist farmers in managing this process and thereby minimize the impact within rural communities. However, research has identified several barriers to trade and several future research needs. This project addresses five of these issues by providing insight into three community barriers to trade as well as a framework for ongoing monitoring, analyses and reporting of market outcomes and impacts to assist adaptive policy development.Read moreRead less
Does monitoring and evaluation improve joint management? The case of national parks in the Northern Territory. Joint Indigenous/government management is to be mainstreamed in 30 national parks and reserves in the Northern Territory over the next few years including some of Australia's iconic natural wonders. This project will identify how participatory monitoring and evaluation enhances the realisation of benefits from joint management, how it can be done cost effectively, and how it can be scal ....Does monitoring and evaluation improve joint management? The case of national parks in the Northern Territory. Joint Indigenous/government management is to be mainstreamed in 30 national parks and reserves in the Northern Territory over the next few years including some of Australia's iconic natural wonders. This project will identify how participatory monitoring and evaluation enhances the realisation of benefits from joint management, how it can be done cost effectively, and how it can be scaled up from six pilot areas to areas across the NT and Australia wide. The project will build capacity of Indigenous Traditional Owners to participate in monitoring and evaluation for improved management and livelihood outcomes for the benefit of not just the residents of these natural areas, but for all Australians. Read moreRead less
Bad tastes, odours and toxins in our drinking water reservoirs: are benthic cyanobacteria the culprits? Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) produce toxins and bad tastes that contaminate drinking water sources, cause public concern about water quality. This project will address a critical knowledge gap by investigating species that grow on the sediments of reservoirs, thus providing more comprehensive management solutions to the water industry.
DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL ENVIRONMENTALLY ACCEPTABLE DRILLING FLUIDS. An innovative technique of micro-emulsion of vegetable oils and water has been developed to create a new generation, low-toxicity drilling fluids for use by the petroleum exploration industry. The project aims at investigating the chronic toxicity of new generation drilling fluids to fish, and re-formulate the drilling fluids to minimize the toxic ingredients. Biomarkers of exposure and effects such as, but not limited to, EROD ind ....DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL ENVIRONMENTALLY ACCEPTABLE DRILLING FLUIDS. An innovative technique of micro-emulsion of vegetable oils and water has been developed to create a new generation, low-toxicity drilling fluids for use by the petroleum exploration industry. The project aims at investigating the chronic toxicity of new generation drilling fluids to fish, and re-formulate the drilling fluids to minimize the toxic ingredients. Biomarkers of exposure and effects such as, but not limited to, EROD induction, DNA damage and stress proteins will be explored in fish exposed chronically to drilling fluids or their ingredients. Outcomes include environmentally acceptable drilling fluids, and will represent the start point for multi-million dollars agriculture and manufacturing industry in Australia.Read moreRead less
Maximising the conservation of biodiversity and the delivery of ecosystem services: What to do, where and when. The economic wealth of Australia is underpinned by its remarkable biological diversity. However, land and water degradation are eroding Australia's natural asset base damaging industries such as tourism, fisheries, and forestry. Given limited funds for biodiversity conservation, we need to minimise the misallocation of resources by making wise investments. This research will result in ....Maximising the conservation of biodiversity and the delivery of ecosystem services: What to do, where and when. The economic wealth of Australia is underpinned by its remarkable biological diversity. However, land and water degradation are eroding Australia's natural asset base damaging industries such as tourism, fisheries, and forestry. Given limited funds for biodiversity conservation, we need to minimise the misallocation of resources by making wise investments. This research will result in frameworks and tools to ensure that we maximise the protection of biological diversity and the delivery of ecosystem services (such as clean water) that are important for human well-being. We will share the results of our research with decision makers, scientists, and the general public.Read moreRead less
Conservation Biology of Butterflies in South Australia. This project will investigate the apparent significant recent decline in the diversity and abundance of butterflies in South Australia. The project will develop a protocol for deriving quantitative estimates of the diversity and abundance of butterflies in South Australia, so that the effects of current and future environmental changes on the biodiversity of butterflies can be rigorously assessed. The project will also incorporate a detaile ....Conservation Biology of Butterflies in South Australia. This project will investigate the apparent significant recent decline in the diversity and abundance of butterflies in South Australia. The project will develop a protocol for deriving quantitative estimates of the diversity and abundance of butterflies in South Australia, so that the effects of current and future environmental changes on the biodiversity of butterflies can be rigorously assessed. The project will also incorporate a detailed case study of the conservation biology of a vulnerable species of butterfly.Read moreRead less
Theory for global biodiversity conservation. Australia's biological diversity underpins much of our economic wealth - for example the remarkable diversity of coral reefs fuels a multibillion dollar tourism industry. We will devise methods to make better decisions about where to invest conservation dollars amongst the biodiversity "hotspots" of the world and Australia to deliver environmental sustainability. We will solve the problem of how much of any environmental budget should be spent on mo ....Theory for global biodiversity conservation. Australia's biological diversity underpins much of our economic wealth - for example the remarkable diversity of coral reefs fuels a multibillion dollar tourism industry. We will devise methods to make better decisions about where to invest conservation dollars amongst the biodiversity "hotspots" of the world and Australia to deliver environmental sustainability. We will solve the problem of how much of any environmental budget should be spent on monitoring conservation actions to make better and more cost-effective decisions. We will create new theory and freely available tools for building systems of marine reserves that allow for threats like coral bleaching and hurricanes.Read moreRead less
Spatial prioritization in the context of climate change and unforeseen opportunities: maximizing conservation outcomes in Gondwana Link. The economic wealth of Australia is underpinned by its remarkable biological diversity. However, land and water degradation are eroding Australia's natural asset base and climate change is expected to magnify these impacts. Given limited funds for biodiversity conservation, we need to maximise the benefits of our investment in natural resource management. This ....Spatial prioritization in the context of climate change and unforeseen opportunities: maximizing conservation outcomes in Gondwana Link. The economic wealth of Australia is underpinned by its remarkable biological diversity. However, land and water degradation are eroding Australia's natural asset base and climate change is expected to magnify these impacts. Given limited funds for biodiversity conservation, we need to maximise the benefits of our investment in natural resource management. This research will deliver approaches and tools to ensure that we maximise the protection of biological diversity in the context of a changing world climate and a limited budget. We will share the results of our research with decision makers, scientists, and the general public.Read moreRead less
Determining global and regional conservation priorities for biodiversity hotspots. The economic wealth of both Australia and Israel is underpinned by biological diversity - for example the remarkable biological diversity of both countries fuels multimillion-dollar tourism industries. We will devise methods to make better decisions about where to invest conservation dollars amongst the biodiversity 'hotspots' of the Mediterranean ecosystems of the world. We will create and test new theory and to ....Determining global and regional conservation priorities for biodiversity hotspots. The economic wealth of both Australia and Israel is underpinned by biological diversity - for example the remarkable biological diversity of both countries fuels multimillion-dollar tourism industries. We will devise methods to make better decisions about where to invest conservation dollars amongst the biodiversity 'hotspots' of the Mediterranean ecosystems of the world. We will create and test new theory and tools for incorporating into decision making the effect of processes such as climate change and invasion by alien species, which will help reduce the huge detrimental impacts on social, economic, health and human-well being. We will share the results of our work with decision makers and with the public.Read moreRead less
Natural resource management and enterprise development: can they improve Indigenous livelihoods? High on the Australian agenda is the removal of disadvantage faced by Indigenous groups and the sustainable use of biodiversity on Indigenous land. In terms of Eastern Indonesia, the Australian agenda relates to poverty eradication, with fewer threats to Australian borders in terms of illegal fishing and migration. This project provides fundamental knowledge on household resource use patterns, and th ....Natural resource management and enterprise development: can they improve Indigenous livelihoods? High on the Australian agenda is the removal of disadvantage faced by Indigenous groups and the sustainable use of biodiversity on Indigenous land. In terms of Eastern Indonesia, the Australian agenda relates to poverty eradication, with fewer threats to Australian borders in terms of illegal fishing and migration. This project provides fundamental knowledge on household resource use patterns, and the constraints and opportunities for natural resource activities, as a step towards identifying ways in which natural resources can be mobilised to improve livelihoods. Read moreRead less