Social acceptability of forest management options: Landscape level visualisation and evaluation. Sustainable forest policy requires social acceptance. Prior research has investigated relative acceptability of options at a forest stand level. However, we have insufficient understanding of public acceptance of forest management systems implemented across the wider landscape. Only detailed knowledge of public reaction to social, environmental and economic impacts and the trade-offs involved can red ....Social acceptability of forest management options: Landscape level visualisation and evaluation. Sustainable forest policy requires social acceptance. Prior research has investigated relative acceptability of options at a forest stand level. However, we have insufficient understanding of public acceptance of forest management systems implemented across the wider landscape. Only detailed knowledge of public reaction to social, environmental and economic impacts and the trade-offs involved can reduce the divisive nature of the forest management debate. This project will use interactive, still and animated computer representations of landscapes to examine social acceptability of alternatives to clearfell harvesting. This knowledge will be integrated with biophysical data to improve management of forested landscapes.Read moreRead less
Integrated Water Management in the Lower Richmond Catchment. Water quality in Richmond River estuary, NSW, is of critical concern to fishing, aquaculture, tourism and recreation industries. Upland horticulture on the Alstonville Plateau and drained acid sulfate soils in lowland floodplains discharge nutrient-rich, acidic water to the estuary. Previous studies have treated floodplains, upland and estuary separately. This study will develop an integrated catchment approach to water management in t ....Integrated Water Management in the Lower Richmond Catchment. Water quality in Richmond River estuary, NSW, is of critical concern to fishing, aquaculture, tourism and recreation industries. Upland horticulture on the Alstonville Plateau and drained acid sulfate soils in lowland floodplains discharge nutrient-rich, acidic water to the estuary. Previous studies have treated floodplains, upland and estuary separately. This study will develop an integrated catchment approach to water management in the Lower Richmond by treating surface water and groundwater as a single resource. The whole-of-system approach will help mitigate socio-economic and environment impacts of nutrient-rich and acidic drainage waters. It will be transferable to other "hot spots" in Australia.Read moreRead less
New models for predicting species' distributions. This project will deliver new and more robust methods for generating the information that underpins sound conservation and resource management decisions, with particular focus on new statistical techniques to predict species' distributions. Results will be relevant to a wide range of applications including management of rare and/or threatened species and ecosystems, setting realistic targets for species and ecosystem restoration, improved managem ....New models for predicting species' distributions. This project will deliver new and more robust methods for generating the information that underpins sound conservation and resource management decisions, with particular focus on new statistical techniques to predict species' distributions. Results will be relevant to a wide range of applications including management of rare and/or threatened species and ecosystems, setting realistic targets for species and ecosystem restoration, improved management of pest species, and sustainable harvesting of species. Emphasis will be placed on transfer of knowledge to users, fostering the development of new skills among Australian environmental and conservation managers, and contributing to the sustainable use of our biodiversity.Read moreRead less
Acceptability of Forest Harvesting Systems. Fierce public debate over forest management has prompted forest agencies to develop and test alternative harvesting systems. This project will examine community response to these harvesting and regeneration options. It will avoid the biases of existing research by developing an interactive simulation of the forest environment that will allow participants to view visual, ecological and economic outcomes of harvest options, as well as changes over time ....Acceptability of Forest Harvesting Systems. Fierce public debate over forest management has prompted forest agencies to develop and test alternative harvesting systems. This project will examine community response to these harvesting and regeneration options. It will avoid the biases of existing research by developing an interactive simulation of the forest environment that will allow participants to view visual, ecological and economic outcomes of harvest options, as well as changes over time as forest regenerates. Public judgements of the acceptability of harvesting options will be integrated with the outcomes of related biophysical studies to identify socially and ecologically sustainable management options for Australian native forests.Read moreRead less
New approach to sensitivity assessment of complex simulation models for environmental management. The aims are (1) to develop new techniques that improve and extend the capabilities of sensitivity analysis of large and complex computer models for environmental management; and (2) with the industry partners, to test these techniques on models for salinity management in the Murray-Darling Basin. The project's significance is in providing new techniques able to answer a range of model users? questi ....New approach to sensitivity assessment of complex simulation models for environmental management. The aims are (1) to develop new techniques that improve and extend the capabilities of sensitivity analysis of large and complex computer models for environmental management; and (2) with the industry partners, to test these techniques on models for salinity management in the Murray-Darling Basin. The project's significance is in providing new techniques able to answer a range of model users? questions at acceptable computational cost, for complex models with outputs measured in a wide variety of ways. The outcomes will be new sensitivity assessment tools and experience of their use in an environmental application of great importance to Australia.Read moreRead less
Biodiversity planning in the urban fringe: multiple actors, multiple conservation actions, multiple uncertainties. Accelerating urbanisation in Australia is considered one of the greatest threats to biodiversity, with over 50% of threatened species occurring in urban fringe areas. Conservation planners in the urban fringe lack tools that can simultaneously prioritize multiple conservation actions by multiple actors and reconcile complicated tradeoffs. This project addresses the important gap bet ....Biodiversity planning in the urban fringe: multiple actors, multiple conservation actions, multiple uncertainties. Accelerating urbanisation in Australia is considered one of the greatest threats to biodiversity, with over 50% of threatened species occurring in urban fringe areas. Conservation planners in the urban fringe lack tools that can simultaneously prioritize multiple conservation actions by multiple actors and reconcile complicated tradeoffs. This project addresses the important gap between conservation theory and real world practice, providing tools for managers to develop optimal strategies given real-world constraints. It will result in better theories and models for designing and evaluating conservation policy and plans to ensure good biodiversity outcomes. Results will be generalisable to any complex conservation planning scenario.Read moreRead less