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Thursday, June 7, 2007 - 9:30 AM
361
On TRACK For Better Management of Australia's Tropical River And Coasts: Introducing A New Research Program
Michael M. Douglas, Dr, School for Environmental Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia and Stuart E. Bunn, Prof., Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, Nathan.
The rivers and coasts of northern Australia are widely recognised for outstanding natural values. The region also has the world’s oldest living culture, which continues to actively manage many of these ecosystems using Indigenous knowledge. Northern Australia faces significant environmental challenges associated with increasing pressure for economic development, as well as managing existing threats including weeds and feral animals. There is a pressing need to undertake research and build capacity to ensure that the development of Australia’s northern coastal and riverine environments takes place in a way that avoids the widespread degradation characteristic of southern Australia. The Tropical Rivers and Coastal Knowledge research program (TRACK) is a major new research initiative that brings together a multidisciplinary consortium to focus on the rivers and coasts of the region. The TRACK research program aims to: (i) identify the important natural assets and ecosystem services and understand how these are sustained; (ii) assess the implications and viability of potential developments; and (iii) identify opportunities to develop genuinely sustainable and culturally-appropriate enterprises. The research program is designed to generate and share the knowledge needed by governments, Indigenous communities and industry and will underpin the sustainable management of tropical rivers and coastal environments.
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