UQ leads new era of ecosystem management

The University of Queensland will lead a national collaboration at the forefront of linking science to ecosystem management thanks to the establishment of a new research network.

The Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) will see ecosystem science and government agencies working together in a nationally coordinated way for the first time.

The Queensland Government has added $4 million in funding for TERN this month (August, 2009), in addition to the $55 million secured in Australian Government funds earlier in the year.

UQ, along with partners including the Queensland University of Technology, Griffith University, the CSIRO, the Queensland Department of Environment & Resource Management, and the University of Adelaide, will direct TERN which is aimed at ushering in a new era of managing Australia’s precious ecosystems.

Professor Stuart Phinn, interim TERN director, said the $55 million gave all levels of ecosystem science and management the ability to work together in a more efficient and productive way.

“TERN will have the capacity to develop a collaborative and long term network of new and existing ecosystem monitoring programs that will be directly linked to meeting the needs of our natural resource management agencies at state and national levels,” Professor Phinn said.

“Through this we can develop and implement the necessary infrastructure to facilitate long term data collection to accurately assess changes in ecosystem structure and function in response to climate and land use change.

“A large part of this work will use satellite earth observation data, which has also been given critical new operational funding through the $48 million allocated to the Australian Space Research Program and Space Policy unit in last week’s budget.”

The agreement provides for a $20 million grant under the Australian Government’s National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy, which aims to build strong collaborative and strategic links across research areas in Australia, while the $35 million was funded from the new Super Science Initiative.

UQ Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Greenfield said TERN would be an excellent example of research informing crucial government policy decisions.

“UQ applauds the $55 million commitment from the Australian Government,” Professor Greenfield said.

“The funds will enable a consortium of talented ecosystem scientists from all states and territories to inform the people who are expected to sustainably manage and protect Australia’s natural resources.”

Other partners involved in the national Network are the University of Adelaide, James Cook University, the Bureau of Meteorology, Charles Darwin University, the Commonwealth Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Curtin University of Technology, Geoscience Australia, La Trobe University, Monash University, Queensland Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, South Australian Department of Environment and Heritage, Rangelands Collaborative Agencies, The University of Sydney, The University of Tasmania and the University of Technology, Sydney.

Media: Professor Stuart Phinn (0417 629 765 or 07 3365 6526) or Andrew Dunne at UQ Communications (07 3365 2802 or 0433 364 181).