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
Ecology and evolution in dynamic systems: a new approach to conserving Australian biodiversity. Australia has different ecosystems and different species than the rest of the world, and we need a different approach to conserve and manage our unique animals. This project will develop a new, specifically Australian-oriented approach to conservation biology.
New methods assisting the detection and attribution of changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels. New scientific tools to manage the global environment are an international priority. An Australian breakthrough in technology has the potential to revolutionise the measurement and management of atmospheric carbon dioxide, the single largest anthropogenic contributor to greenhouse warming. The fellowship levers sufficient resources to assess this potential in a number of critical applicatio ....New methods assisting the detection and attribution of changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels. New scientific tools to manage the global environment are an international priority. An Australian breakthrough in technology has the potential to revolutionise the measurement and management of atmospheric carbon dioxide, the single largest anthropogenic contributor to greenhouse warming. The fellowship levers sufficient resources to assess this potential in a number of critical applications, including: early detection of predicted increases in Southern Ocean carbon dioxide emission; indefinite low cost monitoring of regional carbon flux changes over continental Australia; improved international standards for CO2 measurement; and improved manufacturing components for use world-wide in trace-gas measurement.Read moreRead less
Science for resilience of coral reef systems. Hughes's Fellowship has enormous capacity to provide economic, cultural, environmental and social benefits for Australia. The coral reefs of Australia, particularly the Great Barrier Reef, Ningaloo Reef, and Lord Howe Island World Heritage Area are Australian national icons, of great economic, social, and aesthetic value to this country. Hughes and his collaborators in a newly-created ARC Centre of Excellence will be the premier providers of the scie ....Science for resilience of coral reef systems. Hughes's Fellowship has enormous capacity to provide economic, cultural, environmental and social benefits for Australia. The coral reefs of Australia, particularly the Great Barrier Reef, Ningaloo Reef, and Lord Howe Island World Heritage Area are Australian national icons, of great economic, social, and aesthetic value to this country. Hughes and his collaborators in a newly-created ARC Centre of Excellence will be the premier providers of the scientific expertise that underpins the management of Australian reefs, which is vital for the sustainable use of biodiversity goods and services (e.g. by the tourist industry, fisheries, and recreational users).Read moreRead less
Sustainable reform of the Murray-Darling system: Property rights, uncertainty and institutions. The project will develop tools for the modelling of uncertainty in the absence of probabilities and with imperfect knowledge about possible events. It will also formalise and assess the precautionary principle for the sustainable management of complex systems. Finally, the project will apply these tools to analyse and improve policies for the reform of property rights, institutions and land and water ....Sustainable reform of the Murray-Darling system: Property rights, uncertainty and institutions. The project will develop tools for the modelling of uncertainty in the absence of probabilities and with imperfect knowledge about possible events. It will also formalise and assess the precautionary principle for the sustainable management of complex systems. Finally, the project will apply these tools to analyse and improve policies for the reform of property rights, institutions and land and water management in the Murray?Darling system. The project will assist in the formulation of sustainable responses to problems of drought and irrigation related salinity in the Murray?Darling system.Read moreRead less
Using ancient DNA to understand Australia's past and manage its future. The aim of this program is to establish an ancient DNA research centre for Australia, and use long-term natural records to investigate the genetic responses of animals, plants, and micro-organisms to environmental change. By examining biological processes before, during, and after major changes (eg coral bleaching, salination) the evolution and selective pressures at important genetic loci will be identified, and related to ....Using ancient DNA to understand Australia's past and manage its future. The aim of this program is to establish an ancient DNA research centre for Australia, and use long-term natural records to investigate the genetic responses of animals, plants, and micro-organisms to environmental change. By examining biological processes before, during, and after major changes (eg coral bleaching, salination) the evolution and selective pressures at important genetic loci will be identified, and related to environmental change to enhance effected planning and future management of Australia's ecosystems, biodiversity and tourism. Key records will come from lake-beds, billabongs, coral reefs, rodent nests, megafaunal bones, and ancient human material.Read moreRead less
The toxins of water-borne cyanobacteria: regulation and exploitation of their biosynthesis. Water quality is a major concern in Australia, as is the global need for new natural products with antibiotic activity. The mechanisms by which cyanobacteria produce toxins that reduce the quality of water may very well be the answer to the lack of novel medicinal compounds currently being discovered in nature. Encompassed in this one program are the aims of ameliorating the effects of toxic algal blooms ....The toxins of water-borne cyanobacteria: regulation and exploitation of their biosynthesis. Water quality is a major concern in Australia, as is the global need for new natural products with antibiotic activity. The mechanisms by which cyanobacteria produce toxins that reduce the quality of water may very well be the answer to the lack of novel medicinal compounds currently being discovered in nature. Encompassed in this one program are the aims of ameliorating the effects of toxic algal blooms as well as introducing the means for the design and synthesis of a range of novel bioactive products. The benefits include better water quality and biosafety management options, a new generation of drug design and discovery, and the associated transformation of environmental and medical research and education in Australia.Read moreRead less
Biologically-Inspired Recognition and Processing in Colloidal Systems. The proposed research will enhance the understanding of forces and adsorption in biologically-inspired synthetic systems, and thereby create new strategies for improving selective adsorption, stabilization, coagulation, and separation. The expected outcomes are: increased understanding of chiral interactions at surfaces, a technique for rapid measurement of surface selectivity, new and better agents for chiral separation, a ....Biologically-Inspired Recognition and Processing in Colloidal Systems. The proposed research will enhance the understanding of forces and adsorption in biologically-inspired synthetic systems, and thereby create new strategies for improving selective adsorption, stabilization, coagulation, and separation. The expected outcomes are: increased understanding of chiral interactions at surfaces, a technique for rapid measurement of surface selectivity, new and better agents for chiral separation, a reduction in the use of organic pollutants, new methods for colloidal processing that will enable the preparation of new materials, and new surface coatings for increasing the useful life-time of medical implants.Read moreRead less
Complexity in climate impact assessment: a methodology to address extremes. It is something of a truism that the events and states of the changing environment that affect society tend to fall in the extremes. My goal is to develop a model-based methodology to characterize the extremes that are not usually predicted by climate models. Key extremes of importance to stakeholders in Australia and around the world include coastal flooding and fire. These events, in the context of regional climate var ....Complexity in climate impact assessment: a methodology to address extremes. It is something of a truism that the events and states of the changing environment that affect society tend to fall in the extremes. My goal is to develop a model-based methodology to characterize the extremes that are not usually predicted by climate models. Key extremes of importance to stakeholders in Australia and around the world include coastal flooding and fire. These events, in the context of regional climate variation, will act as test cases for the methodology. From this work, the likelihood of policy-relevant events in the future can be evaluated, with a robust assessment of the uncertainty.Read moreRead less
Cambodia: Place, People and Politics; Environmental, Economic, Cultural, Political, and Regional History since Earliest Times. Understanding the region and the world is vital to safeguarding Australia. Cambodian-Australian relations are important to Australia's foreign policy, both in Southeast Asia and globally. Australia's substantial Cambodian communities remain very interested in developments in their home country. This project will heighten Australia's profile in Cambodia, stimulate regiona ....Cambodia: Place, People and Politics; Environmental, Economic, Cultural, Political, and Regional History since Earliest Times. Understanding the region and the world is vital to safeguarding Australia. Cambodian-Australian relations are important to Australia's foreign policy, both in Southeast Asia and globally. Australia's substantial Cambodian communities remain very interested in developments in their home country. This project will heighten Australia's profile in Cambodia, stimulate regional research among Khmer-Australians, and attract top students and Post-Doctoral Fellows from Cambodia and other countries. Cambodia's specific ecological conditions and the long and important documented history of its people and their role in the region, will result in this project having a significant impact on Australian, regional and global study of Southeast Asia.Read moreRead less