Download - ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies

RESEARCHProgram 6: Conservation Planning for a Sustainable FutureResearchers• Bob Pressey Program Leader• Glenn Almany Research Fellow• Natalie Ban Research Fellow•Debora de Freitas• Tatjana GoodVisiting Research Fellow• Johnathan Kool Research Fellow• Laurence McCookProgram 6, established in 2008,focuses on spatial solutions to resourcemanagement problems, involving thedesign of conservation areas that aremanaged to promote the persistenceand sustainable use of natural resources,and implemented with local communitiesand other stakeholders. During 2009 ournumber of PhD students grew to nineand further growth is planned for 2010,with the recruitment of two additionalResearch Fellows.The Great Barrier Reef and the CoralTriangle region are both a major focusof Program 6, and Bob Pressey andcolleagues have already built closelinks with local governments, stategovernments, Australian governmentdepartments, Natural ResourceManagement (NRM) boards, internationalconservation NGOs, International Unionfor Conservation of Nature (IUCN - theWorld Conservation Union) and theUnited Nations Environment Program.During 2009, Pressey established newcollaborative links with two NRM Boardsin north Queensland. With Allan Dale,CEO of Terrain (Wet Tropics), the NRMBoards, and Debora de Freitas, Presseyis designing a research project to providemanagers of coastal catchments withthe tools to make effective trade-offsbetween the many objectives they haveto balance. A keynote presentation byPressey at the inaugural Island Arkssymposium led to a major fundingapplication to the Federal government incollaboration with Derek Ball, OperationsManager of Reef Catchments (MackayWhitsundays) NRM.Natalie Ban and Bob Pressey contributedto two working groups of the GreatBarrier Reef Foundation to discuss theimportance of dynamics such as coralbleaching and pelagic productivity forplanning multiple-use reef zones. Thisinvolvement led to Natalie’s successfulapplication for the Foundation’s inauguralBommies Award, shared with EddieGame of The Nature Conservancy.They will use the award funding tohold a scientific workshop on howto incorporate patch dynamics intoconservation planning for the GreatBarrier Reef region. Research Fellow,Johnathan Kool, who is co-funded by theAustralian Institute of Marine Science(AIMS), has begun work on the extensiveCSIRO-AIMS seabed biodiversity data setfor the Great Barrier Reef. He is analysingthese data to help inform marineclassification and conservation objectives.Program 6 has launched a number ofnew projects in the Coral Triangle andthe south-west Pacific. For instance,in 2009 Johnathan Kool completed aunique model of ocean circulation inthe Coral Triangle region. Johnathanalso leads a new project in the SolomonIslands, in collaboration with The NatureConservancy, identifying marine andterrestrial bioregions as a basis for agap analysis of protected areas andidentification of preliminary additionalprotected areas that link catchments andinshore waters. In Fiji, Program 6 hasinitiated a project with one of our formerpostdoctoral fellows, Stacy Jupiter ofthe Wildlife Conservation Society, toestimate the opportunity costs to localcommunities of establishing marineprotected areas in inshore waters.In Papua New Guinea, Natalie Banhas developed her research projecton patch dynamics and conservationplanning within the Bismarck Sea andthe Great Barrier Reef. Natalie also leda consultancy for the Pew Foundationto estimate the management costs ofcomplete no-take and partial no-takescenarios for the proposed Coral SeaMarine Reserve.The Program had a busy and productive2009. As well as her award from theGreat Barrier Reef Foundation, Nataliereceived an Australian PostdoctoralFellowship from the ARC. Bob Presseyand Helene Marsh were awarded anARC Linkage grant entitled “Innovativesystematic conservation planning forindigenous land and sea country: TorresStrait as a case study”. The grant willfund a new Research Fellow for threeyears to combine Indigenous knowledgewith software tools for participatoryplanning of harvesting restrictions inTorres Strait.Program 6 researchers and PhDstudents attended national conferencesin Alice Springs, Brisbane, Canberra,Newcastle and the WhitsundayIslands and international conferencesin China, the Czech Republic, Fiji,Indonesia (two meetings), Portugal,Tahiti, and the USA (two meetings).Attendance at these conferencesinvolved a total of 36 presentations,including three invited keynotes.26ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies