20 January 2016

Hub Leader Professor Michael Douglas (centre) holds an octocopter, which was demonstrated at the 2015 launch by Tim Whiteside and Krissy Breed from the Supervising Scientist

The Northern Australia Environmental Resources Hub has been busy over recent months planning activities for its second phase of research.

This will build on the Hub’s current research plan, which involves ten short-term projects. The research programme is organised around a number of issue-driven, regional case studies, including: landscape-scale studies covering savanna and aquatic ecosystems and biodiversity; land and water planning for agricultural and infrastructure development, and Indigenous land management.

The current projects have been progressing strongly since mid-2015. The Hub will deliver research over the next six years with funding of $23.88m from the Australian Government’s National Environmental Science Programme (NESP).

In September 2015, Hub leader Professor Michael Douglas was joined by former Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment Mr Bob Baldwin and Federal Member for Solomon Ms Natasha Griggs at Charles Darwin University for the launch of the Hub.

“It has been fantastic to see recognition for environmental research which is supporting and improving decision making in northern Australia,” Professor Douglas said.

Professor Douglas says the next stage of research will again commit to the Hub’s objective to support sustainable development in the north.

“In recent months we have undertaken desktop reviews of research user needs and held a series of regional meetings with research users to get feedback on potential project topics. The results of these activities have helped significantly in the development of our second research program,” Professor Douglas said.

The Hub Steering Committee will meet today to review progress with the research plan.