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National Environmental Science Program
December 2020 update
In this month’s special edition of NESP News we announce our 4 new research hubs. These new partnerships will build on the successes of the current program and respond to emerging research priorities. Through these hubs the Australian Government is investing a further $149 million into the National Environmental Science Program over the next 7 years. This research will support decision-makers from across Australia, including Indigenous communities, policy-makers, natural resource managers and industry bodies.
New Hubs
Climate Systems
An approaching rainstorm over a canola crop near Cunningar in New South Wales. Photo credit: Arthur Mostead
Partnering for climate research
The Climate Systems Hub will be hosted by CSIRO and will continue to advance understanding of Australia’s climate and its extremes and inform climate adaptation solutions for Australia.
The Climate Systems Hub will:
- maintain our world-class capability in multidisciplinary Earth-systems science and modelling
- increase understanding of Australia’s climate variability, extremes and associated drivers, including the fundamental drivers of bushfires, drought and rainfall in the Australian region
- develop applied decision-making tools and information to inform policy and programs to prepare Australia to manage emerging climate risks and opportunities.
The hub will also drive coordinated research across all 4 hubs under NESP’s cross-cutting climate-adaptation mission to support evidence-based decision-making and improve Australia’s climate resilience.
The hub will be led by Dr Simon Marsland, a renowned global ocean and climate modeller. Dr Marsland leads international ocean-modelling collaborations, including defining state-of-science for climate and earth systems applications. He also lead’s CSIRO’s Australian Community Climate and Earth System Simulator (ACCESS).
Marine and Coastal
Great Barrier Reef. Photo credit: Chad Taylor, Unsplash
Supporting management of Australia’s marine and coastal areas
The Marine and Coastal Hub will be jointly hosted by the University of Tasmania and the Reef and Rainforest Research Centre. This hub will conduct research to inform management of Australia’s marine and coastal environments.
The Marine and Coastal Hub will deliver:
- applied research to support management of Australia’s marine and coastal environments including estuaries, coasts, reefs, shelf and deep-water
- targeted biodiversity and taxonomy products to support efficient system monitoring
- environmental monitoring systems and decision-support tools.
The hub will also drive coordinated research across all 4 hubs under NESP’s cross-cutting protected-place mission to support management of Australia’s protected places and heritage. This includes the national park estate and Ramsar sites in both marine and terrestrial environments.
The hub will be jointly led by Associate Professor Alan Jordan from the University of Tasmania and Professor Damien Burrows from James Cook University.
Associate Professor Jordan currently leads the NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub and has 30 years’ experience in managing marine research and monitoring programs. Professor Burrows is an internationally recognised wetland and coastal marine ecologist who is currently leading the NESP Tropical Water Quality Hub and is founding director of TropWATER, one of the largest coastal and marine research centres in the country.
Resilient Landscapes
Kings Canyon, Northern Territory. Photo credit: Philippe Wuyts, Unsplash
Driving research to protect threatened and migratory species and ecological communities
The Resilient Landscapes Hub will be hosted by the University of Western Australia and will undertake research to inform management of Australia’s terrestrial and freshwater habitats to promote resilience, sustainability and productive practices.
The Resilient Landscapes Hub will deliver:
- applied research to support management of Australia’s terrestrial and freshwater habitats, including a focus on bushfire recovery, feral animal and invasive species impacts, and accessible science to assist land managers develop and maintain resilient, sustainable and productive landscapes
- targeted biodiversity and taxonomy products to support efficient system monitoring
- environmental monitoring systems and decision-support tools.
The hub will also drive coordinated research across all 4 hubs under NESP’s cross-cutting mission to protect threatened and migratory species and ecological communities. Research under this mission will support policy development, program management and regulatory processes to protect Australia’s environmental assets in terrestrial, Ramsar and marine environments.
The hub will be led by Professor Michael Douglas who is the current leader of the NESP Northern Australia Environmental Resources Hub, with experience as Hub Leader under predecessor programs. He brings a wealth of experience in leading multidisciplinary teams leading research with government, Indigenous and other stakeholders to meet policy and management needs with applied outcomes.
Sustainable Communities and Waste
Urban cafe. Photo credit: Kate Darmody, Unsplash
Co-designing research to support liveable communities
The Sustainable Communities and Waste Hub will be hosted by the University of New South Wales (UNSW). This hub will conduct research to help reduce the impact of plastic, support sustainable people-environment interactions and offer management options for hazardous substances and pollutants.
The Sustainable Communities and Waste Hub will deliver research that supports:
- targeted information and management tools to reduce the impact of plastic and other materials on the environment
- applied scenario modelling to support sustainable people-environment interactions in communities, including urban heat island impacts and liveability analysis
- effective and efficient management options for hazardous waste, substances and pollutants throughout their lifecycles to minimise environmental and human-health impacts
- maintained and improved air quality.
The hub will also drive coordinated research across all 4 hubs under NESP’s cross-cutting waste-impact mission to inform policy development, program management and regulatory processes in both marine and terrestrial environments.
The hub will be led by Australian Research Council Laureate Professor Veena Sahajwalla, a materials scientist, engineer, inventor and a founder and director of UNSW’s Centre for Sustainable Materials Research and Technology.