Rainforest CRC - Research Programs

The multi-faceted nature of the rainforest was reflected in the multi-disciplinary research of the Rainforest CRC, which brought together a range of experts in an exciting research portfolio.

There is increasing recognition of the need to more effectively communicate and inform public and policy debate on natural resource management issues in the Wet Tropics region. In particular, the problem of how to quantify and more objectively value the 'services' that natural ecosystems provide to society (e.g. clean water and air, carbon sequestration, habitat for wildlife) is attracting considerable interest from sections of the community. This program identified and quantified (in biophysical terms) some of the key ecosystem services provided to the community by the north Queensland rainforest, and developing and applying economic methodologies which can be used to value these services. The aim was to produce a framework within which the impacts on key ecosystem services, of changing land use and climate, can be evaluated and incorporated into regional planning.

Project 2.2 Water Regulation as an Ecosystem Service
Project 2.4 Ecological Services and Dis-services Provided by Rainforest Arthropods
Project 2.5 Impacts of Climate Change on Rainforest Ecosystems and Biodiversity 

Program 3 aimed to study the response of pollination systems to fragmentation within Wet Tropics rainforests, using the Australian Canopy Crane Research Facility. The Facility will also be used to study the steady state of carbon, heat and water fluxes of a pristine rainforest using instrumental techniques, and evaluate the diurnal and annual variations in response to changing climatic conditions.

This Program investigated the nature and consequences of visitation and usage on Wet Tropics rainforests and adjacent forest communities and examines their impacts on natural and cultural heritage values. Standardised data collection methodologies and long-term monitoring procedures will be established involving management agency staff, Aboriginal communities and tourism operators. Outputs will be used to prepare best practice guidelines for the design, construction and maintenance of visitor infrastructure, experience, access and movements of roads, powerline corridors and walking tracks. The program provided land managers, public utilities, the tourist industry and other stakeholders with the information and tools to consider and manage potential consequences relevant to sustainable rainforest visitation and usage.

Rehabilitation and restoration of rainforest is a slow and costly process. Better understanding is needed of how to optimise and monitor the ecological improvement for each unit of reforestation effort, and of the socio-economic processes influencing reforestation decisions. Reforestation spans a spectrum of activities ranging from intensive native ecosystem reinstatement to farm forestry with an expected timber product. All types, however, function in some way to sustain the biodiversity and key ecological processes which are a motivational factor in a large proportion of reforestation projects. This Program aimed to develop techniques for optimising the biodiversity values of reforestation areas, and to provide a sound scientific basis for decisions concerning the achievement of sustainable forest cover at catchment and regional levels through a balance of restoration and conservation.

This Program determined spatial patterns in biodiversity and discover the processes that produce these patterns. The most vulnerable components of biodiversity are rare species. The Program identified geographical hotspots of rare species and classify those species either resilient or sensitive to human-induced habitat change and use that information to develop a classification of rarity appropriate to Queensland's rainforests and to assist management in setting priorities. This  improves our understanding of how rare species are affected by threatening processes and how they respond to their management, and includes an evaluation of options for the mitigation of threatening processes. With the capacity to predict the geographic distribution of rare, endangered and vulnerable species and their specific responses to management, Program 6 designed principles, appropriate data and transparent planning tools for the determination of optimal locations and configurations of biodiversity priority areas. This information forms the biodiversity input to the regional planning toolkit developed in Program 1.

The rainforest is a complex system of living Aboriginal cultures. Cultural sustainability of the rainforest recognises and respects Indigenous peoples prior ownership and knowledge of the rainforest incorporating land management and environmental knowledge, language and social structures. Culturally sustainable management of rainforest is a two-way street with land management agencies having obligations to Aboriginal people to protect cultural heritage and Aboriginal people having land management responsibilities to their country. There exists a direct interrelationship between the cultural sustainability of the rainforest and its ecological and economic sustainability. Program 7 worked to ensure information was available to enable incorporation by agencies and industry of best management practices that are appropriately cultural, collaborative and capacity building for Aboriginal Traditional Owners in reciprocal relationships with others within the Wet Tropics region.

The goal of this joint Program between the Rainforest CRC and CRC Reef was to develop new protocols and tools to identify, monitor and mitigate water quality problems and to assess the health of aquatic ecosystems in the Wet Tropics and Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Areas.

This integrated Catchment to Reef Program approach aims to minimise the downstream effects of agriculture and improve the ecosystem health of the Great Barrier Reef lagoon and its feeder catchments. The Program will provide the tools needed by landholders, industry and other stakeholders to monitor the effects of land use changes and restoration on water quality.

Program 10 involved seven Tasks (Projects) (click on links to download archived PDF Task files - please note these are external links):