Environmental Research grants awarded and project summaries

Environmental Research approved grants (7 projects totalling $1,344,645)

Charles Sturt University

Outsmarting foxes using their own scents

European red foxes kill over 300 million native animals annually, including many threatened species. This project will decode the chemistry of fox scents to develop more effective and innovative control strategies. Working with landholders and project partners, Charles Sturt University will test artificially enhanced lures by analysing and using the chemical compounds in fox urine to create and test enhanced lures. The outcomes are expected to support the Saving our Species Strategy and key environmental policies, advancing more sustainable and targeted wildlife management.

Hunter Region Botanic Gardens Ltd

From Fruiting body to DNA: Building a verified fungal Reference Library for Sustainable Soil Management for Fungal-dependent Native Plants

Australia is home to an estimated 250,000 fungal species, yet less than 5% have been formally described, and only a handful are listed under conservation frameworks. This lack of ecological knowledge limits our ability to monitor and protect native fungi – organisms essential to soil health, plant vitality, and ecosystem function. At the Hunter Region Botanic Gardens (HRBG), over 700 fungal specimens have been collected, but none have been DNA-verified.

This project aims to bridge the divide between observable fungal biodiversity and molecular data. By sequencing the curated fungal specimens and cross-referencing them with existing soil eDNA data, we will create a reference library that enhances fungal identification, informs sustainable land management, and supports conservation of native fungi, informs sustainable land management, supports conservation of native fungi, and explores how they can be used for landscape-scale rehabilitation projects.

Macquarie University

Social and ecological impacts of Caring for Country through cultural burning in the Durumbura Dhurabang (Lane Cove River) catchment

This project will compare cultural burning led by Dharug women with current hazard reduction practices in the Durumbura Dhurabang (Lane Cove River) in northern Sydney. Researchers and stakeholders, including councils, community groups and Traditional Custodians, will monitor soil, vegetation, leaf litter, and wildlife responses at 8 sites for 2 years after burns. Cultural practices such as ceremony and relationships with Country will be assessed alongside mainstream fire management approaches. The project aims to strengthen collaboration, support Indigenous-led land management, and show the benefits of cultural burning for healthy ecosystems.

Southern Cross University

Empowering Indigenous communities to monitor and measure estuary health and cultural resources in Gumbaynggirr Sea country

The Gumbaynggirr people have a long history of connection to country (wajaarr), including the sea (gagaal), rivers (bindarray) and mangrove (baru baruga) ecosystems. This project will empower First Nations people to monitor and manage estuarine habitats and seafood resources in Gumbaynggirr country. Guided by Traditional Owners, the Gumbaynggirr Sea Rangers and Yurruungga Rangers, Southern Cross University will co-design protocols and build skills for using baited remote underwater videos, carrying out ecological surveys for mangroves, oysters and mud crabs, and gathering and analysing data on seafood contamination. These techniques will be applied to assess mangrove restoration and natural regeneration at Boambee Creek, Yellow Rock Island and Urunga cultural sites. Tree-of-life data will be collected according to the Gumbaynggirr seasonal calendar and interpreted through a cultural lens. Seafood safety and other cultural indicators will be assessed based on priority concerns identified by Traditional Owners.

Sydney Institute of Marine Science

Demonstrating the Siphon Fishway for restoring biodiversity and conserving water

Dams and weirs play an essential function for securing water for agriculture and communities; however, their role in blocking fish migration has directly contributed to the collapse of native freshwater fish populations in New South Wales. Traditional fishways facilitate the movement of fish across barriers using a series of inter-connected pools, but such fishways are expensive, water-intensive, and take up a large spatial footprint.

This project will demonstrate a relatively cheap, innovative pipe fishway, suitable for small, common barriers, like the thousands of weirs and culverts under 3 m in New South Wales which block seasonal access to the productive floodplains for native species such as gudgeons, eels and bass. This project uses an existing prototype pipe fishway to enable migration. We will test our prototype fishway at several weirs with native and introduced species, working alongside local partners and communities.

University of Canberra

Restoring a disease impacted threatened frog in the wild

The introduced fungal pathogen ‘chytrid’ is the leading cause of frog declines and extinction in New South Wales. Because the pathogen cannot be eradicated from the wild, currently the only viable management option is to remove chytrid-susceptible frogs from natural habitats and maintain disease-free captive populations.
    
This project aims to reintroduce the threatened green and golden bell frog to its last known upland habitat in New South Wales. Canberra University will test 2 new methods for enabling threatened frog species to survive the deadly chytrid fungus. The first test will create habitat conditions favourable for frogs but detrimental to the pathogen. The second test will immunise frogs against the disease before reintroducing them into the wild. Both methods have worked well in laboratory settings but need to be tested in the real-world. If successful, these interventions can be applied to help protect frog populations across New South Wales and elsewhere to restore biodiversity.

University of New England

The movement ecology of Brolga (Grus rubicunda) in NSW wetlands: the impacts of both natural fluctuations and environmental water delivery

This project will provide critical information for managing the threatened Brolga in New South Wales. Working together with First Nations people on Country with this culturally significant species, this project will provide a deeper understanding about where and how Brolgas use wetlands, information that is essential to prevent population declines. The study will value add to existing waterbird monitoring data from the Gwydir, Darling/Warrego River, Lower Balonne and Macquarie River catchments with highly detailed, individual movement data of Brolgas tagged with GPS-enabled satellite transmitters.

Through collaboration with First Nations peoples and stakeholders, this project will combine traditional surveys with acoustic monitoring to track the movements of tagged Brolgas to better understand factors that shape Brolga movement. These data will help inform strategies for environmental water deliveries in New South Wales to ensure the provision of suitable Brolga habitat, enhance connections with a culturally significant species, and build capacity among land managers across many organisations to improve Brolga population resilience.

Environmental Research approved grants (6 projects totalling $1,133,834)

Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust

Developing an evaluation protocol to assess, monitor and improve seed production areas to deliver climate-resilient restoration outcomes

Seed production areas can produce vast quantities of quality, genetically diverse seeds to support climate-resilient restoration if designed and managed correctly. Low-quality seed can have poor viability, high inbreeding, limited adaptability, and pose the risk of increasing loss of genetic diversity through swamping. Currently, there are no guidelines to monitor and evaluate the quality and representativeness of seed produced in seed production areas to meet ecological restoration targets.

Using new and available analytical methods, genomic data will be used to assess genetic health and representativeness of seed production areas of the Murray Local Land Services (MLLS) region. A network of 16 multi-species seed production areas provides a unique opportunity to develop, test and apply a new genomic evaluation protocol. Results from the multi-species genomic assessment will directly inform the management and use of the MLLS seed production areas and, more broadly, guide the development of protocols for improving the design and evaluation of seed production areas so that they produce high-quality genetically diverse seeds for native plant restoration.

Macquarie University

Living Boulders for reviving marine life on coastal defences

Sea level rise and the accompanying coastal flooding and erosion represent a growing issue for New South Wales. Coastal engineering structures, such as seawalls protect shorelines, but significant ecological impacts often accompany their use. We urgently need multifunctional, eco-friendly designs that provide coastal protection functions, whilst sustaining diverse and productive marine ecosystems.

This project will evaluate the first-ever in-water trials of Living Boulders – habitat modules that can be integrated into new or existing revetments and breakwaters to enhance their ecological value. The modules reimagine revetments and breakwaters by including artificial rockpools – an important but otherwise missing habitat. In collaboration with local and state government, Aboriginal people, local eco-tourism operators and foreshore asset managers we will establish 3 demonstration sites, and acquire the scientific evidence base to support further implementation. The project will expand the portfolio of eco-friendly shoreline designs, for implementation in New South Wales, nationally, and globally.

Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water

Securing the threatened southern greater glider (Petauroides volans) in the wild using innovative drone technology

Populations of greater gliders (Petauroides volans) have declined following the large-scale fires of 2019–20, and they face increasing threats from fires, habitat loss, and climate change. To support the recovery and management of the species, survey methods need to estimate population size and track changes in species abundance more accurately and efficiently than they currently do. This project will use innovative drone technology with thermal imaging to enhance the capacity to survey gliders and their habitat. Using drones, we will develop explicit methods for quantifying the abundance of greater gliders to build an accurate picture of glider populations. We will calibrate new approaches with traditional methods to allow for alignment with current standards and historic survey efforts. We will test our methods in different habitats to ensure applicability across New South Wales. We will develop high-quality habitat models to further our understanding of species needs, leading to better managing existing and future glider populations and habitat for arboreal species.

Australian National University

Illuminating the pollination biology of the cryptic underground orchids of New South Wales: New tools for monitoring and ensuring successful future translocation

The conservation of the mysterious underground orchids of New South Wales, Rhizanthella slateri and R. speciosa, is extremely challenging since even the flowers remain hidden in the leaf litter. Research has shown that the pollination of these orchids depends on a specialised interaction with undescribed species of scuttle flies in the phorid genus. Phorids are highly diverse yet poorly understood, and DNA barcoding is essential to map pollinator diversity, distribution and abundance. This project will:

1. Conduct a multidisciplinary analysis to reveal pollinator behaviour, number of pollinator species, plant volatile chemistry and pollination mechanism.
2. Develop reliable protocols combining passive trapping and DNA barcoding to monitor pollinators. Assess the feasibility of trapping as a novel survey method and identify potential translocation sites where pollinators are present.
3. Design and test pollinator baiting assays with synthetic blends of floral volatiles and assess the feasibility of training detection dogs to detect underground orchids more reliably.

University of Wollongong

Determining the resilience of Australia's natural alpine dams (peatlands) to climate change: sustaining water security and carbon sequestration

Determining the resilience of Australia's natural alpine dams (peatlands) to climate change: sustaining water security and carbon sequestration. Peatlands supply critical ecosystem services, including sequestering carbon and supplying runoff, and this project seeks to understand how the peatlands of the Snowy Mountains will respond to climate change. Peatlands represent a significant yet largely unquantified component of New South Wales's soil carbon store. They also contribute to its vitality and significant alpine water yield by acting as natural alpine dams, storing and releasing water, and buffering the effects of drought. Peatlands are known to be susceptible to climate change, which negatively affects their function in this context. This project will seek to quantify how the ecosystem services provided by peatlands will be affected by climate change. We will quantify their value as carbon stores and water sources and produce a framework to facilitate their management based on their ecosystem service value and the risk to this value from climate change. This project seeks to understand how the peatlands of the Snowy Mountains will respond to climate change.

Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals New South Wales

Co-design with Aboriginal communities to reduce the impact of cats and dogs on threatened species

Predation by cats and dogs are key threatening processes for multiple species, including endangered koalas and kultarr. Pet ownership in western New South Wales is more common than in urban areas, and free-roaming owned dogs and cats directly predate threatened species in and around townships. They also contribute to feral populations through overbreeding and abandonment. In addition, providing supplementary food to unowned or 'stray' cats in and around towns improves their reproductive success, resulting in high population densities and increased environmental pressure. This project aims to evaluate the impact of a co-designed companion animal management intervention in 2 local government areas on free-roaming cat, dog, and wildlife occupancy. The project will use a collaborative approach with local Aboriginal community organisations, local councils, and local veterinary practices. End users, including RSPCA NSW, the local Aboriginal communities, local veterinarians and council rangers, will lead the project and have been instrumental in its design.

Environmental research approved grants (11 projects totalling $1,992,942)

Bundjalung Tribal Society

Integrating indigenous ecological knowledge (IEK) into small-scale farming operations at Namabunda

Youngman Creek and its associated terrestrial riparian ecology is identified as regionally significant habitat, containing lowland subtropical rainforest that is listed as an endangered ecological community. Bundjalung Tribal Society will fully rehabilitate approximately 6 hectares area of waterway and riparian zones and reinstate it as a Big-Scrub waterway corridor to significantly add to the Alstonville Reserves of lowland subtropical rainforest. This project aims to extend the learnings from riparian rehabilitation work and integrate Bundjalung ecological knowledge and language (IEK) into the commercial diversified farming system which includes a range of native trees and bush foods. Integrated IEK will also inform interpretive design for didactic and wayfinding purposes featuring Bundjalung cultural expressions. Research is required to understand how rehabilitation of the riparian corridor can improve productivity and sustainability of the farming operations. The project uses the emerging theoretical framework of Ecological Restorative Justice to integrate Bundjalung IEK into the farming operation.

Department of Regional NSW

GPS-tracking the endangered Hastings River mouse to assess fine-scale habitat use

The Hastings River mouse is listed as endangered federally and in New South Wales. The recent black summer wildfires burnt a large portion of their range, reducing log shelters and likely increasing predation. Major concerns have been raised about their recovery. However, promoting recovery is hampered by limited knowledge of the species' habitat, given that monitoring and research on the species experiences low capture success. That makes identifying preferred habitat and responses to management actions such as ecological burns difficult to interpret. This project will use GPS collars for the first time to collect detailed data on habitat use in relation to the availability of habitat mosaics as well as fire and habitat augmentation via coarse woody debris.

Impacts of future climate on the threatened seagrass Posidonia australis

As the climate changes, there will be more frequent intense rainfall events on the east coast, resulting in repeated low salinity events and increased turbidity in estuaries. Seagrasses can tolerate short pulses of reduced salinity and light, but little is known about their ability to withstand repeated stressful events. In this project, laboratory experiments will be used to understand the combined impacts of low salinity and light on the threatened seagrass Posidonia australis and the species' ability to recover. Genetic studies will identify whether certain populations are naturally more tolerant of these stressful conditions, meaning they could be used as sources of Posidonia for restoration programs to help future-proof this threatened seagrass.

Macquarie University

Using mosquito DNA (iDNA) for detecting the occurrence of native mammals in semi-arid refuges

Fifty-nine per cent of New South Wales's terrestrial mammals are listed as threatened or endangered, and arid and semi-arid mammals are particularly vulnerable due to climate extremes. Reliable data is critical for understanding how distributions are influenced by key environmental attributes, such as water and habitat availability, to better inform conservation actions. Traditionally, information about mammal populations is obtained by expensive, labour intensive and often invasive measures such as traps and cameras. These methods frequently fail to detect the presence of very rare, small and elusive mammals. This project proposes a new way of gathering information using DNA traces in the environment (eDNA) from mosquitoes. DNA can be collected and analysed to determine the species preyed upon by mosquitoes through a process called iDNA (insect DNA). Samples will also be taken from the soil near where traditional traps are placed, where the presence of mammals will be determined by trace amounts of DNA from hair, skin or faecal material. Sampling for both approaches is time efficient, completely non-invasive for mammals, and can be performed in a range of environments.

In addition to providing important data on NSW's threatened and endangered mammals, this method has applications for determining the presence of invasive and feral species and determining the success of predator/grazing-free areas and reintroduction programs. This project will provide conservationists with the next generation of cost-effective, reliable ecological data that will assist in decision-making processes, and will ensure that New South Wales is a leader in the development of the most innovative approaches for monitoring.

University of Newcastle

BIOMON Stage 1: A pilot biosensor that uses machine learning to identify wildlife acoustically

Suitable management actions cannot be deployed without quality information about the distribution and abundance of wildlife. Machine learning systems offer revolutionary approaches to assist practitioners in meeting the urgent need to increase data gathered from monitoring. This project will build a network of biosensors that can capture different types of data (sounds, smoke, pollen), identify them using onboard machine learning and send them to a central repository for analysis and free access to the world. A prototype biosensor will be constructed to capture sound, and onboard machine-learning algorithms that identify wildlife vocalisations will be developed and piloted. This innovative approach will result in real-time biodiversity monitoring, while saving vast amounts of labour and time.

University of New South Wales

Continuous acoustic and habitat monitoring for the critically endangered plains-wanderer

This project will improve understanding of habitat requirements for the critically endangered plains-wanderer and the strategies required to manage their habitat across a large area of southern New South Wales. A network of acoustic recorders continuously monitor occupancy of sites by plains-wanderers, while simultaneously monitoring the structure (height, cover) and phenology (greenness, flowering, seeding) of their grassland habitat using high resolution time-lapse photography. By linking continuously recorded data on both occupancy of plains-wanderers and habitat condition, this project will provide information that managers need to understand the factors driving occupancy of grassland habitats by plains-wanderers. The data collected will also be used to compare, evaluate and calibrate the automated monitoring methods developed in this project with the methods (spotlighting counts of birds and quadrat-based habitat assessments) that have been used for last 20 years to monitor plains-wanderer populations in NSW. By directly comparing different approaches to monitoring plains-wanderers and their habitat, this project will provide managers with the information that they require to evaluate and refine monitoring programs for plains-wanderers.

University of Sydney

Manipulating plant odour to protect threatened plants from mammalian herbivores

Mammalian herbivore browsing threatens the capacity to protect and recover endangered plants, limiting the success of revegetation projects to address biodiversity loss, land degradation and climate change. Wallabies, deer, and goats threaten over 80 threatened plant species in New South Wales alone. New solutions are needed as current techniques (fencing, lethal control) can be ineffective. Herbivores find food using smell and choose what to eat using volatile chemicals emitted by plants. Valuable plant species can be protected by changing the information herbivores receive from plant odours. This project will protect 3 endangered plant species by manipulating plant volatiles artificially, developing innovative techniques with global applications for plant conservation. The knowledge gap that this project will fill is whether odour misinformation will provide an effective means to reduce browsing to plants, converting the fundamental concepts and methods already in place into a novel method to protect threatened plant species from browsing herbivores to enhance their growth and survival.

Wildlife Assist – providing an evidence base for post-fire wildlife provisioning

The black summer bushfires motivated many communities to provide food, water, and shelter to improve animal welfare and safeguard populations. However, the scientific evidence-base to inform these actions is lacking, and the negative consequences of intervention may outweigh the benefits. This project will conduct controlled experiments at hazard reduction burn sites to examine the extent to which wildlife provisioning alters species diversity and abundance. Monitoring and comparing the behaviour of animals at provisioning and control sites will allow the project team to determine the extent to which target versus non-target (including invasive) species utilise resources, and whether the provision of resources changes species abundance and behaviour. These outcomes, together with non-invasive assessment of the parasite load and physiological stress levels, will allow us to evaluate the potential welfare outcomes for animals. The multidisciplinary research team includes experts in wildlife nutrition, wildlife ecology, veterinarians and animal welfare. Best practice guidelines for wildlife provisioning will be developed, along with a custom designed app (Wildlife Assist), that will enhance the capacity of volunteers to contribute to the research, and access information in the field.

University of Technology Sydney

Determining plant resilience to temperature stress in NSW alpine threatened ecological communities

Increased temperature extremes, early snowmelt and warmer summer nights pose a real threat to alpine vegetation communities, which are evolved for distinct environmental conditions. Australia's alpine region covers <0.02% of this continent yet contains many threatened ecological communities in New South Wales, 3 are critically endangered. Effective conservation of these fragile systems requires knowledge of how alpine plants cope with and recover from temperature stress. This project combines field experiments with genomic analyses to determine the extent of, and drivers for, adaptive capacity of ecologically important plant species in alpine threatened ecological communities and associated communities under increasing climatic extremes. Project outcomes will inform adaptive management approaches of these fragile communities, including identifying vulnerable species or populations for early warning monitoring, determining the presence of refugia of genetic diversity for seed-banking, and identifying potentially resilient variants of ecologically important species suitable for restoration of threatened alpine communities.

University of Wollongong

Sea-level rise and human interventions influence on NSW’s blue carbon future

Coastal wetlands accumulate atmospheric carbon dioxide within their biomass and substrates, and periodic tidal inundation slows organic matter decomposition, minimising the release of carbon dioxide and methane. Coastal wetlands are amongst the most efficient ecosystems globally at storing carbon, and their potential for mitigating climate change is being recognised in market-based solutions that support carbon offsetting. However, there are critical knowledge gaps in the behaviour of powerful greenhouse gases methane and nitrous oxide emissions under sea-level rise. This project aims to assess and quantify the risks and opportunities for blue carbon ecosystems and their greenhouse gas fluxes under sea-level rise. This project will:

1. measure wetland greenhouse gas fluxes (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide) in a range of conditions
2. quantify changes in the quantity and type of greenhouse gas emissions from pristine and degraded wetlands under varying inundation scenarios via controlled experiments in laboratory settings
3. develop models of wetland distribution and greenhouse gas fluxes under future sea-level rise and adaptation scenarios.

The data and knowledge gained will improve understanding and valuation of the carbon sequestration services and natural capital values of the NSW coastal wetland estate and will provide the information base for developing new pathways and activities for carbon crediting initiatives.

Future proofing the critically endangered Fitzroy Falls Spiny Crayfish

This project focuses on one of the most at-risk organisms in New South Wales – the Fitzroy Falls Spiny crayfish (Euastacus dharawalus). There is urgent need to develop solutions to the threats it is facing, as this species is considered the first member of this genus at risk of extinction. The project team will use an evidence-based approach and adopt innovative technologies to provide a rigorous assessment of risks to this species and best solutions. By working closely with collaborators and disseminating the findings to end users, new methods will be developed to protect this species and the surrounding ecosystem on which it relies from ongoing threats.

Environmental Research approved grants (2 projects totalling $192,134)

University of Technology Sydney

Post-bushfire ecological assessments of threatened flora in NSW

The 2019–20 bushfires burnt an area of 5.3 million hectares across New South Wales, including critical habitat of threatened flora. There is a pressing need for on-the-ground information about the post-fire distribution, abundance and ecological condition of NSW threatened plant species. This project will perform structured botanical surveys across the Central Tablelands and South Coast Botanical Subdivisions to survey 59 threatened plant species and comparatively assess the current status of these species to inform Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water recovery strategies and actions.

Wingecarribee Shire Council

Wingecarribee rare flora species surveys

This project will survey and develop a monitoring program for 10 priority plant species across multiple land tenures in burnt and unburnt landscapes within the Wingecarribee local government area. This survey effort will potentially create new or updated BioNet Atlas records, and herbarium collections and the establishment of baseline data will feed directly into new or existing biodiversity or Saving Our Species research projects. This work will benefit data deficient species and potentially fill this gap, leading to potential new threatened species listings under state or federal law.

Environmental Research approved grants (6 projects totalling $1,197,911)

Australian National University

Climate and dieback resilience of tableland and mountain eucalypt species of southeast Australia

Extractive land use and climate change are threatening the persistence of Australia's woodland and forest ecosystems. In the Monaro tablelands and mountains of south east NSW, several keystone eucalypt species are exhibiting severe dieback due to drought, climate change and pests. By applying cutting edge genomics, we will identify tableland eucalyptus species and genotypes that cope with increasingly extreme conditions. Outcomes of this research include scientific and practical solutions to restore dieback-affected landscapes in one of Australia's most biodiverse regions.

Environmental drivers, landscape determinants and control of snow gum dieback

Dieback of snow gum forests is diminishing the ecological, hydrological and cultural values of the Australian Alps. Using a multi-disciplinary approach including dendrochronology, remote sensing, soil science and entomology we will deliver sophisticated insights to the causes and patterns of snow gum dieback in the Australian Alps and address uncertainties surrounding its current extent and likely future spread. Knowledge gained through the project will offer pathways to plan for and respond to dieback by identifying opportunities to slow its spread, and assist efforts aimed at protecting and restoring affected stands to protect an irreplaceable part of Australia's natural heritage.

CSIRO Land and Water

Untangling the role of mycorrhizal mutualisms in eucalypt dieback to enhance revegetation outcomes

Mutualistic associations between plants and soil microbes, such as mycorrhizae, are vital to native forest ecosystem health. Degradation of mycorrhizal networks has been linked to forest dieback in several ecosystems worldwide but is poorly understood for eucalypt dieback in New South Wales. Our research will reveal if eucalypt dieback on the Monaro is associated with depletion of mutualistic mycorrhizal networks, using next-generation DNA sequencing from soil collected across a gradient of eucalypt decline. In partnership with restoration practitioners, we will develop inoculation methods to reconnect nursery-grown seedlings with 'missing' mycorrhizal mutualists to enhance their survival and growth when transplanted into dieback-affected landscapes.

Macquarie University

Characterising the (a)biotic soil factors associated with bell miner associated dieback in eastern NSW

The over-abundance of psyllids that causes bell miner associated dieback (BMAD) poses the most significant dieback threat to eucalypt forests along the eastern seaboard of New South Wales. Despite this, our understanding of the role (a)biotic soil factors play in this phenomenon remains rudimentary. This project will investigate the interaction between soil microbial community health and abiotic soil factors on eucalypt health and resilience to psyllid attack. The knowledge gained as part of this project will provide essential input into developing better management strategies to reduce the impacts of BMAD on NSW eucalypt forests.

University of New England

Causes projections and reversal of eucalypt decline and dieback on the New England Tablelands

New England dieback and recent extreme drought have resulted in the loss of millions of paddock trees across the pastoral landscapes of the New England Tablelands and, consequently, loss of amenity, ecosystem services and biodiversity. Remote sensing and spatial and multi-inference modelling will:

1. establish the proximate and ultimate causes of New England dieback
2. develop a risk index to predict the severity and extent of dieback under future climate and land use projections
3. confirm best-bet solutions to reverse dieback, increase the resilience and connectivity of endangered communities and threatened species, safeguard ecosystem services and sustain pastoral productivity.

Western Sydney University

Determining the physiological underpinnings of eucalypt dieback in New South Wales

Eucalypt dieback is a major environmental issue facing New South Wales. Although multiple causal factors are associated with dieback, drought stress affects the largest area and has the potential to kill millions of trees over short time scales. Extreme drought events are also projected to become more frequent in future. We will determine critical physiological thresholds for dieback associated with water stress and heat stress through a combination of laboratory experiments, ground-based observations, and remote sensing. Knowledge of physiological thresholds will allow us to better quantify future risks faced by eucalypt forests and woodlands, providing objective, data-driven land management and policy decisions.

Environmental Research approved grants (6 projects totalling $1,065,033)

Australian National University

Measuring connectivity and ecohydrology across the Darling River system – $150,000

The Darling River system is under pressure from extractions and climate change. Management interventions such as environmental flow releases require a strong understanding of the connectivity and ecohydrology of floodplains and wetlands. This project will analyse several decades of spatially detailed (<25m) satellite and airborne observations to develop locally-relevant and highly detailed insight into wetland connectivity, water requirements, return flows and water use. This will achieve environmental benefits by better anticipating imminent and long-term threats to ecosystem condition, help decide on management activities and assess the likelihood of water license breaches with lesser uncertainty, and improve the representation of floodplain ecohydrology in the river models that underpin water sharing.

Big Scrub Landcare

Improving genetic diversity to secure rainforest restoration outcomes – $200,000

Big Scrub Landcare, the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney, Firewheel Nursery and community partners are applying science to save critically endangered lowland subtropical rainforest by developing genetically diverse seed plantations: essentially living seed banks that produce seed with optimal genetic diversity for use in the restoration of critically endangered lowland subtropical rainforest. The project applies the latest DNA sequencing and genome science to identify locations and individuals of key structural tree species that have the optimal genetic diversity to facilitate ecological community adaptation to climate change, and resist shifts in levels of insect predation and plant diseases. Cuttings from individuals in specific locations will provide the planting stock for a plantation that will produce seed for commercial and community nurseries that produce the planting stock for large-scale rainforest restoration in the Big Scrub region and elsewhere.

Charles Sturt University

Society and science: a new approach to wildlife disease surveillance – $200,000

Wildlife diseases are of significance to conservation, agriculture and human health. Effective surveillance for wildlife disease is recognised as instrumental to its management and mitigation. Australia's wildlife health system underpins our biosecurity and trade but is resource-intensive, has considerable gaps in taxonomic and spatiotemporal coverage, and is of limited utility to many stakeholders including conservation entities and the public. We are undertaking a completely novel approach to developing a model wildlife health surveillance system in the Riverina, NSW. We will initially create knowledge about the perceptions and values of wildlife health biosecurity, the needs and potential uses of wildlife health surveillance, and the capacity to contribute to wildlife health surveillance in an unprecedented diversity of stakeholders (including community groups). This knowledge will be used to design, build and test an innovative new wildlife health surveillance system.

Macquarie University

Predicting the impacts of groundwater abstraction on groundwater ecosystems – $198,162

The lowering of groundwater tables due to overuse of groundwater and aquifer interference from extractive industries is widespread in NSW, yet the effects of groundwater extraction on the ecosystems that exist within aquifers are poorly known. This project will build and test a new, predictive model of how lowering water tables affects the microbes, invertebrates (stygofauna) and ecological processes in groundwater ecosystems, and demonstrate the consequences of losing microbes and stygofauna to the delivery of clean, usable groundwater. This project aims to provide an evidence-based, globally adaptable tool that quantifies the risks associated with lowering of water tables, which will provide quantitative evidence of environmental water requirements, reduce impacts of water-intensive industries and lead to long-term sustainable management of groundwaters in New South Wales.

Mothers Ancestral Guardians Indigenous Corporation

Cultural burning and new soil health knowledge for improved fire management – $149,875

Cultural burning has contributed immensely to sustaining the Australian environment over millennia, yet we have stopped applying these practices in NSW. Little data exists on the use of cultural fire for bushfire management and our objective is to fill that knowledge gap. Addressing bushfire management benefits starts with creating opportunities to help people reconnect with better environmental practices. This project looks at generating new information about the benefits of applying cool burns for soil health and how to integrate cultural and scientific knowledge for sustainable fire management in the Willandra region. It will do this by measuring changes in soil health properties under different cultural burning regimes. The new knowledge will be shared with all partners to use.

University of New South Wales

Optimising biodiversity sampling by citizen scientists – $166,996

Citizen science – and the associated 'big data' – is shaping the future of conservation. Inevitably, natural resource and landscape management will rely, in part, on citizen science data to make informed, adaptive, on-ground management decisions. But professional scientists are still uneasy about using citizen science data as a primary research tool, highlighting the necessity for research which quantifies the legitimacy of citizen science. This reluctance from scientists is due to several biases – spatial and temporal – which exist within the data. We propose a framework in which citizen scientists can increase the value of their citizen science contributions. This project will:

1. quantify the interest-level and extent to which citizen scientists are willing to sample more meaningfully in time and space
2. implement algorithms which assign relative value to citizen science contributions in real time with the goal of optimising citizen scientists' sampling.

Environmental Research approved grants (10 projects totalling $1,352,125)

Deakin University

Advancing fauna conservation in post-fire environments – $148,900

Ground-dwelling fauna are experiencing a contemporary extinction crisis in Australia. Key threats include bushfires and predation by introduced foxes and cats. Further, there is emerging evidence that these 2 threats interact, with vulnerable fauna experiencing increased predator impacts in recently burnt areas. Predator control is difficult and outcomes are unreliable; new methods are needed to protect native fauna from predators in fire-prone landscapes. This project will experimentally test how ground-dwelling mammals respond behaviourally and numerically to both natural and artificial refuges in post-fire environments.

NSW Department of Primary Industries

Estimating population size and density with a sensor network: koala case study – $52,577

It is notoriously difficult to estimate animal density, yet it is fundamental for understanding their ecology and improving management. This is particularly so for cryptic or threatened species that may occur in low numbers or are difficult to detect. Recent advances in technology, especially acoustic sensors, make the detection of animal populations cost-effective when coupled with software that can recognise species-specific calls. We propose to extend use of acoustic sensors using arrays to estimate koala density in different landscapes, given the expense and imprecision of traditional surveys. Our project will not only be a proof of concept for the method, but will also provide valuable estimates of koala densities in very different regions of New South Wales. If successful, such methodology increases the feasibility of using new technology to undertake frequent and detailed monitoring of species in different landscapes.

La Trobe University

Does mammal reintroduction reconstruct arid zone food webs? – $149,951

Millions of dollars are spent annually building predator-proof reserves and conducting reintroductions for Australia's threatened mammals. However, we have little understanding of the impact of these reintroductions on ecosystems, particularly for the 'other 99%' of species (invertebrates and fungi). Understanding how species interact in food webs is critical for managing reintroduction. New reintroductions in New South Wales offer an opportunity to test how food webs change. Advances in genetic techniques allow the comprehensive investigation of trophic relationships, which will help us to better understand carrying capacities for reintroduced mammals, and the immense changes in Australian ecosystems following the demise of native mammals.

Macquarie University

Building with nature: using potato waste to restore NSW oyster reefs – $148,542

Oysters once formed extensive reefs across coastal New South Wales but less than 10% remain. Restoration projects aimed at increasing substrate for reef growth typically deploy oyster shell in plastic mesh bags. We will test the applicability of 3D mesh constructed from potato waste for rehabilitating lost NSW oyster reefs, and their important ecosystem services, across a range of seascape settings. The mesh biodegrades slowly so has the potential to leave behind oyster reefs with no remnant debris. If successful, the technology will not only boost oysters and their associated ecosystem services but also mitigate considerable amounts of plastic waste entering the environment.

Macquarie University

Evaluating and reducing the risk of floodplain wetland disconnection – $133,706

River channel over-enlargement due to erosion threatens to disconnect floodplain wetlands from vital overbank flows. Wetland disconnection diminishes the efficacy of environmental water entitlements and management actions aimed at supporting aquatic ecosystem functions and values. This project uses a novel geomorphological approach to channel analysis and stream-power modelling to determine channel-to-wetland connectivity, hotspots of erosion, and the trajectory of channel change affecting flow and inundation in the Macquarie Marshes and Gwydir Wetlands. Our validated, end-user focused assessment protocol aims to evaluate and reduce the risk of channel erosion and wetland disconnection as part of water and conservation decision-making across New South Wales.

Macquarie University

Evaluating resilience of swamp communities to environmental change in the Sydney Basin – $149,993

Impacts on swamps can disrupt vital ecosystem services, including nutrient and hydrological cycles. However, there is a paucity of fundamental information on how these systems respond to anthropogenic disturbance. We use a genetic and ecological approach with a geomorphic template across Sydney Basin swamps to assess:

1. macroinvertebrate biodiversity and its relevance for ecosystem functioning
2. the adaptive capacity of functionally dominant species
3. community sensitivity to species loss.

This will provide end-users with a range of tools that quantify the health of swamp ecosystems and their sensitivities to a range of environmental stressors across multiple spatial scales.

Office of Environment and Heritage

Ecological and conservation significance of Warrumbungle springs – $149,594

Warrumbungle Mountain Range and surrounding areas contain springs that are suspected to play an integral role in supporting local and regional biodiversity, particularly during periods of drought. There is a lack of information on the location of these waterbodies and their biodiversity and conservation significance. The value of these sites is likely to become increasingly important in the future amid Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) forecasts. This project will map and assess the biodiversity and conservation value of these waterbodies via a combination of survey techniques targeting a range of aquatic and terrestrial fauna, while providing standardised monitoring and training to landholders.

University of Newcastle

The opportunistic physiology of harmful algal blooms in Port Stephens – $149,980

Toxic cyanobacterial blooms are a constant threat to freshwater. Over the last couple of decades, we have come to understand how cyanobacteria produce deadly toxins However, we are still no closer to understanding why these microbial populations proliferate in our wetland ecosystems. This project will apply modern 'omic' technologies to determine the interplay of all microbial populations present in cyanobacterial blooms to better understand the flux of nutrients and genetic information during these transient but destructive events. Community interactions of microalgae form the basis for their proliferation and will provide a means for their control.

University of New England

Managing environmental flows for biodiversity at landscape scales – $120,267

A central goal of environmental flows is to protect or enhance aquatic biodiversity across multiple spatial scales. Currently, we have a poor understanding of how environmental flows influence spatial variation in biodiversity (beta diversity). Fish are valuable indicators of biodiversity responses to flow regime change, yet assessments of environmental flow outcomes currently focus on species-specific population responses (for example, recruitment). We will use 3 datasets to test how flow regimes influence fish beta diversity in New South Wales. These answers will contribute to increasing adoption of broad-scale ecological processes in the planning and evaluation of environmental flows to enhance landscape-scale biodiversity.

University of Technology Sydney

Boosting NSW's peri-urban biodiversity credit supply to offset losses from urban development – $148,615

In Western Sydney, current landholder interest in investing in biodiversity credit supply appears to be low. Low uptake of conservation programs is often linked to a lack of consideration of landholders' characteristics. Our project aims at understanding landholders' barriers, constraints and opportunities in the face of urban development. Using Office of Environment and Heritage's existing landholder typologies, the project will study landholders' values, attitudes, knowledge, social capital, and property characteristics. Findings from ethnographic fieldwork will be evaluated using institutional analysis, informing multi-pronged approaches for increasing landholder interest in investing in credits. Research outputs will equip our 3 end-users with a set of actionable end-user recommendations.