Outcomes visible from space

By bringing together end users and researchers to work on projects across northern Australia, the Tropical Savannas CRC has produced some significant achievements which are continuing to transform the management of the savannas...

Innovative Solutions The satellite image above shows the patterns of fire across north Australia in 2007 - and the highlighted square shows the area covered by the West Arnhemland Fire Abatement (WALFA) project. This project has seen Indigenous ranger groups, supported by research and technology coordinated by the Tropical Savannas CRC, succeed in dramatically reduce the incidence of destructive wildfires over an area the size of Belgium. This work is now being funded by a carbon offset agreement. For more information on this project and others that are continuing to produce significant on-ground outcomes see Innovative solutions in the menu on the left.

Links across the north The CRC has also helped develop new cooperative bodies that work with people on the ground as well as researchers and that can coordinate land and sea management across the north. One of these bodies, the North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance (NAILSMA) is now a key driver of improved outcomes for Indigenous land and sea managers. See Links across the north.

Industry-ready graduates Like all CRCs the Tropical Savannas CRC has brought PhD students together with Industry supervisors to produce research that has practical applications to Industry - and that produces PhD graduates who understand the needs of end-users. In the case of the Tropical Savannas CRC, it has also developed on-going courses that are now producing masters, diploma and graduate certificate level students with practical skills in tropical environmental management. See Industry-ready graduates in the left hand menu.

Knowledge base Given the scattered and sparse populations of savanna land managers and the relatively small organisations that serve their NRM needs,  there is often a lack of relevant NRM knowledge. The CRC has helped fill this knowledge gap by establishing an easily accessible knowledge base for savanna NRM. Since 2001 this knowledge base has seen over 28,000 hard copy publications sold or distributed and over 220,000 pdfs downloaded. See Knowledge base.

Raising awareness Continued improvement in savanna management requires that the broader community is aware of the major issues involved - and one of the most effective ways to do this is within schools. The CRC's Tropical Savanna Knowledge in Schools project has produced interactive and engaging curriculum material for schools that are now being used across the NT. See Raising awareness at left.