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Improved feral cattle and buffalo herd management for environmental and economic benefits in remote Northern Australia (Old ID 26983)
The project aims to develop improved feral cattle and buffalo herd management for environmental, biosecurity and economic development in remote Northern Australia. It includes the following core components: 1) Development of a smart ear tag using GPS and Kineis satellite telemetry (France) - JCU lead agency 2) Testing and development of the ear tag at Fletcherview Research Station (approx. 100 animals) - JCU lead agency 3) Development of management tools for geolocation data - CSIRO lead agency 4) Deployment of tags on 1000 feral Buffalo and Cattle in the NT - CSIRO/NAILSMA 5) Development of on-ground capacity for herd management within indigenous community organisations - JCU/NAILSMA
Waters of Jericho: Characterizing the Cu isotope compostition of water overlying IOCG-style deposaits in the Mt Isa block (Jericho and Eloise deposits). (Old ID 27017)
This project is a pilot study that aims to characterize the Cu isotope compositions of borehole waters in 10 km radius around the Jericho and Eloise IOCG type ore deposits. Cu isotopes can act as an ore vectoiring. However, few studies have focused exclusively on natural water samples as a ameans to vector under cover. Novel, efficient techniques are needed as the demand for Cu increases with population and our transition to green energies. A second aim of the project is to stream line the purification of Cu (needed for analysis) to make this more time and cost efficient, and thus more accessible to industry partners.
RRAP CAD-01: Coral propagation and deployment (Old ID 27237)
Deployment device shape and material can considerably affect the growth rates and survival of recruits, but the optimal physical properties of deployment devices to maximise the survival and growth of a diversity of corals are not yet clear. For example, crevice size is an important physical factor that influences the survivorship of coral recruits and juveniles. Spatial structure of settlement surfaces can provide refugia from algae and release from grazing. The first part of the project consists of selecting potential device materials, porosities and textures that will be assessed for fouling and recruit survival. These will be first tested in the SeaSim and the most promising candidates in the field in across a range of environments and environmental gradients. The second part of the project consists of optimization and scaling up of the fabrication technology to produce millions of devices.
Quantifying the value of Blue Carbon: Case Study Torres Strait (Old ID 27295)
Torres Strait seagrass mapping synthesis and blue carbon presentation.
Mission Research – Threatened and migratory species and threatened ecological communities (Old ID 27434)
This project will provide the research foundation for the ‘Threatened and Migratory Species and Threatened Ecological Communities’ functional Mission to support policy development, program management and regulatory processes to protect Australia’s environmental assets in terrestrial, Ramsar and marine environments. It will also facilitate the Resilient Landscapes (RL)Hub’s contribution to the three other Missions. It will identify prospective research projects through scoping, reviews and workshops and will support the co-design process with research users and researchers. Outputs include a review and priority co-designed project proposals for submission in subsequent research plans of all four Hubs and an overall research plan for this Mission.
Coastal wetland restoration options investigation. (Old ID 27446)
Coastal restoration aims to improve and protect sensitive and important wetland areas. While restoration projects are underway most are small scale, and to achieve targets that will help government deliver on the Reef 2050 plan objectives we need to initiate large scale project sites. This project site is set to become the largest restoration site in north Queensland, and our team will be responsible for the collection of background science to support this project site. The data generated will be used to support the development of an options report outlining the full potential of restoration outcomes.
A new Journey to the Earth's Inner Core: a Planet Within a Planet (Old ID 27499)
This project aims to address critical unsolved problems in global geophysics by probing the structure and dynamics of the inner core, the Earth’s time capsule. It will elucidate the inner core’s nature with improved tomographic images, critically testing our current understanding of how the inner core is assembled and grows, its thermodynamic state, crystallographic structure, and connection with the Earth’s upper layers and geomagnetic field. Answering these questions has far-reaching consequences for current knowledge of fundamental geophysics. Expected benefits include training students and researchers in geophysics and data processing, contributing to a skilled STEM workforce and creating leadership for Australia.
Examining the clinical utility of MRI for Multiple Sclerosis (Old ID 30051)
The aims of this project are to examine whether these quantitative MRI measures derived from clinical scans can assist with 1) characterising the disease severity, and 2) predicting the prognosis of patients with Multiple Sclerosis receiving care at the Townsville University Hospital, as a first step to examine how quantitative MRI measures can be used to assist with treatment planning. The funds will be used to hire a casual research assistant at James Cook University to process the MRI scans on a high performance computing system.
Seagrass seed dispersal by marine mega-herbivores: Dugongs (Dugong dugon) & green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) (Old ID 21639)
This project will investigate the dispersal mechanisms of tropical seagrasses and determine which mechanisms are most effective for long distance dispersal. It will examine whether marine mega-herbivores (dugongs and green sea turtles) disperse seagrass seeds through their faecal matter and whether those seeds are viable. It will determine how long seagrass fragments, created by abiotic and biotic mechanisms, remain viable and establish new meadows. This information will be used to model which seagrass meadows are at greater risk of slow recovery after a large scale loss. This recovery model will have the potential to highlight which seagrass meadows rely solely on dispersal by marine mega-herbivores for recovery.
Underpinning the repair and conservation of Australia's threatened coastal-marine habitats - Phase 2 (Old ID 22735)
The primary objective of this project is to provide essential research to underpin restoration efforts to increase the success and efficiency of shellfish and saltmarsh repair. The secondary objective is to quantify clear easily understood benefits of repair to further increase Indigenous and interest group support for repair efforts.