The TS-CRC has a large portfolio of research projects, which are
organised around four research themes. All projects are placed
within a Theme, although there are many links between projects and
across Themes.
The themes are:
- Landscape Ecology and Health
- Industry and Community Natural Resource Management
- Regional Planning and Management
- Human Capability Development
Theme leaders seek and develop opportunities for links and
exchange between projects and with other researchers.
Theme Coordinator: Dr John Ludwig, CSIRO Wildlife and Ecology,
Northern Territory
This theme will provide an understanding of the landscape
ecosystem processes and functions of the tropical savannas. It will
further develop and validate a sound working definition of
landscape health based on scientific, experiential and indigenous
knowledge. It will use predictive models and time series monitoring
to test and refine the definition and its application. Healthy
landscapes are those that:
- maintain basic functions at all spatial scales, including
nutrient cycling, water capture and provision of food and shelter
for fauna;
- maintain viable populations of all native species of plants and
animals at appropriate spatial and temporal scales;
- meet the long-term needs (material, aesthetic and spiritual) of
people with an interest in the tropical savannas
Theme 2: Industry and Community Natural Resource
Management
Theme Coordinator: Dr Paul Novelly, WA Dept. Agriculture,
Western Australia
Industries and their enterprises must be economically viable if
savanna communities are to be sustained. Increasingly this includes
meeting market and societal standards of environmental
responsibility and ecologically sustainable management. Models and
systems of adaptive management need to be developed and validated,
if we are to achieve ecological, economic and social goals.
Specific systems relevant to Aboriginal land management and
multiple land use are needed.
Theme 3: Regional Planning and Management
Theme Coordinator: Dr Peter Whitehead, Key Centre for Tropical
Wildlife Management (CDU), Darwin
Achieving or restoring healthy landscapes means accommodating a
range of overlapping uses and needs within an economic, social and
cultural context. This requires an understanding of the social and
economic dynamics of rural regions and of the inevitable
interactions and trade-offs necessary to meet the needs of both the
environment and of people. It is necessary to develop frameworks to
allow sustainable planning and management to meet this complex of
public and private needs, responsibilities, benefits and costs.
Theme 4: Human Capability Development
Theme Coordinators: Mr Joe Morrison and Dr Peter Jacklyn,
TS-CRC, Charles Darwin University
Broadly, all of the CRC's communication and education activities
fall under this theme. It provides scholarships and support for
students in disciplines relevant to landscape management in
northern Australia; but is also developing programs that help
different communities across northern Australia to take part in
other types of education processes. It is also examining ways
for northern land managers to take up research outcomes developed
by the CRC.
The theme also uses the Information Clearinghouse "Savannas
Information" developed by the Tropical Savannas CRC to provide
learning materials to people involved in enterprises, communities
and government and to students and the general public throughout
Australia and internationally. Savanna Information
comprises:
Savanna Explorer
The CRC's new website which will be available late in 2006. Here
the savannas' 19 bioregions, two states and one territory are
aggregated into eight general geographic regions. This allows us to
present comprehensive information on north Australia's land uses,
flora, fauna, geology, climate and land mangement issues, such as
fire, weeds and feral animals. Go to www.savannas.org.au
This section covers the Victoria River District in the Northern
Territory. Here you can overlay maps online to explore
relationships between landscape features such as vegetation and
soils in the VRD.
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