Theme 5 consists of one program:
Program 10 -
Enhancing Delivery
Activities conducted within Theme 5 are based
on the premise that if the economic, social, cultural and
environmental values of North Queensland are to be maintained
despite rapidly increasing pressures, then management needs to be
sustainable and informed by sound science. The MTSRF is producing
scientific information with the specific purpose of enabling
management, policy and practice to become more sustainable.
Activities conducted within Theme 5 are focussed on the successful
delivery of the outcomes of MTSRF research through the development
and implementation of strategic, creative and effective ways of
communicating synthesised scientific information to targeted end
users, particularly through the identification of key messages and
appropriate audiences, effective delivery of those messages, and
the evaluation of delivery effectiveness.
The implementation of Theme 5 is the specific
responsibility of the Reef and Rainforest Research Centre. This is
done through three projects, the first of which was developed in
consultation and agreement with researchers participating in the
MTSRF and part funded through Themes 1-4.
Outputs include high quality digital video footage of science
activities being conducted under the MTSRF with appropriate scripts
for use in describing and documenting research being conducted
under the MTSRF. Footage is available on the
web and available for use by all research organisations within
the MTSRF for communicating their research findings. The latter two
projects are assisting communication between MTSRF researchers and
key groups, particularly tourism groups and Indigenous rainforest
people within the Wet Tropics rainforests.
Theme 5 is achieving the goals of the MTSRF
through:
-
Forging cross-program and cross-project linkages, such as
sharing of data sets and merging of key findings;
-
Synthesising solutions to key end-user problems, questions or
opportunities from the outputs of multiple project;
-
Integrating end-user knowledge and understanding into problem
definitions, solutions and the design of deliverables;
-
Catalysing co-learning partnerships among scientists, end-users,
business and communities;
-
Providing focusing mechanisms for adaptive learning across MTSRF
programs through knowledge and data gap identification; and
-
Providing a co-learning operating environment that enhances
overall productivity and ensures delivery of best quality science
to end-user problems and opportunities in a manner appropriate to
their needs and capabilities.
The key outputs from Theme 5 include:
-
Synthesised knowledge products focused on major end-user
problems or opportunities;
-
Baseline reports on the status and trends of North Queensland's
natural assets;
-
Syntheses of knowledge useful for World Heritage, State of
the Environment and State of the Region
reporting;
-
Best practice guidelines for key cross-cutting activities;
-
Integratable data sets through establishing and enforcing data
and knowledge standards;
-
Development of a data management system to enable public access
to the research findings, and establishment of data management
protocols and standards;
-
Adaptable tools and processes to contribute, with knowledge
syntheses, to solving end-user problems or exploring end user
opportunities;
-
Institutional structures for developing functional partnerships
among science, business, end-users and communities;
-
Knowledge delivery structures and processes designed to be
maximally useful to end-user needs and capabilities;
-
Carefully targeted communication products;
-
An operating environment designed to enhance adaptive
co-learning across all levels of MTSRF partners; and
-
A report on the evaluation of the impacts of the MTSRF.
