Our region hosts major research organizations, including the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), James Cook University (JCU) and other universities, and is strongly placed to undertake the research and monitoring needed to sustainably use and manage our natural resources.
Within the region, this work focuses heavily on how land use activities impact the GBR. There are many research organisations in our region that have strong collaborative programmes for NRM and work closely with government and non-government organisations to help the community make use of this knowledge.
These institutions provide ongoing monitoring of known and predicted impacts to natural resources from development, land and water management practices and climate change. They also develop new technologies and practices to improve productivity and minimise impacts on receiving environments.
Natural resource managers and the wider community in our region need easy access and exposure to the full breadth of NRM knowledge and expertise that is relevant to their potential activities. Advanced knowledge of threats that could adversely affect the amount and quality of water resources, soil productivity and viable habitat, enables proactive management, rather than reactive which is often more costly in the long-term.
Rural land managers throughout our region have participated with on-farm research and monitoring. Continuing this alliance and providing feedback on results from research projects is valuable to developing a good local NRM knowledge base.
Land managers have commented on the need to more effectively share information and links between research outcomes, practical application and local on-ground NRM delivery. This could be achieved by engaging and maintaining land manager participation in monitoring and science in the paddock initiatives. There are also opportunities for industries to learn from each other’s experiences. Opportunities also need to be provided to undertake strategic research over larger areas, rather than at a property scale to identify the potential implications at a landscape scale.
Related information
- AIMS research programs.
- AIMS eAtlas.
- CSIRO research.
- JCU eResearch Centre.
- Qld Department of Agriculture & Fisheries eResearch Archive.
- Tropical Data Hub is a catalogue for research data produced by and/or held at James Cook University.
- TropWATER – The Centre for Tropical Water & Aquatic Ecosystem Research.