26 July 2021

The NESP Northern Australia Environmental Resources Hub has had impact across four broad themes:

• The importance of rivers and their flows
• Supporting Indigenous natural resource management and alternative economies
• Developing new approaches for monitoring and communicating about environmental resources
• Managing threatened species and threatening processes

You can find out more about project impact by exploring the themes below.

The importance of rivers and their flows

• Links between Gulf rivers and coastal productivity (project)
  • What a catch! Understanding links between Gulf river flows and fisheries (impact story)
• Links between Gulf rivers and food for migratory shorebirds (project)
  • Shoring up food supplies for migratory shorebirds (impact story)
  • Links between Gulf rivers and food supplies for migratory shorebirds (impact video)
• A transdisciplinary approach to water allocations in WA’s Fitzroy River water planning (Transdisciplinary environmental research, Environmental water needs for the Fitzroy River & Indigenous water needs for the Fitzroy River) (projects)
  • A transdisciplinary approach to water allocations in WA’s Fitzroy River water planning (impact story)
• Indigenous water needs for the Fitzroy River (project)
  • Communicating an Indigenous understanding of WA’s Fitzroy River through art and film (impact story)
  • Veins of the Country (video)

The Martuwarra (Fitzroy River) in Western Australia is one of the major rivers that the NESP Northern Hub has investigated through our research. Photo: Dan Dixon.

Supporting Indigenous natural resource management and alternative economies

• Knowledge brokering for Indigenous land management (project)
  • Our Knowledge Our Way Guidelines (resource downloads)
  • Strengthening and sharing knowledge for land and sea management (impact story)
  • Showing and sharing knowledge through a hands-on map (impact story)
  • Creating the Our Knowledge Our Way Guidelines (video)
• Multiple benefits of Indigenous land and sea management programs (project)
  • Caring for Country and improving Indigenous lives (impact story)
• Bininj/Mungguy Healthy Country Indicators for Kakadu National Park (project)
  • Keeping Country healthy in Kakadu National Park (impact story)
  • Keeping Country healthy in Kakadu National Park (impact video)
• Savanna carbon sequestration method (project)
  • Supporting savanna fire management through carbon farming (impact story)

Over 100 Indigenous individuals and organisations, including partners, co-authors, case-study providers and reviewers, contribute to the development of the Best Practice Guidelines. Photo: Our Knowledge Our Way launch video.

Developing new approaches for monitoring and communicating about environmental resources

• Developing eDNA methods to detect Top End animals (project)
  • Finding finches – using eDNA to track endangered birds (impact story)
  • Finding finches – using eDNA to track endangered birds (impact video)
• Developing eDNA methods for tropical waters (project)
  • A giant leap forward in detecting unwanted visitors (impact story)
• Defining metrics of success for feral animal management in Northern Australia (project)
  • Reconnecting with Country through collaborative research (impact story)
  • Science and community collaboration achieving results in feral animal management (impact story)
  • Using artificial intelligence to protect baby turtles from feral pigs (impact story)
  • A.I. technology boosting fledgling turtle survival on Cape York (impact video)
  • Teaming up for turtles (Microsoft video)
• Hub graphics library (freely available set of symbols)
  • Engagement is a two-way street: Creating symbols for science communication (impact story)

Gouldian Finches are one of many species that are difficult to detect due to their movement patterns through the landscape. Photo by Minden Pictures/Alamy Stock Photo.

Managing threatened species and threatening processes

• Prioritising threatened species in northern Australia (project)
  • Modelling and mapping for conservation outcomes across the north (impact story)
• Mapping to underpin management of tropical littoral rainforest (project)
  • Managing North Queensland’s endangered tropical littoral rainforest (impact story)
• Fire and weeds in the Top End (project)
  • New ways to manage gamba grass & fire in Mary River National Park (NT) (impact story)
  • Fire and weeds in the Top End (impact video)
• Rehabilitation of Ranger uranium mine (Tree water use and sensitivity to contaminated mine water, Fish movement and sensitivity to contaminated mine water & Rehabilitated mine sites and Top End animals) (projects)
  • Filling knowledge gaps for the rehabilitation of Ranger uranium mine (impact story)
  • Rehabilitated mine sites and Top End animals (impact video)

Senior District Ranger Steve Dwyer walks among seedlings of important native seed trees. Photo by NESP Northern Hub.