| External Collaborators / Partners | Antarctic Climate & Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre (ACE CRC), Australian National University (ANU), Murdoch University, Griffith University and Charles Sturt University |
|---|---|
| Project Status | Current |
The Landscapes and Policy Hub is a research collaboration that focuses on integrating ecology and social science to provide guidance for policy makers on planning and management of biodiversity at a regional scale.
Focusing on two contrasting landscapes of the Tasmanian Midlands and the Australian Alps, the research hub is developing tools, techniques and policy options to integrate biodiversity into regional scale planning.
The interdisciplinary research is placing particular emphasis on landscape-scale management of species and communities listed under the under Australia’s primary conservation legislation: Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. This includes ‘Matters of National Environment Significance’ like the Tasmanian Midlands Lowland Grasslands communities and the unique alpine wetlands in the Australian Alps.
The research hub is hosted by the University of Tasmania and is one of five new national research hubs recently funded to study biodiversity conservation by the National Environmental Research Program (NERP) over the next four years.
The multi-disciplinary research collaboration, known as the ‘Landscapes and Policy Hub’, is one of five new national research hubs recently funded to study biodiversity conservation by the National Environmental Research Program (NERP) over the next four years.
The leading social and biophysical researchers are from the
University of Tasmania (UTAS), Australian National University (ANU), Griffith University, Murdoch University and the Antarctic Climate & Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre (ACE CRC).
From the University of Tasmania, the team of researchers includes recent Australia Day awardee Professor Peter Davies, Nobel Prize Laureate Professor Nathan Bindoff, internationally recognised fire ecologist Professor David Bowman, wildlife ecologist and extinction expert Professor Chris Johnson, and resource and environmental economist Professor John Tisdell.
Our 30 researchers work in collaboration with people and land managers, conservation organisations and natural resource management departments at all levels of government who focus on 'Matters of National Significance'. To date this has included the Australian Government Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, the Australian Alps Liaison Committee, the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment, Tasmanian Land Conservancy, NRM North,Parks Victoria and the NSW Office of Water (NPWS).
The researchers are also collaborating closely between eight core research areas to explore the likely implications of different scenarios of changing climate, land use and management, demographics, infrastructure development and other human and natural influences on ecosystem services and habitat suitability for selected species of mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians and plants.
The research hub will review a range of planning processes, policies and institutional arrangements related to fire risk, water yield, carbon sequestration, and human social and economic well‑being. These will be assessed using ecological analysis, modelling, experimental economics and social and institutional research.
The research team is supported by a Communications and Knowledge Brokering group to facilitate the links between research and policy.
There will be many more research papers, reports and information sheets published during the four years of research. The two main areas of research are:
1. Social and Economic Futures (includes social, institutional and economic disciplines)
2. Ecological Futures (includes the study areas of Bioregional Futures, Climate Futures, Wildlife and, Fire and Vegetation.
Following field trips at the start of the hub to the two main study areas of the Tasmanian Midlands and the Australian Alps, we published our first hub report in December 2011.
Book (1)
Landscape Logic: integrating science for landscape management, Lefroy EC, Curtis A, Jakeman T and McKee J. (eds), CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood. ISBN 9780643103542
Book Chapters (5)
Davies PE, Magierowski RH, Read SM and Horrigan N (2012) Measuring and modelling the impacts of land use on ecological river condition. In pp 23-38 Lefroy EC, Curtis A, Jakeman T and McKee J. (eds). Landscape Logic: integrating science for landscape management, CSIRO Publishing, Australia. ISBN 9780643103542
Lefroy EC, Curtis AL, Jakeman A and McKee J (2012) Introduction: Improving the evidence base for natural resource management. . In pp 1-6 E Lefroy, A Curtis, A Jakeman and J McKee (eds) Landscape Logic: integrating science for landscape management. CSIRO Publishing, Australia. ISBN 9780643103542
Lefroy EC, Grun, A, Jakeman A and McKee J (2012) Lessons from studying water quality in agricultural catchments. In pp 119-126 E Lefroy, A Curtis, A Jakeman and J McKee (eds) Landscape Logic: integrating science for landscape management, CSIRO Publishing, Australia. ISBN 9780643103542
Lefroy EC and Park G (2012) What we learned about measuring change in vegetation extent and condition. In pp 231-236 E Lefroy, A Curtis, A Jakeman and J McKee (eds) Landscape Logic: integrating science for landscape management, CSIRO Publishing, Australia. ISBN 9780643103542
Lefroy EC, Curtis AL, Jakeman A and McKee J (2012) Integrating science for landscape management. In pp 283-291 E Lefroy, A Curtis, A Jakeman and J McKee (eds) Landscape Logic: integrating science for landscape management, CSIRO Publishing, Australia. ISBN 9780643103542
Published Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
Allan JD, Yuan LL, Black P, Stockton T, Davies PE, Magierowski RH and Read SM (2011) Investigating the relationships between environmental stressors and stream condition using Bayesian belief networks, Freshwater Biology Vol 57 pp 58–73 (doi:10.1111/j.1365-2427.2011.02683)
Bowman D (2012) Conservation: Bring elephants to Australia? Nature, Vol 482, doi:10.1038/482030a http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v482/n7383/full/482030a.html
Bowman DMJS, Balch J, Artaxo, P, Bond, WJ, Cochrane MA, D'Antonio CM, DeFries R, Johnston FH, Keeley JE, Krawchuk MA, Kull CA, Mack M, Moritz MA, Pyne S, Roos CI, Scott AC, Sodhi NS, Swetnam TW, (2011) ‘The human dimension of fire regimes on Earth’, Journal of Biogeography, Volume 38, Issue 12, pages 2223–2236, December, ISSN 0305-0270 DOI:10.1111/j.1365-2699.2011.02595.x
Bowman DMJS, Prior LD, Tng DTP, Hua Q & Brodribb, TJ, ‘Continental-scale climatic drivers of growth ring variability in an Australian conifer’ (2011) Trees: Structure and Function, 25 pp. 925–934. ISSN 0931-1890
Bowman DMJS & Murphy B, ‘Australia - a model system for the development of pyrogeography’, Fire Ecology, 7 (1) pp. 5-12. ISSN 1933-9747 (2011)
Bowman DMJS (2012) Conservation: Bring elephants to Australia? Nature, Vol 482, pp 30, DOI: doi:10.1038/482030a
Harris R, McQuillan P and Hughes L (2012) Patterns in body size and melanism along a latitudinal cline in the wingless grasshopper, Phaulacridium vittatum. Journal of Biogeography, 39: 1450–1461. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2699.2012.02710.x
Iftekhar MS, Hailu A & Lindner RK (2012) Combinatorial auctions for procuring agri-environmental services: A review of some design issues. Australasian Journal of Environmental Management 19(2): 79 - 90.
Iftekhar MS, Hailu A & Lindner RK (2012) The effect of bidder heterogeneity on combinatorial conservation auction designs, Environmental and Resource Economics, DOI 10.1007/s10640-012-9553-7.
Iftekhar MS, Hailu A & Lindner RK (2012) Combinatorial Auction Designs for Biodiversity Conservation, Society & Natural Resources: An International Journal, 25:10, 965-979 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08941920.2011.644393)
Rule Susan, Barry W Brook, Simon G Haberle, Chris SM Turney, Peter Kershaw & Christopher N Johnson (2012) The Aftermath of Megafaunal Extinction: Ecosystem Transformation in Pleistocene Australia Science 23 March 2012: Vol. 335 no. 6075 pp. 1483-1486 DOI: 10.1126/science.1214261 (http://www.sciencemag.org/content/335/6075/1483)
Wood Sam W, Brett P Murphy & David MJS Bowman (2011) Firescape ecology: how topography determines the contrasting distribution of fire and rain forest in the south-west of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, Journal of Biogeography, Volume 38, Issue 9, pages 1807–1820, September 2011 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2699.2011.02524.x
Refereed Conference Papers
Bennett JC, Grose MR, Post DA, Ling FLN, Corney SP and Bindoff NL. 2011, Performance of quantile-quantile bias-correction for use in hydro-climatological projections. MODSIM International Congress 2011 (also presented at conference).
Grose MR, Corney SP, Katzfey JJ, Bennett JC and Bindoff NL, 2011, Improving projections of rainfall trends through regional climate modelling and wide-ranging assessment. MODSIM International Congress 2011 (also presented at conference)
Grose MR, Fox-Hughes P and Bindoff NL, 2011 Bushfire conditions under a warming climate – the value of regional climate modelling. MODSIM International Congress 2011 (also presented at conference)
Non-Refereed Conference Paper
Bindoff NL and Lee G and Harris R and Grose MR, Downscaling climate projections for application to biodiversity research, AMOS 2012, 31 January - 3 February 2012, University of New South Wales, Sydney, pp. unknown.
Reports and Occasional Papers
Bowman (2011) Opinion piece on off reserve conservation. "Are national parks the best way to conserve nature? The Conversation, October
Bowman (2011) Opinion piece on fire management. Playing with fire – life on our flammable planet is about to get hotter The Conversation, September
Clement S (2012) Biodiversity Governance in the Tasmanian Midlands and Australian Alps – a preliminary literature review, Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia.
Lefroy EC (2011) The Tasmanian Midlands: report of a study tour of regional biodiversity issues. Landscapes and Policy NERP Hub, University of Tasmania, Hobart.
Murphy BP, Williamson G and Bowman (2011) Meeting report on pyrogeography New Phytologist
Members (External)
| Personnel | UTAS School / Assoc Uni | Role | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prof Ted Lefroy | Centre for Environment | Hub Director & Project Leader | Ted.Lefroy@utas.edu.au |
| Vanessa Mann | Centre for Environment | Business Manager | Vanessa.Mann@utas.edu.au |
| Suzie Gaynor | Centre for Environment | Communications Manager | Suzie.Gaynor@utas.edu.au |
| Gill Anderson | Private consultant | Alps Knowledge Broker | peopleinnature@bigpond.com |
| Louise Gilfedder | Private consultant | Midlands Knowledge Broker | Louise.Gilfedder@utas.edu.au |
| Personnel | UTAS School / Assoc Uni | Role | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr Michael Lockwood | Geography & Enviro Studies | Project Leader | Michael.Lockwood@utas.edu.au |
| Associate Prof Sue Moore | (Murdoch University) | Project Leader | Smoore@murdoch.edu.au |
| Dr Michael Mitchell | Geography & Enviro Studies | Postdoctoral Fellow | Michael.Mitchell@utas.edu.au |
| Sarah Clement | (Murdoch University) | PhD Student | sclement@murdoch.edu.au |
| Samantha Gadsby | Geography & Enviro Studies | Masters Student | Sgadsby@postoffice.utas.edu.au |
| Madeleine Porter | Geography & Enviro Studies | Honours Student | Madeleine.Porter@utas.edu.au |
| Dr Allan Curtis | Charles Sturt University | Project Leader | ACurtis@csu.edu.au |
| Dr Christopher Raymond | Charles Sturt University | Research Fellow | Chris.Raymond@enviroconnect.com.au |
| Personnel | UTAS School / Assoc Uni | Role | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prof John Tisdell | Economics & Finance | Project Leader | John.Tisdell@utas.edu.au |
| Dr Sayed Iftekhar | Economics & Finance | Postdoctoral Fellow | Sayed.Iftekhar@utas.edu.au |
| Personnel | UTAS School / Assoc Uni | Role | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prof Brendan Mackey | (Griffith University) | Project Leader | B.Mackey@griffith.edu.au |
| Dr Luciana Porfirio | (ANU) | Postdoctoral Fellow | Luciana.Porfirio@anu.edu.au |
| Dr Sue Gould | (Griffith University) | Postdoctoral Fellow | S.Gould@griffith.edu.au |
| Dr Sonia Hugh | (ANU) | GIS Analyst | Sonia.Hugh@anu.edu.au |
| Personnel | UTAS School / Assoc Uni | Role | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prof Nathan Bindoff | ACE CRC | Project Leader | N.Bindoff@utas.edu.au |
| Dr Greg Lee | ACE CRC | Climate Modeller | Greg.Lee@acecrc.org.au |
| Dr Rebecca Harris | ACE CRC | Climate Research Fellow | R.M.B.Harris@acecrc.org.au |
| Paul Fox-Hughes | ACE CRC | Bushfire Weather Analyst | Paul.Fox-hughes@acecrc.org.au |
| Personnel | UTAS School / Assoc Uni | Role | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prof Chris Johnson | Zoology | Project Leader | C.N.Johnson@utas.edu.au |
| Dr Nick Beeton | Zoology | Postdoctoral Fellow | Nick.Beeton@utas.edu.au |
| Gareth Davies | Zoology | PhD student | Gareth.Davies@utas.edu.au |
| Personnel | UTAS School / Assoc Uni | Role | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prof David Bowman | Environmental Change Biology | Project Leader | David.Bowman@utas.edu.au |
| Dr Brett Murphy | University of Melbourne | Postdoctoral Fellow | Brett.Murphy@unimelb.edu.au |
| Dr Grant Williamson | Environmental Change Biology | Eco-Spatial Analyst | Grant.Williamson@utas.edu.au |
| Louise Romanin | Environmental Change Biology | PhD student | Louise.Romanin@utas.edu.au |
| Personnel | UTAS School / Assoc Uni | Role | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prof Peter Davies | Zoology | Project Leader | P.E.Davies@utas.edu.au |
| Dr Regina Magierowski | Zoology | Stream Ecologist | Regina.Magierowski@utas.edu.au |
| Trish Clements | Geography & Enviro Studies | Honours student | Patricia.Clements@utas.edu.au |