Introduction from the Science Leader

Introduction from the Science Leader

The Tropical Ecosystems Hub newsletter for April 2014 contains reports from seven quite different projects and all geographical Nodes. From the Torres Strait, a collaborative project between Hub researchers and the indigenous ranger program has shown that island mangrove habitats are generally intact and in good condition. While these surveys have doubled the number of species recorded by past scientific surveys, the rangers were able to supply local language names for the entire new flora indicating the value of the detailed knowledge held by Traditional Owners. From the Great Barrier Reef, Hub researchers are tapping into the perceptions and values of a wide range of residents and visitors to create unique baselines for future monitoring of the social and economic dimensions of system health and the resilience of coastal communities. From the Wet Tropics, the principal regional management authority is currently connecting research outcomes from multiple Hub projects with Queensland Government staff responsible for policy formulation and management of this World Heritage Area. The common element in these three examples is the connectivity between Hub researchers and research users to generate and transfer new knowledge of practical value for the protection and conservation of these major environmental assets. As the Tropical Ecosystems Hub enters its completion phase, it is satisfying from my perspective to see that all 39 projects are making similar contributions in this style. I hope that you find this small selection informative of the power of the collaborative research model.

Dr. Peter Doherty, AIMS

For more information, contact Dr. Peter Doherty at: p.doherty@aims.gov.au

 

 

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