Acoustics for Large Scale Biodiversity Assessment. Aims: This project will investigate using automated acoustic recording to efficiently census biodiversity assessment at a continental scale.
Significance: To generate new techniques for analysing environmental acoustic data and assessing Australian biodiversity, verified empirical estimates of biodiversity, an understanding of causes of variation in biodiversity.
Expected outcomes: methods for large-scale and accurate assessment of biodiversity ....Acoustics for Large Scale Biodiversity Assessment. Aims: This project will investigate using automated acoustic recording to efficiently census biodiversity assessment at a continental scale.
Significance: To generate new techniques for analysing environmental acoustic data and assessing Australian biodiversity, verified empirical estimates of biodiversity, an understanding of causes of variation in biodiversity.
Expected outcomes: methods for large-scale and accurate assessment of biodiversity, enhanced capacity to detect causes of variation in biodiversity, open-source software tools for analysing environmental audio data, biodiversity datasets.
Benefits: measuring and understanding biodiversity change, allowing enhanced management, conservation, and use of Australian natural resources.
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Linking risks to ecosystems with risks to human well-being. This project aims to provide theory and practical guidelines to integrate ecosystem science into policy and action to address human well-being. Ecosystem risk assessment provides critical information for conservation, and has compelling but unexplored relationships with human health and nature’s benefits to people. The research will identify ecosystem measures that highlight areas of risk to human well-being as well as biodiversity. Exp ....Linking risks to ecosystems with risks to human well-being. This project aims to provide theory and practical guidelines to integrate ecosystem science into policy and action to address human well-being. Ecosystem risk assessment provides critical information for conservation, and has compelling but unexplored relationships with human health and nature’s benefits to people. The research will identify ecosystem measures that highlight areas of risk to human well-being as well as biodiversity. Expected outcomes include new standards for including ecosystem change in policy frameworks globally and in Australia, such as natural capital accounting and United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Benefits include improved ways of meeting and tracking progress on Australia’s international commitments.Read moreRead less
Using facial recognition for bird conservation management. Long-term monitoring of reintroduced species is essential to measure conservation success. This project aims to use a novel and non-invasive facial recognition software developed by our research group to measure the recovery of a vulnerable and native bird species following introduction outside of its historic range. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the field of animal monitoring. Expected outcomes of this project includ ....Using facial recognition for bird conservation management. Long-term monitoring of reintroduced species is essential to measure conservation success. This project aims to use a novel and non-invasive facial recognition software developed by our research group to measure the recovery of a vulnerable and native bird species following introduction outside of its historic range. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the field of animal monitoring. Expected outcomes of this project include improved ability to track individuals and their persistence to better inform conservation priorities. This should provide significant benefits to researchers, government agencies and industries to improve conservation planning as well as the outcomes of reintroductions and other translocations.Read moreRead less
Taking eDNA underground: transforming assessment of subterranean ecosystems. This project aims to improve Environmental Impact Assessment and monitoring of subterranean ecosystems by developing a rigorous, credible and practicable environmental DNA assessment framework. Resource companies in Western Australia are mandated to assess groundwater biodiversity under Environmental Protection legislation. Current surveys are time-consuming (expensive) and biased toward common taxa. For regulators, sta ....Taking eDNA underground: transforming assessment of subterranean ecosystems. This project aims to improve Environmental Impact Assessment and monitoring of subterranean ecosystems by developing a rigorous, credible and practicable environmental DNA assessment framework. Resource companies in Western Australia are mandated to assess groundwater biodiversity under Environmental Protection legislation. Current surveys are time-consuming (expensive) and biased toward common taxa. For regulators, stakeholders and industry involved in this project we will provide real-world information and cost savings through innovation in understanding patterns in species boundaries and detection of subterranean fauna. The outcomes will be directly applicable to monitoring subterranean ecosystems across Australia and internationally.Read moreRead less
Climate impacts on grass phenology, diversity and pollen exposure. This project investigates how climate change is altering the phenology, plant diversity, and airborne pollen exposure in Australia's highly productive dry grasslands. The project is expected to answer key questions on shifting grasslands and grass pollen relationships with grass phenology and diversity by merging satellite analysis of phenology with seasonal airborne pollen measures of grass concentrations and diversity. Expect ....Climate impacts on grass phenology, diversity and pollen exposure. This project investigates how climate change is altering the phenology, plant diversity, and airborne pollen exposure in Australia's highly productive dry grasslands. The project is expected to answer key questions on shifting grasslands and grass pollen relationships with grass phenology and diversity by merging satellite analysis of phenology with seasonal airborne pollen measures of grass concentrations and diversity. Expected outcomes of this project will be better management options to safeguard allergy sufferers and improved ecological and pollen forecasts under climate change and extreme events. This project should provide important public health benefits and disease mitigation strategies to Australia's urban and remote areas.
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Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE170100033
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$900,000.00
Summary
Australian Acoustic Observatory: A network to monitor biodiversity. This project aims to create a terrestrial acoustic sensor network comprising 450 listening stations across Australia. Acoustic sensing transforms environmental science by recording vocal species 24/7, providing spatial and temporal data for ecosystem monitoring and research. Australia has leading research expertise in this emerging field, which is relevant to its fragile and mega-diverse environment. This project is expected to ....Australian Acoustic Observatory: A network to monitor biodiversity. This project aims to create a terrestrial acoustic sensor network comprising 450 listening stations across Australia. Acoustic sensing transforms environmental science by recording vocal species 24/7, providing spatial and temporal data for ecosystem monitoring and research. Australia has leading research expertise in this emerging field, which is relevant to its fragile and mega-diverse environment. This project is expected to enable and develop continental scale environmental monitoring, and the data generated will be made freely available to all online, enabling new science in understanding ecosystems, long-term environmental change, data visualisation and acoustic science.Read moreRead less