Unravelling the last great Gondwanan mystery: the first land vertebrate fauna from the Tertiary of New Zealand. This project will dramatically increase knowledge about Australia's and New Zealand's shared biodiversity and the history of trans-Tasman dispersals. By comparing Australian and New Zealand fossil records, it will be possible to assess the speed at which evolving vertebrates of one landmass invade another, as well as the biotic consequences of such events, and provide data important fo ....Unravelling the last great Gondwanan mystery: the first land vertebrate fauna from the Tertiary of New Zealand. This project will dramatically increase knowledge about Australia's and New Zealand's shared biodiversity and the history of trans-Tasman dispersals. By comparing Australian and New Zealand fossil records, it will be possible to assess the speed at which evolving vertebrates of one landmass invade another, as well as the biotic consequences of such events, and provide data important for predicting and responding to future potentially-damaging events of this kind. Developing understanding about the timing and intensity of antipodean faunal response to past climate change will improve ability to anticipate and manage processes that threaten ecosystem resilience in both lands.Read moreRead less
An Assessment of Social-Ecological Resilience in the Context of Marine Resource Management in Melanesia. Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands are part of the so-called 'Arc of Instability'. Despite enjoying relatively high levels of food security, mainly due to low human population densities, both countries have low Human Development Indices, particularly in Health and Education, and sustainable development is hindered by a range of problems, including complex and often socially destructive resp ....An Assessment of Social-Ecological Resilience in the Context of Marine Resource Management in Melanesia. Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands are part of the so-called 'Arc of Instability'. Despite enjoying relatively high levels of food security, mainly due to low human population densities, both countries have low Human Development Indices, particularly in Health and Education, and sustainable development is hindered by a range of problems, including complex and often socially destructive responses to global markets. Meanwhile fishery resources of both countries are being rapidly depleted by accelerating global commodity demand, threatening food security and undermining progress towards sustainable human development. Targeted, socially-informed resource management policy can prevent these problems from becoming ours as well.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354804
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000.00
Summary
ARC Research Network on Degraded Environment Assessment and Remediation. There are over 80,000 contaminated sites in Australia and >750,000,000 hectares of land impacted by soil acidity, sodicity, heavy-metals, nutrients and agricultural chemicals. The research network advances assessment, management and remediation of degraded environments (land, water, and air) through collaboration of the research programs developing sustainable solutions. The collective focus is minimising disposal and impac ....ARC Research Network on Degraded Environment Assessment and Remediation. There are over 80,000 contaminated sites in Australia and >750,000,000 hectares of land impacted by soil acidity, sodicity, heavy-metals, nutrients and agricultural chemicals. The research network advances assessment, management and remediation of degraded environments (land, water, and air) through collaboration of the research programs developing sustainable solutions. The collective focus is minimising disposal and impacts of contaminated soil and wastes, and land remediation. By facilitating communication, the network enhances national and international research coordination, interaction with regulators, end-users, industry, and other stakeholders, achievement of critical mass for new initiatives, enhances research training and contributes to a critical National Priority.Read moreRead less
Development of an integrated sustainability framework for best management practice of urban water systems. The aim of the project is to develop an integrated sustainability framework for Australian urban water systems. The project will aim to overcome major methodological limitations that are caused by the separate consideration of environmental impacts, health risks, economic and social aspects, by taking a holistic, inter-disciplinary and integrated approach.
The outcome will be a sound, co ....Development of an integrated sustainability framework for best management practice of urban water systems. The aim of the project is to develop an integrated sustainability framework for Australian urban water systems. The project will aim to overcome major methodological limitations that are caused by the separate consideration of environmental impacts, health risks, economic and social aspects, by taking a holistic, inter-disciplinary and integrated approach.
The outcome will be a sound, comprehensive, mostly quantitative, reproducible, transparent and reliable framework for sustainability. This new method will be trialled for developing sustainable water strategies for five major Australian cities. Its value is greatly increased by the fact that the project will be developed with strong community engagement.Read moreRead less
Conserving our native carnivores: the application of molecular genetics to the conservation management of quolls. Quolls, the largest native mammalian predators on mainland Australia, occupy a pivotal ecological niche. All species are declining and are threatened by a variety of interacting environmental processes. This program brings together seven wildlife agencies in a nationwide partnership for understanding and protecting quolls. We will provide new genetic data to test current populatio ....Conserving our native carnivores: the application of molecular genetics to the conservation management of quolls. Quolls, the largest native mammalian predators on mainland Australia, occupy a pivotal ecological niche. All species are declining and are threatened by a variety of interacting environmental processes. This program brings together seven wildlife agencies in a nationwide partnership for understanding and protecting quolls. We will provide new genetic data to test current population and conservation theories using four species of quolls as model taxa to inform us about past histories of populations and to measure parameters of importance to on-ground managers. Results of these projects will help guide management practices for both short- and long-term conservation of these species.Read moreRead less
Creating fauna-friendly cities and towns - The ecology and conservation of insectivorous bats in Melbourne. Urbanisation is a principal threat to the conservation of biodiversity worldwide. Information on the response of plants and animals to an increasingly urbanized world is essential to prevent the loss of natural assets, ensure environmental sustainability and promote human health and well-being. This research will combine extensive field surveys with state-of-the art modeling to identify th ....Creating fauna-friendly cities and towns - The ecology and conservation of insectivorous bats in Melbourne. Urbanisation is a principal threat to the conservation of biodiversity worldwide. Information on the response of plants and animals to an increasingly urbanized world is essential to prevent the loss of natural assets, ensure environmental sustainability and promote human health and well-being. This research will combine extensive field surveys with state-of-the art modeling to identify their ecological requirements. Importantly, the research will engage with local councils, park managers and community organizations to educate the wider community and ensure research outcomes are adopted. The study design will ensure that the findings are applicable to other urban areas across Australia and around the world. Read moreRead less
Geographies of co-existence in urban and rural areas. Geographies of co-existence in urban and rural areas. This project aims to develop and trial a practical resource and set of protocols for Caring for Country—Indigenous-led natural resource management (NRM) that draws on Indigenous ways of working and being with the land—in densely populated urban and rural contexts. Caring for Country approaches have enriched NRM in Australia but their implementation in heavily populated rural and urban cont ....Geographies of co-existence in urban and rural areas. Geographies of co-existence in urban and rural areas. This project aims to develop and trial a practical resource and set of protocols for Caring for Country—Indigenous-led natural resource management (NRM) that draws on Indigenous ways of working and being with the land—in densely populated urban and rural contexts. Caring for Country approaches have enriched NRM in Australia but their implementation in heavily populated rural and urban contexts has been challenging. This project is expected to support resilient communities and build options for flexible, place-based responses to environmental change in urban and rural communities.Read moreRead less
Juungambala: More-than-human agreement making with/as Gumbaynggirr Country. This project aims to develop & model Indigenous-led land practices, protocols & more-than-human agreements between Gumbaynggirr Custodians, non-Gumbaynggirr people & Country to enhance Australia’s capacity to respond to disruptive environmental change through Juungambala, setting things right. This project expects to generate new knowledge in Indigenous-led, Country-led environmental practice by working with inter-specie ....Juungambala: More-than-human agreement making with/as Gumbaynggirr Country. This project aims to develop & model Indigenous-led land practices, protocols & more-than-human agreements between Gumbaynggirr Custodians, non-Gumbaynggirr people & Country to enhance Australia’s capacity to respond to disruptive environmental change through Juungambala, setting things right. This project expects to generate new knowledge in Indigenous-led, Country-led environmental practice by working with inter-species communications (koalas, whales, plants) & innovative songline mapping. Intended outcomes include enhanced stakeholder capacities, intercultural & intergenerational learnings. Benefits include enriched relationships with Country, nurturing of songlines & biodiversity corridors, & development of environmental best practice.Read moreRead less