5 August 2022

Approach for implementing Research Plan 2022

The Resilient Landscapes Hub is taking a user-driven, solutions-focused approach to developing and implementing our research program. All projects are co-designed with a range of research users including Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) policy-makers, Indigenous land managers, state and territory government agencies, protected-place managers, regional natural-resource management organisations and Landcare groups. Research Plan 2022 (RP2022) contains the first suite of projects identified through targeted scoping workshops with DCCEEW staff.

 

With such a large program, it is important that time is invested early to build a solid foundation for the subsequent years. In addition to the initial scoping projects from Research Plan 2021 (RP2021), these new shorter projects have clearly defined scopes, which can be expanded with subsequent projects further into the program. This second research plan is focused on kicking off the hub’s research into priority topics and areas. This plan consists of 7 projects.

All 7 projects build upon key research areas identified in RP2021 (see projects below) and provide continued focus for planning and subsequent project development.

Project leaders are listed after each project, and each project page contains information about key researchers for that project. The hub’s key researchers can be found on our People page. You can find out more about the research-provider organisations we’re partnering with on our Who is involved page.

RP2022 projects and their key research areas

1. Assessing risks to the environment from water-resource development in northern Australia, using north Queensland as a case study (Professor Michele Burford and Dr Ben Stewart-Koster)

This project is compiling tools, research and data, as well as collating a broad range of stakeholder perspectives in the southern Gulf of Carpentaria region. In collaboration with the National Environmental Science Program’s Marine and Coastal Hub and the Cooperative Research Centre for Developing Northern Australia, it will also contribute to the development of a regionally integrated risk-assessment approach.

Key research areas include:

• regional-planning approaches to risk assessment
• cultural and biodiversity values
• freshwater ecosystems.

2. Best-practice management for feral cats and red foxes (Associate Professor Guy Ballard and Dr Annalie Dorph)

This project is working with experts to identify best-practice management for invasive cats and red foxes as well as identifying research that will address knowledge gaps to the most effective management practices.

Key research areas include:

• invasive animals
• feral animal management
• developing decision-making tools to support managers.

3. Using integrated data analysis to assess regional transferability (Associate Professor Vanessa Adams)

This project is using data analysis to identify transferability of research and regional-planning approaches to ensure that we continue to build impactful environmental programs and meet the planning needs of decision-makers in any given region.

Key research areas include:

• regional transferability of research findings
• suitability of regional-planning approaches for best-practice conservation of ecosystems and species.

4. National overview of monitoring frameworks and tools for Ramsar sites (Professor Fran Sheldon)

This project is assessing anthropogenic pressures on Ramsar wetlands and identifying current monitoring methods and selected indicators. It will then develop a future monitoring framework that reflects adaptive-management practices that use emerging methods and technologies.

Key research areas include:

• Ramsar-listed wetlands
• identifying the best temporal and spatial indicators
• supporting adaptive management of dynamic wetland systems.

5. Addressing Kakadu’s strategic research needs (Professor Michael Douglas)

This project is collaborating with Bininj/Mungguy people in Kakadu National Park to identify research priorities, update and affirm research protocols for the park and facilitate a suite of projects from other hubs of the Australian Government’s National Environmental Science Program as part of a flagship project for the cross-cutting initiatives.

Key research areas include:

• Indigenous-led research priorities and protocols
• research synthesis of risks to Kakadu’s values
• developing short-term and long-term research priorities.

6. Protecting threatened species in safe havens (Professor Matt Hayward)

This project is updating the mapping of the current safe-haven network and the list of species protected by this network. This information will identify future actions to improve species and ecosystem representation.

Key research areas include:

• mapping the safe-haven network
• updating the list of protected species in the network
• supporting improved species representation.

7. Research to support the management of priority desert threatened species (Dr Rachel Paltridge)

This project is working alongside Indigenous ranger groups in desert regions to support better outcomes for the bilby, night parrot and Tjakura (great desert skink) through improved population and distribution understanding, best-practice survey design, utilising emerging technologies and implementing best-practice management of cats and fire.

Key research areas include:

• expanding knowledge of 3 priority desert threatened species (bilby, night parrot and Tjakura [great desert skink])
• supporting Indigenous rangers and other Traditional Owner groups with best-practice survey design and guidance on improved fire and cat management.

RP2021 projects

• Solutions science for resilient landscapes (Professor Michael Douglas)
• Strengthening resilience to threatening processes and extreme events (Professor Samantha Setterfield)
• Restoring and recovering landscape resilience (Professor Mark Kennard and Professor Jennifer Firn)
• Socioeconomic insights for resilient landscapes (Professor Natalie Stoeckl)
• Monitoring resilient landscapes (Dr Chris Chilcott)
• Indigenous knowledge and managing the Indigenous estate (Professor Stephen van Leeuwen)
• Cross-cutting initiative research (Professor Helene Marsh)
• Queensland threatened lizard survey (Professor David Chapple).