Applied Ecology

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Applied Ecology

• Putting Ecology to Work in Natural Resource
  Management

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Goals
Research
Improved understanding of ecology as a basis for
decision-making in natural resource management

3
Research Indicators
4
Goals
Postgraduate Education
Full integration of postgraduate programs with
research and consultancy activities

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Postgrad Indicators
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Goals
Make a Difference
Add real value to resource management agencies,
via contract research, influencing views on best
practice, contributing to the knowledge base and
frameworks in support of effective
decision-making

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Making a Difference
Influence policy and decision-making on a broad
range of fronts

• Environment Advisory Committee
• Nature Conservation and Namadgi Sub-committee
• Rural Conservation Trust
• Flora and Fauna Committee
• State of Environment Reporting

• Endangered Species Recovery Teams
• Agriculture, wildlife and fisheries advisory
  panels
• IUCN Specialist Groups
• World Commission on Protected Areas

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Modus Operandi

• Committed to broad enquiry, but with a sharp eye
  out for downstream applications

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StrategicResearch

• Native Grassland distribution and composition
  Williams and Sharp
• Diet of the Striped Legless Lizard Georges,
  Osborne and Nunan
• Ecology and distribution of the earless dragon
  Osborne, Langston, Button and Kelly
• Distribution of the pink-tailed legless lizard
  Osborne, Williams and Jones
• Germination of native grasses Williams and
  Reyenga
• Tree-native pasture interactions Williams,
  Rehwinkel, Wallace, Katjiua

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StrategicResearch
ACT PALM
Reputation

• Wildlife Survey Techniques for Ecological
  Assessment
• Conservation Strategies for each of Forest,
  Woodland, Grassland, Riverine, and Riparian
  Ecosystems

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StrategicResearch
ACT PALM
Reputation

• Principles and strategic options for native
  grasslands and threatened fauna in Gungahlin

ACT PCSdata
ACT PALMproblem
AERGanalysis
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StrategicResearch
ACTEW
Reputation

• Conservation of the endangered pink-tailed
  legless lizard with special reference to Lower
  Molonglo

ACT PCSmanagement
ACTEWproblem
AERGscience
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StrategicResearch
ACT PALM
Environment ACT
ACTEW
Contract research and consultancy, influencing
best practice, supporting effective
decision-making
Reputation
Adding real value to natural resource management
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Key elements

• Commitment to broad enquiry as a foundation for
  application
• Multi-disciplinary base
• Outward-looking ethos
• Integration of postgraduates at all levels

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Postgraduates

• Sarah Sharp -- Grasslands Officer, Environment
  ACT
• Rainer Rehwinkel -- Grasslands Officer, NSW NPWS
• Art Langston -- Experimental Scientist with CSIRO
  Wildlife and Ecology
• Simon Holloway -- Project Officer with AGRECON
• Penny Reyenga -- Research Officer, BRS

• Wayne Robinson -- Lecturer in Biostatistics,
  Charles Sturt University
• Sandra Jones -- Lecturer in Wildlife Biology,
  University of Melbourne
• Mutjinde Katjiua -- Lecturer in Rangelands
  Management, University of Namibia
• Donna Nunan -- PhD Candidate, Australian National
  University

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Key elements

• Commitment to broad enquiry as a foundation for
  application
• Multi-disciplinary base
• Outward-looking ethos
• Integration of postgraduates at all levels
• Reputation for delivering knowledge in the
  context of immediate application

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Other examples

• Population modelling on-ground management of
  vertebrate pests
• Trace metals managing estuaries
• Fluvial processes managing freshwaters
• TSD in reptiles setting environmental flows

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Challenges
Research

• Build our research profile while maintaining a
  balance between research of strategic value and
  research linked to immediate application.

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Challenges
Application

• Be more proactive in finding opportunities to
  capitalise on the new knowledge we generate and
  on our expertise.

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Challenges
Partnerships

• Strengthen strategic alliances with other
  organisations and individuals with complementary
  facilities and capacity.

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Challenges
Education

• Broaden the experience of postgraduate research
  students to include exposure to a range of
  perspectives and research cultures.

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Challenges
Reputation

• Actively promote our capabilities and
  achievements as a multidisciplinary research
  group to increase the opportunities placed
  before us.

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Challenges
Autonomy

• Strengthen our position as a well-funded centre,
  to achieve a higher level of autonomy in both
  research and postgraduate education.

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StrategicResearch
Environment ACT
Reputation

• Specific advice on the very fast train proposal
  and Canberra airport.
• Recovery planning for endangered grassland
  species.
• Advice on policy formulation through advisory
  bodies.