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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Fingerprints of global climate change and forest management on rhizosphere carbon and nutrient cycling. Using a series of innovative techniques, this project seeks to capture the excellent, exciting opportunities for studying impacts of global climate change (GCC) and forest management on plant-soil-microbe interactions in rhizosphere carbon and nutrient cycling, with two of the world's best GCC forest experiments in Sweden and USA and three long-term forest management experiments in Australia. ....Fingerprints of global climate change and forest management on rhizosphere carbon and nutrient cycling. Using a series of innovative techniques, this project seeks to capture the excellent, exciting opportunities for studying impacts of global climate change (GCC) and forest management on plant-soil-microbe interactions in rhizosphere carbon and nutrient cycling, with two of the world's best GCC forest experiments in Sweden and USA and three long-term forest management experiments in Australia. The successful conduct of this multidisciplinary collaborative research will result in: improved understanding and management of forest ecosystems in response to GCC and effective biodiversity conservation in managed forests; and enhanced international reputation and expertise of the Australian scientists in the relevant research fields.Read moreRead less
Enhancing native seed performance for minesite restoration and biodiversity conservation. The knowledge and practical outcomes generated from this project will facilitate more effective restoration of degraded native ecosystems through the return of a wider range of key understorey plant taxa and more efficient use of seed supplies. Availability of a broader suite of species will increase biodiversity, improve ecosystem resilience to change, and help in the conservation and recovery of nationall ....Enhancing native seed performance for minesite restoration and biodiversity conservation. The knowledge and practical outcomes generated from this project will facilitate more effective restoration of degraded native ecosystems through the return of a wider range of key understorey plant taxa and more efficient use of seed supplies. Availability of a broader suite of species will increase biodiversity, improve ecosystem resilience to change, and help in the conservation and recovery of nationally threatened taxa. By increasing the range of species with horticultural potential available for commercial propagation, it will also reduce the harvest of wild flowers. More efficient production and use of seed stocks will reduce the pressure on limited seed resources from seed harvesting.Read moreRead less
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
Protecting the safe havens: will granite outcrop environments serve as refuges for flora threatened by anthropogenic climate change? Anthropogenic climate change threatens the Earth's biota and human society. By identifying areas that can act as refuges under projected climate conditions, adaptation and conservation activities can be focused where they will provide greatest benefit. This transdisciplinary project in the Australian global biodiversity hotspot examines the role of granite outcrops ....Protecting the safe havens: will granite outcrop environments serve as refuges for flora threatened by anthropogenic climate change? Anthropogenic climate change threatens the Earth's biota and human society. By identifying areas that can act as refuges under projected climate conditions, adaptation and conservation activities can be focused where they will provide greatest benefit. This transdisciplinary project in the Australian global biodiversity hotspot examines the role of granite outcrops as safe havens for species in the face of climate change. Knowing areas where species will retreat and maintain biodiversity under climate change will support decision making for protection of key refuges. Large financial, social and biodiversity returns follow from implementation of effective climate change adaptation management programs in Australian landscapes.Read moreRead less
Synthesising prior information for ecological research and management. While using existing information to design studies and compare results, ecologists rarely use existing information in their analyses. We will combine the results of previous ecological studies to summarise the existing information. We will test how well the traits of plants and animals can be predicted from previous research, and the benefit of this existing information for environmental management. By taking advantage of the ....Synthesising prior information for ecological research and management. While using existing information to design studies and compare results, ecologists rarely use existing information in their analyses. We will combine the results of previous ecological studies to summarise the existing information. We will test how well the traits of plants and animals can be predicted from previous research, and the benefit of this existing information for environmental management. By taking advantage of the wealth of previous ecological research, our project can save time and money for ecological research by scientists and environmental management by federal and state agencies. This will fundamentally change the way that ecology is conducted.Read moreRead less
Network structure, connectivity and wildlife disease. Emerging infectious diseases of wildlife pose threats to human health (75% of human emerging diseases are zoonotic). They also threaten biodiversity and livestock. Changes in connectivity between wildlife individuals and populations are occurring because of human activities, including globalisation, climate change and habitat destruction. Understanding how these changes in connectivity affect wildlife disease dynamics is crucial for the deve ....Network structure, connectivity and wildlife disease. Emerging infectious diseases of wildlife pose threats to human health (75% of human emerging diseases are zoonotic). They also threaten biodiversity and livestock. Changes in connectivity between wildlife individuals and populations are occurring because of human activities, including globalisation, climate change and habitat destruction. Understanding how these changes in connectivity affect wildlife disease dynamics is crucial for the development of better strategies to manage their impacts. The project will also build Australia's wider capacity to manage outbreaks of infectious diseases.Read moreRead less
Improved methods for predicting species' distributions under environmental change. Understanding the impacts of climate change and invasive species on the distribution and persistence of species is an issue of global and national significance and concern. This project will provide tools essential for the effective management of Australia's ecosystems by delivering clear guidelines and practical methods that will substantially improve the modelling of future species distributions.
Optimal management of threatened amphibian metapopulations in urbanising landscapes. This project will enable the identification of optimal management strategies for many species threatened by the loss and fragmentation of their habitat, both in Australia and internationally. Our research will contribute to the recovery of the endangered Growling Grass Frog, and drive the conservation of wetland biodiversity on the fringe of Australia's fastest growing city. Both the methods and specific recomme ....Optimal management of threatened amphibian metapopulations in urbanising landscapes. This project will enable the identification of optimal management strategies for many species threatened by the loss and fragmentation of their habitat, both in Australia and internationally. Our research will contribute to the recovery of the endangered Growling Grass Frog, and drive the conservation of wetland biodiversity on the fringe of Australia's fastest growing city. Both the methods and specific recommendations for management that we develop will contribute to the goal of an environmentally-sustainable Australia. This project will expand Australia's capacity to solve conservation problems, and will promote biological diversity in urban environments, to the benefit of their human inhabitants.Read moreRead less
Optimal environmental monitoring under severe uncertainty. Environmental monitoring is a type of quality control that informs managers about the health of the environment and about how well their management systems are performing. Because it is a critical, but expensive, component of sustainable management, it is important to ensure value for resources spent on monitoring and that environmental impacts will be detected if they are occurring. We argue that current approaches to environmental mana ....Optimal environmental monitoring under severe uncertainty. Environmental monitoring is a type of quality control that informs managers about the health of the environment and about how well their management systems are performing. Because it is a critical, but expensive, component of sustainable management, it is important to ensure value for resources spent on monitoring and that environmental impacts will be detected if they are occurring. We argue that current approaches to environmental management ensure neither efficiency nor environmental security. The aim of the project is to develop theories and techniques to make monitoring both cost effective and reliable, thereby providing monetary savings and better environmental outcomes.Read moreRead less