Theme Leader: Peter Whitehead, Charles Darwin University, Darwin
Theme focus | Achievements | Datesets | Vegetation mapping | Savanna Information links | Northern Summit | State of Savannas | Savanna health | Future directions |
The North Australia Landscape theme provided a framework for bringing together descriptions and definitions of savanna resources and the data that underpin them. In addition to providing statements of the biophysical status of the savannas, such as vegetation and other forms of mapping, the theme sought characterisation of the social, economic, cultural and policy landscape.
Summaries of these attributes are important for communicating with TS-CRC stakeholders and participants about the issues of sustainability that concern us. Perhaps more importantly, they provide a context for interpretation of regional or smaller-scale studies. The theme's outputs and the TS-CRC Web-based clearinghouse combined to provide the background against which those narrower studies can be most effectively displayed, and their wider implications assessed.
During 1999-2000, effort was divided between the biophysical characterisation of the region and the development of the savanna health definition. Elements of the biophysical characterisation included:
Most savanna-wide mapping of biophysical attributes that is available in digital form was aggregated. That process was assisted by involvement in a contract with the National Land & Water Resources Audit (NLWRA) to provide an overview of the status of biodiversity in the rangelands (including the tropical savannas) as a preliminary to the design of a framework for monitoring biodiversity. Coverages are now available for soils, geology, vegetation, topography, climate and its seasonal and inter-annual variability, stock density, land clearing, pasture condition, time of settlement, roads and other measures of land use intensity.
As part of a TS-CRC-funded initiative to generate consistent vegetation coverage of the savannas at a 1:1,000,000 scale, the Queensland Environmental Protection Agency has all but completed a savanna-wide map, Project 1.1.2, which became available in the 2000 calendar year. The map will be used in a number of biogeographic analyses immediately it becomes available.
Development of the TS-CRC's Web-based clearinghouse, Savanna Information, continues to provide an important focus for the theme. Metadata for the GIS coverages now held was provided to the clearinghouse personnel and new information products will appear during 2000. Moreover, the strong development of the Clearinghouse has illustrated the benefits of integration and demonstrated the congruence of TS-CRC goals with activities such as the NLWRA.
The theme has also served as a focus for provision of environmental information to consultants preparing background information for the Northern Summit. This is a consultative process through which the Federal Government seeks to identify development priorities for the region. This exercise provided some important insights to the difficulties of matching socio-economic to biophysical data for the savannas, which will be further examined by the Centre in the coming year.
Those PWCNT staff involved in Project 2.1.1 undertook, in conjunction with a contract with the NLWRA, an examination of the status and processes affecting rangeland biodiversity. This analysis will contribute to an assessment of the state of the savannas and link closely to the savanna health work. Other work contributing to an overview of savanna status through examination of historical change in tree-grass ratios, Project 3.1.1, was supported under the theme. Preliminary analysis suggests substantial increase in woody vegetation at a number of sites, and declines of woody species at others, probably related to variation in fire patterns in different parts of the landscape and the interaction of fire with grazing.
A number of products emerged from work on defining savanna health, and identifying attributes and indicators of health. A comprehensive discussion paper was prepared, together with shorter versions for the Web and a pamphlet for wide distribution. In addition to seeking wider involvement in refining these ideas and their relevance to all stakeholders, validating indicators proposed by contributors to the TS-CRC will provide an important focus for future work. The work was presented to relevant agencies and other stakeholders through addresses to the Board, Consultative Committee, and other formal fora, but wider consultation through active application has yet to be completed.
A number of major challenges remain and these will provide a focus for theme development in the future. Characterising the savannas socially, culturally and economically remains a gap in work completed to date. Some of the data and analysis aggregated as an element of the Northern Summit will make an important contribution here. Integration of socio-economic and biophysical perspectives continues to present difficulties.
Although it is thought that the development of the savanna health definition is fundamentally robust, a good deal of refinement of its use as a communication tool will be required. Some efforts have been made to use the health concept as part of the framework for interaction with stakeholders in management studies, but its application has yet to be comprehensively tested. It will be important that those tests are undertaken and the views of stakeholders explicitly incorporated in further refinement. Such work should be a central component of the Theme's efforts during the coming year.
