Document
Index
1999-2000 Ministerial Statements
Investing in our Natural and
Cultural Heritage
Chapter 9
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Document
Index |
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The Commonwealth is funding extensive research and development essential for the multiple use of Australia's marine and coastal environments. Organisations such as the CSIRO and the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) play a leading role in coastal and marine research and development. The Australian Antarctic Division, the Bureau of Meteorology, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Cooperative Research Centres and the Australian Geological Survey Organisation (AGSO) are also undertaking Commonwealth-supported research programmes.
The CSIRO is a major contributor to Commonwealth-funded marine research and
development. CSIRO conducts scientific research throughout Australia's coastal waters and
oceans as well as participating in international programmes and providing scientific
research under contract to other nations, particularly our near neighbours in the Asia
Pacific area and Indian Ocean.
CSIRO provides scientific research to address strategic issues of importance to both the
Commonwealth Government and to private sector industry partners. CSIRO's main focus is to
identify and assess marine resources, predict the impacts of resource use, and to provide
strategies to assist in the ecological sustainable development and conservation of
Australia's coasts and oceans. Predicting the impact of land use and climate on the
productivity of marine resources is an important aspect of this. Research on the marine
environment is linked to other CSIRO research areas particularly, climate and atmosphere,
biodiversity, aquaculture, and petroleum exploration and development. CSIRO has a
demonstrated capacity to undertake complex multidisciplinary projects over large ocean
areas. Resource assessment, integration of knowledge and building predictive models are
areas where CSIRO is considered a world leader. CSIRO works in collaborative partnerships
with industry, CRC's, AIMS, State and university research teams.
CSIRO's allocations on research to the marine sector in 1999-2000 include:
Contact: CSIRO -- 02 6276 6124
The sustainable management of fish stocks and habitats in Commonwealth and
international waters is highly dependent on ongoing fisheries research. A significant
proportion of Commonwealth funding provided for marine and coastal research is dedicated
to research to support sustainable fishing practices. The CSIRO and AIMS, along with
organisations such as the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, Bureau of
Resource Sciences, and the Australian Antarctic Division, conduct and support
fisheries-related research in a number of fields.
The Commonwealth Government has allocated $12.4 million in 1999-2000 to the Fisheries
Research and Development Corporation (FRDC). The FRDC aims to provide a planning and
funding mechanism for increasing industry investment in, and improving the
cost-effectiveness of, fisheries research for both State and Commonwealth-managed
programmes, and facilitating the dissemination, adoption and commercialisation of the
results of research and development. In 1999-2000 the FRDC will undertake projects to
increase knowledge of wild fish resources for sustainable management; and to develop and
evaluate sustainable fisheries and ecosystems management.
Within AFMA's annual expenditure (of $14 million in 1999-2000) $1 million is
allocated to the AFMA Research Fund predominantly for stock assessment and other
fisheries-related research.
Contact: Australian Fisheries Management Authority -- 02 6272 4447
The role of the Fisheries Resources Research Fund is to appropriate funds, amounting to
$300,000 in 1999-2000, to organisations (primarily ABARE and BRS) to conduct fisheries
research into issues of public interest, including environmental issues such as ecosystem
protection.
Commonwealth-supported fisheries research in areas, for example, fish stock assessment,
non-target species interactions and environmental impacts, allow Australia to make
significant contributions to various international marine-based agreements such as, the
Convention for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna and the Convention for the
Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources.
Contact: Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Australia -- 02 6272 4566
The Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area is
investigating the effects of a wide range of regional and local stresses, including
environmental, social and engineering problems, associated with increasing use of the
marine park by tourists, recreational and commercial fishers. The CRC has undertaken a
shipping risk analysis that provided the basis for the Commonwealth Department of
Transport's policy to move current concentrations of bulk shipping away from the inner
route of the Great Barrier Reef. The CRC has also provided key research into dugongs that
has led directly to the establishment of new dugong protection areas and the development
of strategies to reduce the impact of gillnetting on dugongs.
Research at the CRC for Aquaculture aims to provide a technological basis for an
environmentally sound and internationally competitive aquaculture industry.
The CRC for Coastal Zone, Estuary and Waterway Management will commence on 1 July 1999 with CRC Programme funding of $14.7 million over seven years. It aims to deliver a framework and tools for the effective management and use of our coastal resources. Outcomes of the CRC will include more effective and informed decisions, a management framework that takes into account social, economic and ecological values and attributes, a fair and transparent process to resolve conflicts over resource use, an integrated knowledge of the coastal system, solutions to environmental management challenges and training for coastal planners, resource managers and the community.
Contact: CRC Secretariat -- 02 6213 6429
Another three CRCs undertake research on aspects of the environment relevant to coasts and oceans, namely the CRC for Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, the CRC for Catchment Hydrology, and the CRC for Freshwater Ecology.
The Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) conducts scientific research in all
tropical Australian seas and coastal regions. The Institute's objectives are to promote
the conservation and sustainable development of Australia's marine resources and to
support internationally competitive Australian industries. Since it was set up, AIMS has
established itself in strategic basic marine science, supporting both public and private
interests. The Institute has built strong links to Australian industry and to the wider
Asia-Pacific region; established a long-term environmental monitoring programme and built
skills and knowledge in resource assessment, especially in tropical mangrove and coral
reef systems; and is recognised as a leader in setting environmental assessment standards.
The Government will commit $19.7 million to the AIMS research and development
programme in 1999-2000. The programme involves long-term research that is geared towards
an improved understanding of marine systems and the capability to predict the behaviour of
complex tropical marine systems. Priority areas include, improving our understanding of
the impacts of natural and human-induced changes in the marine environment, assessment of
living marine resources and marine biotechnology (such as pharmaceuticals). These efforts
sit within the following strategic directions.
The Government has committed a further $9.6 million from 1999-2000 to 2001-02 as part of a capital refurbishment programme for AIMS. The funding is for the refurbishment of existing infrastructure and research capacity, the construction of a new laboratory wing and the replacement and refurbishment of research vessels.
Contact: Australian Institute of Marine Science -- 07 4753 4221
The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) uses radiotracing and nuclear analysis to investigate anthropogenic inputs to the sea through man-made structures, sewage outfalls and river systems.
Contact: Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation -- 02 9717 3785
The Commonwealth, through the Australian Geological Survey Organisation's programme on Environmental Impacts of Petroleum Operations provides advice and undertakes research relating to impacts of offshore petroleum exploration and drilling. The objective of this programme is to facilitate petroleum exploration, development and production operations with minimal environmental impacts and with appropriate assessment of the effects of all operational activities, compatible with sustainable resource use. Research and information generated on areas subject to petroleum industry operational impacts include the time frame for recovery, remediation and related issues.
Contact: Australian Geological Survey Organisation -- 02 6249 9589
