19 May 2017

We have an exciting suite of three-year projects currently ramping up across northern Australia!

We have environmental water projects in the Fitzroy River (WA), Daly River (NT), Mitchell River (Qld) and other Gulf of Carpentaria rivers that will help us understand how much water needs to flow through these systems so that decision makers can invest in the right development type, amount and locations to keep our unique ecosystems thriving while creating jobs and growth.

We have several projects collaborating closely with Indigenous organisations across the north, for example to help make Indigenous knowledge and science more accessible and useful to Indigenous decision makers, to better value Indigenous land management programs, to support Indigenous natural resource management and to improve how we can include Indigenous values in water allocation planning.

Looking at weeds, ferals and fire, research in the Top End is deepening our understanding of the combined impacts of weed invasion, land clearing and changes to fire patterns on the natural landscape. A Kakadu project is investigating how fire and feral herbivore management impacts small mammal recovery, and a Cape York project is investigating the impact of feral animals on local aquatic ecosystems, methods to minimise damage, and how to monitor success. Our project on managing savanna riparian zones is investigating the impact of weeds, fire and feral animals on these sensitive areas.

And finally, some big-picture projects are looking at planning processes to maximise co-benefits, measuring the carbon sequestration value of improved fire management in savanna ecosystems, aquatic eDNA, and at how to help guide management and investment in threatened species across northern Australia.