31 May 2018

We have 12 new research projects starting this year, spanning a diverse range of issues and regions to support sustainable development across the north. In the Gulf and Cape York Peninsula region, projects will investigate management options for gamba and other grassy weeds, links between three Gulf rivers and food for migratory shorebirds, causes and extent of mangrove dieback along Gulf coastlines, and the condition and value of ecosystems in the Mitchell River catchment using environmental-economic accounting approaches. In the Top End we have three projects designed to inform minesite rehabilitation and closure criteria for plants and animals around the Ranger uranium mine which is set to cease operations by 2021. Another project will be developing eDNA methods to detect important terrestrial animals like the endangered Gouldian Finch. In WA, we are seeking transdisciplinary insights from four existing, interlinked projects in the Fitzroy catchment to inform future research approaches. A pan-northern project will identify integrated reporting metrics to help guide investment into Indigenous cultural and natural resource management enterprises. And two other projects will help ensure we integrate across projects and are able to transfer project findings – one integrating our environmental flows research across the north and another that will synthesise other aspects of our research. See here for the full list of projects and stay tuned for more details.

The Mitchell River in north Qld. Photo by Kerry Trapnell.