Vegetation change in coastal Parks and Reserves: risk assessment and management of woody invaders. Coastal heath ecosystems contain some of the highest diversity of plant species for any vegetation type within temperate Australia. These communities exist within and outside the Reserve system, but even those within Parks and Reserves may be undergoing rapid change in structure and composition as a result of invading environmental weeds, resulting in a significant loss of biological diversity. As ....Vegetation change in coastal Parks and Reserves: risk assessment and management of woody invaders. Coastal heath ecosystems contain some of the highest diversity of plant species for any vegetation type within temperate Australia. These communities exist within and outside the Reserve system, but even those within Parks and Reserves may be undergoing rapid change in structure and composition as a result of invading environmental weeds, resulting in a significant loss of biological diversity. As agriculture, tourism and other developments place increasing pressure on these diminishing ecosystems, the maintenance of their biodiversity takes on increasing importance. This project will identify threatening processes and devise cost-effective, practicable management strategies in a context of competing stakeholder interests.Read moreRead less
Better water management through more focus on ecological and social sciences. Current water resources management, focusing on gains of economic efficiency in the short term under the assumption of steady-state conditions, has generally failed to respond to both catchment environmental degradation and to the increasing complexity of human–environment interactions. This project will develop a new approach to water resources management by relating management practices based on ecological understand ....Better water management through more focus on ecological and social sciences. Current water resources management, focusing on gains of economic efficiency in the short term under the assumption of steady-state conditions, has generally failed to respond to both catchment environmental degradation and to the increasing complexity of human–environment interactions. This project will develop a new approach to water resources management by relating management practices based on ecological understanding to the social mechanisms behind these practices at water catchments. It will improve the predictability and precision of water resources management and increase our ability to maintain our options for a sustainable future. This will have a profound effect on catchment sustainability, a globally significant problem.Read moreRead less
Population Viability Analysis of the Perth Metropolitan Population of the Little Penguin. The population of Little Penguins, breeding on Penguin and Garden Islands, in the Perth Metropolitan region, are an iconic species and a valuable ecotourism resource They breed and feed in close proximity to high human activity and a rapidly growing urban population. The nearest other major populations are located 600km to the south. The key benefit of this project is that it will provide a basis for meas ....Population Viability Analysis of the Perth Metropolitan Population of the Little Penguin. The population of Little Penguins, breeding on Penguin and Garden Islands, in the Perth Metropolitan region, are an iconic species and a valuable ecotourism resource They breed and feed in close proximity to high human activity and a rapidly growing urban population. The nearest other major populations are located 600km to the south. The key benefit of this project is that it will provide a basis for measuring the impacts of threats to this isolated population, and for testing management strategies. Thus it represents a key step in securing the long term future of the penguin population in Perth's waters.
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Translocation as a Conservation Strategy for the Pygmy Bluetongue Lizard. This project contributes to the body of research guiding efforts to conserve the biodiversity of Australia. It will benefit the broader scientific community by advancing knowledge of the dynamics of endangered species, and the role of recruits to the population. It has particular potential benefits for the local conservation activities of the community of the Burra area, by informing landholders of best conservation practi ....Translocation as a Conservation Strategy for the Pygmy Bluetongue Lizard. This project contributes to the body of research guiding efforts to conserve the biodiversity of Australia. It will benefit the broader scientific community by advancing knowledge of the dynamics of endangered species, and the role of recruits to the population. It has particular potential benefits for the local conservation activities of the community of the Burra area, by informing landholders of best conservation practices and by providing a firm basis for actions by the pygmy bluetongue recovery programRead moreRead less
Biology and Integrated conservation of temperate Australian orchids. To successfully conserve rare and endangered orchids an integrated approach to translocation must be adopted. The orchid species and associated fungal symbionts must be succesfully established at a site to achieve a self-sustaining population. Currently little is know about the in situ interactions of orchid and fungal endophytes. Research here will determine essential field interactions and requirements of both partners. The e ....Biology and Integrated conservation of temperate Australian orchids. To successfully conserve rare and endangered orchids an integrated approach to translocation must be adopted. The orchid species and associated fungal symbionts must be succesfully established at a site to achieve a self-sustaining population. Currently little is know about the in situ interactions of orchid and fungal endophytes. Research here will determine essential field interactions and requirements of both partners. The ex situ conservation of rare and endangered species should included reliable long-term storage of propagation material such as seed. Information obtained will be used to develop orchid conservation packages for implementation by landmanagers.Read moreRead less
Ecology of insect herbivore assemblages: influence of climate, evolutionary history and plant traits. The results from this project will be a key reference when assessing future impacts of human-induced impacts on natural communities. Our research will provide insights into the impacts of climate change on herbivorous insects associated with Acacia: the dominant plant genus in the major climatic zones of Australia. Results and conclusions from this research will aid land-holders, government agen ....Ecology of insect herbivore assemblages: influence of climate, evolutionary history and plant traits. The results from this project will be a key reference when assessing future impacts of human-induced impacts on natural communities. Our research will provide insights into the impacts of climate change on herbivorous insects associated with Acacia: the dominant plant genus in the major climatic zones of Australia. Results and conclusions from this research will aid land-holders, government agencies and other parties in determining how important Acacia-dominated ecosystems are in conserving insect biodiversity in a range of different habitats within regional and rural Australia. Our research will also aid in a better understanding of biocontrol agents of Australian Acacia pest species here and overseas.Read moreRead less
Enhancing and evaluating stakeholder engagement for improved water outcomes. Stakeholder engagement, widely recognised as essential in successful water governance, remains ad hoc both in practice and as a research theme. Using a detailed analysis of a complex evolutionary case of stakeholder engagement in water management in the Murray-Darling Basin (1900- 2020), this project aims to develop new approaches to measure the structure and form of socio-culturally derived stakeholder engagement syste ....Enhancing and evaluating stakeholder engagement for improved water outcomes. Stakeholder engagement, widely recognised as essential in successful water governance, remains ad hoc both in practice and as a research theme. Using a detailed analysis of a complex evolutionary case of stakeholder engagement in water management in the Murray-Darling Basin (1900- 2020), this project aims to develop new approaches to measure the structure and form of socio-culturally derived stakeholder engagement system, to improve socio-economic and environmental benefits from water. The expected output is a new diagnostic tool for evaluating stakeholder engagement that can be taken up by governing bodies. The expected benefit is more inclusive, equal, and adaptive water governance through more effective stakeholder engagement.Read moreRead less
Conservation Management of the Endangered Pygmy Bluetongue Lizard. The Pygmy Bluetongue Lizard probably occurred over 150km of the Adelaide Plains before European settlement, but is now known from only a few privately owned properties in the mid-north of South Australia. Before adopting specific conservation strategies, such as release to new sites, more needs to be known about the genetic and social structure of viable populations, and the natural parasite fauna that may detrimentally affect an ....Conservation Management of the Endangered Pygmy Bluetongue Lizard. The Pygmy Bluetongue Lizard probably occurred over 150km of the Adelaide Plains before European settlement, but is now known from only a few privately owned properties in the mid-north of South Australia. Before adopting specific conservation strategies, such as release to new sites, more needs to be known about the genetic and social structure of viable populations, and the natural parasite fauna that may detrimentally affect any transplants. This project explores those aspects of the lizard biology, enhancing both our general understanding of lizard population structure and our specific understanding of conservation issues for this species.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190100636
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$401,202.00
Summary
Integrating genomics into native fish management to promote persistence. This project aims to improve predictions of the effects of environmental change on the long-term survival of wildlife, using native fish as a case study. By integrating genomics into biodiversity models, this project expects to generate fundamental knowledge of processes underpinning long-term survival and is a big advance on traditional biodiversity models that consider only occurrence or abundance. Expected outcomes inclu ....Integrating genomics into native fish management to promote persistence. This project aims to improve predictions of the effects of environmental change on the long-term survival of wildlife, using native fish as a case study. By integrating genomics into biodiversity models, this project expects to generate fundamental knowledge of processes underpinning long-term survival and is a big advance on traditional biodiversity models that consider only occurrence or abundance. Expected outcomes include insights into fish responses to environmental conditions and new tools to predict long-term survival of wildlife. These tools will guide cost-effective delivery of environmental water in the Murray-Darling Basin, and wider uptake should promote the long-term effectiveness of conservation efforts for many species.Read moreRead less
Extrinsic threats and biological predisposition in animal extinction and rediscovery. A global extinction crisis looms, and Australia has a shocking record, especially of mammal extinctions. The results of this project to find how different threats affect each species will lead to management that focusses on species- and region-specific causes. This will help to prevent further extinctions of Australian mammals and other fauna. Many people hope that species of particular importance to us such as ....Extrinsic threats and biological predisposition in animal extinction and rediscovery. A global extinction crisis looms, and Australia has a shocking record, especially of mammal extinctions. The results of this project to find how different threats affect each species will lead to management that focusses on species- and region-specific causes. This will help to prevent further extinctions of Australian mammals and other fauna. Many people hope that species of particular importance to us such as the thylacine have defied extinction, and will be rediscovered. This project will test which predictive factors can increase the chance of species rediscovery, and help management agencies plan for the expected number of future rediscoveries.Read moreRead less