Tropical Rivers and Coastal Knowledge

Science for Tropical Rivers and Coastal Knowledge

TRaCK (Tropical Rivers and Coastal Knowledge) is a research consortium that provides science and knowledge to support the sustainable use and management of Australia’s tropical rivers and estuaries. The TRaCK partners draw expertise from more than 80 of Australia’s leading social, cultural, environmental and economic researchers. TRaCK focuses on the rivers and estuaries between Cape York and Broome with a degree of coordination and integration not previously seen in the region.

More specifically, TRaCK aims to:

  • Increase understanding of the important natural assets and ecosystem services provided by tropical rivers and coasts;
  • develop methods and tools to assess the implications of potential developments;
  • identify opportunities to develop genuinely sustainable enterprises; and
  • build the capacity and knowledge of the community to engage in management planning processes.

From 2005 to 2012, TRaCK ran a 30-million-dollar research hub funded from the Commonwealth Environment Research Facility, Land & Water Australia, National Water Commission, Fisheries R&D Corporation, and the Qld Government.

This first phase of TRaCK research was made up of 21 projects that are described under the projects tab. This included six projects completed during a ‘synthesis and adoption’ year that was funded by the National Water Commission.

From 2012 to 2016 TRaCK delivered a number of science outputs to the Monsoonal North Cluster of the Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Research Grants Program. This Program aims to improve the capacity of regional Natural Resource Management (NRM) organisations in Australia to plan for climate change. This program was developed as part of the Australian Government’s Regional NRM Planning for Climate Change Fund. Outputs from these activities are available through Terra Nova.

The TRaCK consortium also delivered a number of freshwater biodiversity projects as part of the NERP Northern Australia Hub. TRaCK partners are currently involved in delivering projects under the NESP Northern Australia Environmental Resources Hub.

TRaCK outputs are also indexed with respect to the Ecological Limits of Hydrological Alteration framework in the Northern Environmental Water Tools (NEWT) portal.

 

 

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