| SECTION | NO | R & D Tips |
|---|
| Chapter 1 | 1.1 | Contact the relevant agency (e.g. herbarium, university, regional organisation) in your State or region to find out what research is underway on native plants and vegetation types in your region, where they can be found and what still needs to be identified. |
| | 1.2 | For information on ecosystem services provided by native vegetation and the research gaps that still need attention, visit the Ecosystem Services website (http:///www.ecosystemservicesproject.org/). |
| | 1.3 | Visit the Social and Institutional Research Program (SIRP) website (http://www.lwa.gov.au/sirp) to discover the range of research on social values and natural resource management. |
| | 1.4 | Visit the RIRDC website (http://www.rirdc.gov.au) and take a particular look at the Joint Venture Agroforestry Program, to find out what research relevant to your region is underway on the economic use of native vegetation. |
| | 1.5 | Contact relevant agencies and research institutions to monitor progress in the development and application of environmental valuation techniques. |
| Chapter 2 | 2.1 | Advances in classifying and mapping vegetation at the catchment level can assist with the management of native vegetation. Keep in touch with the recent advances in this field by regularly accessing the websites of relevant National, State and regional organisations. |
| | 2.2 | The availability of reliable time-series data (that have been collected in a consistent and robust manner) on vegetation at catchment level will continue to improve and enhance the quality of information available for catchment managers. Keep yourself well-informed of the nature and availability of these vegetation data and maps. |
| | 2.3 | Mapping and monitoring vegetation condition is an important aspect of maintaining catchment health. When setting benchmarks for monitoring vegetation condition be informed of the recommendations in Science for Decision Makers: Measuring Ecosystem Health and Natural Resource Productivity (http://www.brs.gov.au), and be aware of more recent advances in these techniques. |
| | 2.4 | Public research agencies such as Geoscience Australia and groups such as the Cooperative Research Centre for Spatial Information (http://www.crcsi.gov.au) are developing new mapping technologies that can be used to support catchment management. Keep well informed of the latest developments by accessing the websites and related information networks of these groups. |
| | 2.5 | Native vegetation in your catchment may be used as a surrogate for habitat and to set and monitor targets for biodiversity conservation. Consider your approach as an ‘experiment’, where your management assumptions can be tested, and design suitable ways to test these assumptions. |
| Chapter 3 | 3.1 | Find out about national clearing patterns and the methods used from the National Carbon Accounting System (http://www.greenhouse.gov.au/ncas/index.html). Information is available in some States through programs such as the Statewide Landcover and Tree Study (http://www.nrm.qld.gov.au/slats/) in Queensland. |
| | 3.2 | Visit the CRC for Weed Management website (http://www.weeds.crc.org.au) to keep up with the latest research and publications on environmental weeds. |
| | 3.3 | Consider the on-going activities of the new Australasian Invasive Animals CRC, which builds on the work of the Pest Animal CRC. |
| | 3.4 | Follow the progress of investigations by the Bushfire CRC website (http://www.bushfirecrc.com), particularly the program on Management of Prescribed and Wild Fires in the Landscape. |
| | 3.5 | Keep an eye on current and future research findings on grazing management of native systems in the Tropical Savannas CRC (http://savanna.cdu.edu.au), Land, Water & Wool Program (http://www.landwaterwool.gov.au) and Meat & Livestock Australia (http://www.mla.com.au). |
| | 3.6 | Follow the progress of the Land, Water & Wool program of Land & Water Australia, and Australian Wool Innovation at http://www.landwaterwool.gov.au |
| | 3.7 | Consider the research portfolio of the new Environmental Water Allocation Program of Land & Water Australia (http://www.rivers.gov.au) and the new eWater Cooperative Research Centre that builds on the work of several water-focused CRCs. |
| | 3.8 | Seek out the groups in your urban area undertaking research, such as ARCUE (http://arcue.botany.unimelb.edu.au/) in Melbourne and the Urban Biodiversity Advisory Consortium (http://urbac.wildlife.org.au) in south-east Queensland,to find out the latest material on urban ecology. |
| | 3.9 | Follow the progress of research supported by the Australian Greenhouse Office (http://www.greenhouse.gov.au/nrm/index.html) and the Managing Climate Variability R&D Program (http://www.managingclimate.gov.au/managingclimate/), and undertaken by CSIRO Atmospheric Research (http://www.dar.csiro.au/information/climatechange.html). |
| | 3.10 | Consider the outcomes of completed and ongoing research managed by the Social and Institutional Research Program (http://www.sirp.gov.au/sirp/) and the social science group of the Bureau of Rural Sciences (http://www.daff.gov.au/socialsciences). |
| Chapter 4 | 4.1 | Consider the outcomes of completed and ongoing research managed by the Social and Institutional Research Program (http://www.sirp.gov.au/sirp/) and the social science group of the Bureau of Rural Sciences (http://www.daff.gov.au/socialsciences). |
| | 4.2 | Follow the progress of projects in the Native Vegetation and Biodiversity Program (http://www.lwa.gov.au), which builds on the work of the Native Vegetation R&D Program and the Tropical Savannas CRC (http://savanna.cdu.edu.au). |
| | 4.3 | Monitor the progress of the Heartlands, Landmark and Ecosystem Services projects that have developed tools to model vegetation (and other NRM) scenarios. |
| | 4.4 | Refer to the R&D Tips in Question 3, which identify a number of CRCs and research agencies that undertake research of relevance to identifying and abating threats. In addition, the CRC for Plant-based Management of Dryland Salinity (http://www1.crcsalinity.com/pages/aboutus.aspx) is worth keeping an eye on. |
| | 4.5 | Follow the progress of the CSIRO project ‘Mapping the Veg Stuff’, on the CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystem website (http://www.cse.csiro.au). |
| Chapter 5 | 5.1 | Consider the research portfolio of research on waterways and riparian land managed by Land & Water Australia (http://www.rivers.gov.au), the new eWater Cooperative Research Centre (http://www.ewatercrc.com.au/) that builds on the work of several water-focused CRCs. |
| | 5.2 | Follow the progress of research on biodiversity and salinity undertaken by the CRC for Plant-based Management of Dryland Salinity (http://www1.crcsalinity.com/pages/aboutus.aspx). |
| | 5.3 | Follow the progress of research on carbon sequestration supported by the Australian Greenhouse Office (http://www.greenhouse.gov.au/nrm/index.html) and undertaken by CSIRO Forestry and Forest Products (http://www.ffp.csiro.au/RC-GreenhouseAndCarbon.asp) and the CRC for Greenhouse Accounting (http://www.greenhouse.crc.org.au/) |
| | 5.4 | Visit the RIRDC website (http://www.rirdc.gov.au) and take a particular look at the Joint Venture Agroforestry Program, to find out what research relevant to your region is underway on the economic use of native vegetation. |
| | 5.5 | Keep an eye on current and future research findings on grazing management of native systems in the Tropical Savannas CRC (http://savanna.cdu.edu.au), Land, Water & Wool Program (http://www.landwaterwool.gov.au) and Meat & Livestock Australia (http://www.mla.com.au). |
| | 5.6 | Monitor the research progress on managing for multiple objectives in the Heartlands (http://www.clw.csiro.au/heartlands/) and Landmark (http://www.mdbc.gov.au/landmark/index.htm) projects and work being undertaken in the Tropical Savanna CRC (http://savanna.cdu.edu.au). |
