Program Leader: Professor Steve Turton, James Cook
University
Program 9 is focused on sustainable use, planning and management
of environmental assets of North Queensland’s tropical
rainforests and adjacent Wet Tropics production and urban
landscapes that constitute significant catchment areas for the
Great Barrier Reef. The approach is to consider these
landscapes as linked social, ecological and economic systems.
The main objective is to provide the knowledge base that supports
the management of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, as well as
supporting sustainable economic activities (notably agriculture,
agroforestry, tourism and Indigenous enterprises), while enhancing
biodiversity and maintaining essential ecosystem services across
the entire Wet Tropics landscape.
This is a large Program that hosts seven project areas that
align directly with research needs for DEH, WTMA, FNQ NRM Ltd,
Indigenous groups, industry and other key stakeholders based in the
Wet Tropics bioregion and Natural Resource Management region:
-
Indigenous landscapes of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area:
use, planning and management;
-
Sustainable nature based tourism: use, planning and
management;
-
Impacts of urbanisation on North Queensland environments:
management and remediation;
-
Integrating ecology, economics and people in forest
landscapes;
-
Restoring tropical forest landscapes;
-
Strategic natural resource management and landuse planning;
and
-
Tools and processes for social engagement.
Project 4.9.7 is shared with Program 2 (Theme 1). This fulfils an integrative
function across both programs, and will articulate with Theme
5 – Enhancing Delivery. Project 4.9.7 will conduct
participatory case studies with end-users and communities, for
their benefit, complementing each of the other project areas (e.g.
land use planning, Indigenous, forests, restoration). Within
Program 2 it will assist in the development of a framework and
tools for status and trend reporting, to match directions
established in collaboration with end-users through Theme 5.
Baseline data and data management services will be provided by
Themes 1 and 2 to avoid duplication. Program 9 also provides
strong links with Program
5ii and Program
7 and Project 5.10.2 Integrated Report Card Framework for the
MTSRF Program.
The research outputs of Program 9 will include:
-
Development of mechanisms to enhance institutional and planning
arrangements to underpin biodiversity, water quality and wider
ecosystem services in the Great Barrier Reef region whilst
maintaining viable regional communities;
-
Valuation of residential contribution to biodiversity and
ecosystem services in regional and local planning areas eg Daintree
as the first site;
-
Identification of biodiversity values and metrics for
incorporation into regional and local planning mechanisms;
-
Analysis of incentive mechanisms available for the management of
ecosystem services in urbanising environments in north
Queensland;
-
Assessment of the impacts of community infrastructure on the Wet
Tropics WHA and surrounding ecosystems and develop methodologies to
mitigate the impacts;
-
Mapping of riparian vegetation quality and habitat connectivity
in urban and rural areas of North Queensland;
-
Identification of major issues relating to tourist motives and
behaviours for visiting the Wet Tropics;
-
Determination of key trends and economic contribution of Wet
Tropics tourism to North Queensland;
-
Determination of impacts of tourism in the Wet Tropics World
Heritage Area and mitigation strategies for adverse impacts;
-
Identification of community perceptions and knowledge of use and
management of the Wet Tropics;
-
Development of a Toolkit and indicators for monitoring and
evaluating reforestation success;
-
Development of methods to optimise reforestation success;
-
Development of an optimisation model for regional investment in
reforestation and management;
-
Assessment of an Indigenous nature resource use within the Wet
Tropics World Heritage Area;
-
Optimising Traditional Owner knowledge and engagement in natural
resource management, particularly water resources and changes to
water quality and resulting ecological impacts; and
-
Development of tools and mechanisms to integrate the learnings
across the program to enhance the information delivered to major
natural resource management agencies and the community.
