Natural Resource Management
- Support effective management of Australia’s natural resources to ensure primary industries and both economically and environmentally sustainable
Tropical Rivers and Coastal Knowledge (TRaCK)
Launched on Tuesday 31 July, 2007, TRaCK was established as a research hub under the Commonwealth Environment Research Facilities Programme - the Australian Government’s commitment to world-class public good environmental research.
This programme is providing the science and knowledge that government, communities and industries need for the sustainable use and management of Australia’s tropical rivers and estuaries.
Access the TRaCK website here
Defeating the Weeds Menace
Defeating the Weeds Menace is a national programme established by the Australian Government in 2004. LWA manages the R&D component of this programme.
One project currently underway is Enhancing Noogoora Burr biocontrol in northern Australia. This project aims to improve biological control of the highly invasive weed Noogoora Burr in tropical northern areas of Australia, using a rust species with good prospects of activity.
Further information about this project, along with 13 others currently being undertaken, can be viewed here.
Environmental Water Allocation R&D Program:
The Environmental Water Allocation program brings together researchers, water managers and regional communities to build upon the knowledge required for managing our rivers and waterways in a healthy state.
The Water regime dependence of fish in the wet-dry tropics project is being carried out by Charles Darwin University and will investigate the seasonal variation in fish distribution and the ecological flow requirements of fish species based on a mixture of traditional knowledge from indigenous communities and field work.
A full project summary can be viewed here
Native Vegetation & Biodiversity R&D program
The Native Vegetation & Biodiversity R&D Program has been running since 1994. The project Designing agricultural landscapes in the monsoon tropics to maintain biodiversity and ecosystem services will improve understanding of relationships between vegetation pattern and quality of ecosystem services in the Daly River region. It will also inform an adaptive management framework established by government and regional landholders to direct development in the region.
A second project based in northern Australia is Defining successional patterns and biodiversity values of Top End eucalypt forests. This project will improve the management of open eucalypt forests in the Top End of northern Australia by describing their conservation values in relation to forest age and history.
Download a summary brochure of current Native Vegetation & Biodiversity R&D programs here
Sustainable Wildlife Enterprises
SWE is an initiative of the RIRDC Rangelands and Wildlife Subprogram. The initiative seeks to trial new ways of managing native species to provide profitable and sustainable income generating options for landholders.
The attached brochure outlines several projects being carried out under this programme, including Sustainable use of wildlife and tourism on pastoral properties in Northern Australia - Bullo River.
Potential partners including producers, processors, retailers, marketers, researchers and advisors and funding partners can register their interest via the the Sustainable Wildlife Enterprises webpage here
Growers working together to improve water quality in the Herbert Sugar Industry
This project started in 2005 and involves establishing grower-participatory water quality monitoring in up to five representative sugarcane sub-catchments within the Herbert.
A progress report has been presented for 2006/2007, and this can be accessed here.
Assessment of Social and Economic Values of Australia's Tropical Rivers
This project undertakes social and economic profiling and scoping study of northern Australian rivers, floodplains, wetlands and estuaries focusing on the collation and reporting of data relevant to rivers and their management. It will then serve to explain significant processes and pressure points that will impact on future management of tropical rivers.
Download the project progress summary here
Valuing and managing the ecosystem services of tropical river systems
Through consulting and collaborating with community, Indigenous, industry and government groups, this project aims to develop an understanding of tropical rivers systems, their ecosystem services and their values and to define issues and develop and evaluate options for management.
The results of this consultation will inform the development of a framework for integrating social, cultural, environmental and economic values into tropical river decision-support systems.
The Pigeon Hole Project
The Pigeon Hole Project, a joint Meat & Livestock Australia and Heytesbury Beef initiative through MLA’s Partners in Innovation program, is one of Australia’s largest and most comprehensive on-property R&D projects. The five-year $6.4 million Pigeon Hole Project was set up to develop grazing and infrastructure guidelines with the goal of improving economic performance whilst maintaining the condition of the land and minimising any impacts on biodiversity.
The work is being undertaken on two large Heytesbury Beef-owned properties, Mt Sanford and Pigeon Hole Stations, in the Victoria River District of the Northern Territory. For example, Pigeon Hole station is a 183,000 ha property running 14,500 head in the Victoria River district of the Northern Territory.
The Pigeon Hole Project is focussed on five key research areas:
Tropical Rivers and Coastal Knowledge (TRaCK)
Launched on Tuesday 31 July, 2007, TRaCK was established as a research hub under the Commonwealth Environment Research Facilities Programme - the Australian Government’s commitment to world-class public good environmental research.
This programme is providing the science and knowledge that government, communities and industries need for the sustainable use and management of Australia’s tropical rivers and estuaries.
Access the TRaCK website here
Defeating the Weeds Menace
Defeating the Weeds Menace is a national programme established by the Australian Government in 2004. LWA manages the R&D component of this programme.
One project currently underway is Enhancing Noogoora Burr biocontrol in northern Australia. This project aims to improve biological control of the highly invasive weed Noogoora Burr in tropical northern areas of Australia, using a rust species with good prospects of activity.
Further information about this project, along with 13 others currently being undertaken, can be viewed here.
Environmental Water Allocation R&D Program:
The Environmental Water Allocation program brings together researchers, water managers and regional communities to build upon the knowledge required for managing our rivers and waterways in a healthy state.
The Water regime dependence of fish in the wet-dry tropics project is being carried out by Charles Darwin University and will investigate the seasonal variation in fish distribution and the ecological flow requirements of fish species based on a mixture of traditional knowledge from indigenous communities and field work.
A full project summary can be viewed here
Native Vegetation & Biodiversity R&D program
The Native Vegetation & Biodiversity R&D Program has been running since 1994. The project Designing agricultural landscapes in the monsoon tropics to maintain biodiversity and ecosystem services will improve understanding of relationships between vegetation pattern and quality of ecosystem services in the Daly River region. It will also inform an adaptive management framework established by government and regional landholders to direct development in the region.
A second project based in northern Australia is Defining successional patterns and biodiversity values of Top End eucalypt forests. This project will improve the management of open eucalypt forests in the Top End of northern Australia by describing their conservation values in relation to forest age and history.
Download a summary brochure of current Native Vegetation & Biodiversity R&D programs here
SWE is an initiative of the RIRDC Rangelands and Wildlife Subprogram. The initiative seeks to trial new ways of managing native species to provide profitable and sustainable income generating options for landholders.
The attached brochure outlines several projects being carried out under this programme, including Sustainable use of wildlife and tourism on pastoral properties in Northern Australia - Bullo River.
Potential partners including producers, processors, retailers, marketers, researchers and advisors and funding partners can register their interest via the the Sustainable Wildlife Enterprises webpage here
Growers working together to improve water quality in the Herbert Sugar Industry
This project started in 2005 and involves establishing grower-participatory water quality monitoring in up to five representative sugarcane sub-catchments within the Herbert.
A progress report has been presented for 2006/2007, and this can be accessed here.
Assessment of Social and Economic Values of Australia's Tropical RiversThis project undertakes social and economic profiling and scoping study of northern Australian rivers, floodplains, wetlands and estuaries focusing on the collation and reporting of data relevant to rivers and their management. It will then serve to explain significant processes and pressure points that will impact on future management of tropical rivers.
Download the project progress summary here
Valuing and managing the ecosystem services of tropical river systems
Through consulting and collaborating with community, Indigenous, industry and government groups, this project aims to develop an understanding of tropical rivers systems, their ecosystem services and their values and to define issues and develop and evaluate options for management.
The results of this consultation will inform the development of a framework for integrating social, cultural, environmental and economic values into tropical river decision-support systems.
The Pigeon Hole Project
The Pigeon Hole Project, a joint Meat & Livestock Australia and Heytesbury Beef initiative through MLA’s Partners in Innovation program, is one of Australia’s largest and most comprehensive on-property R&D projects. The five-year $6.4 million Pigeon Hole Project was set up to develop grazing and infrastructure guidelines with the goal of improving economic performance whilst maintaining the condition of the land and minimising any impacts on biodiversity.
The work is being undertaken on two large Heytesbury Beef-owned properties, Mt Sanford and Pigeon Hole Stations, in the Victoria River District of the Northern Territory. For example, Pigeon Hole station is a 183,000 ha property running 14,500 head in the Victoria River district of the Northern Territory.
The Pigeon Hole Project is focussed on five key research areas:
- Optimal rates of pasture utilisation in large commercial paddocks.
- Paddock design to cost effectively reduce uneven pasture use and to increase pasture utilisation.
- Alternative grazing systems to promote more even pasture use.
- The impact of pasture utilisation rates on biodiversity.
- The impact of conservation areas on the preservation of biodiversity on commercial properties.
The Pigeon Hole Project, when finalised in early 2008, will provide a blueprint for extensive, northern Australian cattle production systems and has really broken new ground in a number of areas including cell grazing, telemetry and water medication.
Some of the preliminary findings of the project include:
- There is potential to significantly increase and in many cases double the sustainable stocking rates of some areas in this region using the intensification principles developed in the project.
- Optimum levels of development have been defined for this region that maximise the pasture utilisation levels and minimise the cost of development.
- Recommendations have been developed on the use of more intensive grazing systems, including rotational wet season spelling and cell grazing in this environment.
- The cost of production of the intensified system has been maintained at a low level through the implementation of a range of more efficient management strategies, such as telemetry, water medication and efficient infrastructure design.
- More intensive development does not appear to have a significant negative impact on biodiversity in the short to medium term, but more data is required.
- The implementation of the intensification principles developed in this project has the capacity to significantly improve the efficiency, productivity and profitability of the far northern pastoral industry.
Agencies supporting the project and undertaking research include the NT Department of Primary Industries Fisheries and Mines, the NT Department of Natural Resources, Environment and the Arts, CSIRO, The University of Queensland, Victoria River District Conservation Association and the CRC for Tropical Savannas.
More information here
