Wet Tropics Management Authority
Research Strategy 2014-2018
Improving management by building andcommunicating knowledge through collaboration

Front cover photo: Rainforest near Paluma | Credit: Tourism Queensland
Back cover photo: Licuala ramsayi fan palm endemic to the Wet Tropics | Credit: Campbell Clarke WTMA

Research Strategy 2014-2018
Improving management by building and communicating knowledge through collaboration

Table of contents
Abbreviations

1

The Wet Tropics: a learning landscape2

Executive summary

4

1. Introduction

7

2. Research objectives

11

3. Collaboration, partnerships and best practice13

4. Regional research capacity

16

5. Facilitating the research agenda

19

6. Partnership approaches

21

7. Important general areas of research

24

8. Priority research questions 2014-2018

29

9. Actions

56

10. Key performance indicators

57

Appendix 1 – A summary of identified research questions
Appendix 2 – Web resources

59
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WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-2018

Abbreviations
Act

Wet Tropics World Heritage Protection and Management Act 1993

ATH

Australian Tropical Herbarium

CSIRO

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation

DRO

Daintree Rainforest Observatory

GBRWHA

Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area

GIS

Geographic Information System

ILTER

International Long Term Ecological Research Network

IUCN

International Union for the Conservation of Nature

JCU

James Cook University

MTSRF

Marine and Tropical Science Research Facility

NCCARF

National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility

NCRIS

National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy

NERP

National Environmental Research Programme

OUV-I

Outstanding Universal Value and Integrity (World Heritage values)

QPWS

Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service

Rainforest CRC

Cooperative Research Centre for Tropical Rainforest Ecology and Management

RRRC

Reef and Rainforest Research Centre

SAC

WTMA’s Scientific Advisory Committee

TERN

Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network

UNESCO

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation

WHA

World Heritage Area

WTMA

Wet Tropics Management Authority

WTQWHA

Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area

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WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-2018

The Wet Tropics: a learning landscape
The Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area (WTQWHA) is an area of iconic environmental significancewith stunning biodiversity, much of it ancient in character and endemic to the region. The World Heritage Area
(WHA) is a region of spectacular scenery and rugged topography with fast-flowing rivers, deep gorges andnumerous waterfalls. Mountain summits provide expansive vistas of one of the oldest surviving rainforest in
the world. The exceptional coastal scenery combines tropical rainforest, white sandy beaches and fringing reefs
just offshore; a unique feature on a global scale.
Tropical rainforest dominates the region but there are also significant areas of other vegetation communities
including sclerophyll and mangrove forests. The diverse habitats of the WTQWHA provide refuge for numerous
species of rare and threatened plants and animals. Species diversity and endemism are exceptionally high, due
to ancient biota being isolated for a long time. The Wet Tropics bioregion contains an almost complete recordof the major stages in the evolution of plant life and provides refugia for many rainforest species thatoriginated when Australia was part of Gondwana. The Wet Tropics also contains one of the most important
living records of the history of marsupials and songbirds.
In addition to these natural values, the region is also culturally rich, comprising the traditional lands of 18
Rainforest Aboriginal tribes who maintain a continuing cultural affiliation with the WTQWHA.
The spectacular and unique features of the WTQWHA, combined with its very high natural integrity, make it ofoutstanding universal significance and extremely valuable for scientific research. The Wet Tropics region also
has the natural assets, research infrastructure and credentials to become an internationally recognised
research centre for tropical biodiversity and conservation biology.
Many of the elements to achieve this vision are already in place:

extensive, accessible, protected, diverse tropical forested landscapeslocated in a country with a stable government, a modern economy, and a safe operating environmentsome of the best and most respected natural area research scientistsestablished research infrastructure and supporting services

a burgeoning nature-based tourism industry

a high level of political and community support and a sense of identity centred round the region’s
rainforests and reef.

But there is much to learn. We have barely skimmed the surface of many of the complexities in our ancientforests and their responses to the myriad pressures wrought by human population growth and economic
development. We don’t know enough about how our ecological, social and cultural systems will respond tochanges that are already happening and are likely to accelerate, particularly those associated with climatechange.
Research plays a vital role in World Heritage policy and management, contributing knowledge that identifies
management issues, informs management practice and evaluates management effectiveness. Researchcontributes to knowledge about and understanding of the values of World Heritage properties. It contributes
to improved policy and management of the Outstanding Universal Value of World Heritage properties and2

WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-2018

towards wider community understanding and potential changes in behaviour. Research can reduce uncertainty
about values and management strategies, confirm assumptions built into management strategies and play avital role in monitoring the state of conservation of World Heritage properties. Research conducted in World
Heritage properties, or addressing World Heritage themes also builds knowledge relevant to environmental
and cultural heritage elsewhere.
This strategy promotes a renewed effort in tropical rainforest research through improved planning, coordination, collaboration and communication. The strategy identifies areas of research that will see Australia
best equipped to meet its international obligations to protect, conserve, present, rehabilitate and transmit to
future generations the natural heritage of WTQWHA.
The Wet Tropics Management Authority (WTMA)’s responses to ongoing and emerging challenges andopportunities require innovative science and technology to:deliver a more complete understanding of our ecological, social and cultural systemsallow better forecasting of the futureformulate and test mitigation/adaptation measures in the face of global change.

The Wet Tropics of Queensland is a learning landscape that provides outstanding opportunities forcollaborative research across disciplines such as ecology, climatology, tourism, sociology and economics basedon tropical ecosystems.
A comparative advantage of undertaking research which benefits the management of World Heritage
properties is that these iconic properties attract considerable attention and can influence the adoption of goodmanagement practices elsewhere. UNESCO encourages World Heritage properties to serve as laboratories
1

where monitoring, mitigation and adaptation processes can be applied, tested and improved . They also
encourage partnerships between relevant organisations in field activities on mitigation and adaptation
strategies, methodologies, tools and/or pilot projects.
Well-focussed research is fundamental to effective management of a natural World Heritage area. Researchneeds to be responsive to the evolving array of challenges faced by natural area land management agencies,
with outcomes that can be applied on the ground. WTMA has a long history of supporting solutions-based
scientific research and collaborating on research projects with academic institutions, other government
agencies and community stakeholders.
This Research Strategy identifies key research topics and tasks, and promotes and encourages researchcollaboration and partnerships. Working collaboratively will enable better leverage of regional resources andexpand the breadth, applicability and capacity of the research undertaken in the Wet Tropics. Collaboration will
also foster the transfer of knowledge and continue to build professionalism in Wet Tropics World Heritage
management.
This Research Strategy aligns with the Queensland Research and Development Investment Strategy 2010-2020
and the Queensland Science and Research Priorities 2014
1

2

The benefits and importance of undertaking research in World Heritage properties are noted in several UNESCO documents. The following may be ofparticular interest: UNESCO (2007). Policy document on the impacts of climate change on World Heritage properties (WHC-0716.GA/10).
http://whc.unesco.org/document/9281
2
Queensland Science and Research Priorities. http://www.chiefscientist.qld.gov.au/assets/Queenslandscienceandresearchpriorities.pdf

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WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-2018

Executive summary
WTMA recognises research as being a necessary and valuable component of effective natural area
management. Scientific research supports integrated and adaptive management by providing an objective anddefensible basis for making decisions and developing policy. Efficient transfer and application of scientificknowledge is crucial to successfully meeting the challenge of transmitting to future generations a resilient
WTQWHA in a better condition than we inherited.
Through this Research Strategy, WTMA invites collaboration with research providers to build knowledge of the
Wet Tropics bioregion, related environmental and cultural topics, the social and economic importance of the
WHA, and how best to conserve and enhance the WTQWHA.
Our research objectives over the next five years (which are described in Chapter 2) are to:continue to identify priority research topics and questions which will benefit WTQWHA managementpromote appropriate research into World Heritage, conservation land management, environmental,
cultural, social and economic issues, across the Wet Tropics bioregion and with a primary focus on theWTQWHA, policy development and operational decision making

identify, and seek opportunities for, a variety of collaboration and partnership approaches to enable andencourage Wet Tropics natural area land management agencies (including WTMA), andscientists/researchers to work together on World Heritage related projects



promote increased financial and in-kind support through advocacy, collaboration, and other means, toundertake research relevant and important to the WTQWHA

build on the outcomes of previous research partnerships with the Rainforest CRC, MTSRF, NERP, TERN and
NCARRF

identify ways in which the WTMA can help facilitate research

disseminate research findings to communities of interest in an effective and timely way.

Chapter 7 of this Strategy outlines the main research areas that the Authority considers particularly important.
It identifies that research is required to improve our understanding of how ecosystems function, to be able tomonitor their health, maintain and build their resilience to current and future threats and to be able to use
ecosystems sustainably. These needs can be addressed by investing in the following four broad research areas:
1.

Understanding the Outstanding Universal Value of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area

2.

Understanding the rainforests (and associated ecosystems) of Australia’s Wet Tropics.

3.

Describing Australia’s wet tropical diversity



Origin, patterns, and maintenance of Australia’s wet tropical diversity

Functioning of Australia’s wet tropical ecosystems

Understanding the causes of change to Australia’s tropical rainforest ecosystems and how to maintain,
restore and monitor their ecological resilience to change.


Human impacts on ecosystems



Fragmentation

4

WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-20184.

Invasive species



Restoration



Sustainable use

Understanding the social drivers of change and the social responses to managing tropical rainforest
ecosystems.
 Governance Presentation
 Ecosystem services

Chapter 8 of this Strategy outlines our research priorities over the next five years in greater detail and theseare summarised in Appendix 1 of this report. We have categorised our information needs into the four3

research themes described in Chapter 7 with specific areas of management interest linked to these themes:
1.

Understanding the Outstanding Universal Value of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area

2.

Understanding the rainforests (and associated ecosystems) of Australia’s Wet Tropics.
 Describing Australia’s wet tropical diversityo ecological / forest ‘health’ (EH)3.



Origin, patterns, and maintenance of Australia’s wet tropical diversityo priority species and ecosystems (SP)Functioning of Australia’s wet tropical ecosystems
o fire management (FM)

Understanding the causes of change to Australia’s tropical rainforest ecosystems and how to maintain,
restore and monitor their ecological resilience to change.
 Human impacts on ecosystems
o climate change impacts and adaptation strategies / regional responses (CC)o impact mitigation – community infrastructure and activities (IM)4.

Invasive specieso alien and invasive species (AI)Restorationo wildlife corridors and ecological connectivity (WC)o rehabilitation and restoration (RR)

Sustainable useo land use change (LU)

Understanding the social drivers of change and the social responses to managing tropical rainforest
ecosystems.
 Governanceo Rainforest Aboriginal cultural studies (AB)o giving the WTQWHA a role in the life of the community (CO)o adoption – making a difference (AD)3

These priority research themes are based on UNESCO’s Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention
http://whc.unesco.org/archive/opguide08-en.pdf, and the Primary Goal of management as defined in schedule 1 of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Protection
and Management Act 1993 http://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/LEGISLTN/CURRENT/W/WetTropicsA93.pdf

5WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-2018

Presentationo World Heritage presentation, recreation and tourism (TO)o information technology (IT)

Ecosystem services
o socio-economic and environmental benefits (environmental goods & services) (SE)o supporting economic activity (EA)

Information needs have been identified under each of these four themes and specific areas of management
interest. Research questions have been prioritised into Top (.T), High (.H), and Lower Priority (.P).
WTMA hopes that this Research Strategy will help us to build on previous research initiatives andcollaborations in the region and attract new research effort and investment into the Wet Tropics.

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WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-2018

1.

Introduction

The Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area (WTQWHA) is one of the world’s most outstanding natural
treasures. Managing the WTQWHA presents us with the responsibility to transmit to future generations thisenvironmental treasure undiminished by the enjoyment and use of our generation.

The region
The Wet Tropics of Queensland extends 400 km along the tropical coast!

of north-east Australia in the State of Queensland between Cooktown

Cooktown!

to the north and Townsville to its south.

Cairns!

In 2011 the Forests of East Australia (including the Wet Tropics) was

Wet Tropics
World Heritage

Townsville

Queensland!

45

added to the list of global biodiversity hotspots and this is reflected in

Rockhampton

6

its inscription under the UNESCO World Heritage Convention for its!

outstanding universal value and integrity.

Brisbane

Although representing only 0.013 percent of the earth’s land surface, the Wet Tropics, for its size, makes a
7significant contribution to global biodiversity. A 2013 study published in the journal Science identified the Wet
Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area as the sixth most irreplaceable protected area on earth for the8conservation of amphibian, bird and mammal species . The Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area
9

was also ranked globally as the second most irreplaceable natural World Heritage site . These rankings werebased on data on 173,000 terrestrial protected areas and assessments of 21,500 species on the IUCN Red Listof Threatened Species and highlight the global importance of Australia’s Wet Tropics.
In addition to its natural values, the region is also culturally rich, comprising the traditional lands of 18
Rainforest Aboriginal tribes. People have lived in the Wet Tropics for tens of thousands of years. There is a
close connection between Rainforest Aboriginal people and the natural environment, involving complex
interrelated cultural, social, economic and spiritual relationships. This long continuous connection has beenrecognised with the National Heritage listing of the Wet Tropics for its Indigenous cultural values.
The natural and cultural assets of the region provide a vital resource for regional tourism, which is the major
contributor to the regional economy.
The region is immediately adjacent to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area (GBRWHA) making it avery attractive learning landscape for research. The rainforests of the region have a high level of accessibility
4

Status and Threats in the Dynamic Landscapes of Northern Australia’s Tropical Rainforest Biodiversity Hotspot: The Wet Tropics
http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-20992-5_17
Forests of East Australia: The 35th Biodiversity Hotspot. http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-3-642-20992-5_16#page-2
UNESCO World Heritage Convention http://whc.unesco.org/archive/convention-en.pdf
Protected Areas and Effective Biodiversity Conservation http://www.sciencemag.org/content/342/6160/803.summary
8
Protected area irreplaceability – Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Site: http://irreplaceability.cefe.cnrs.fr/sites/17757
9
Terrestrial biodiversity and the World Heritage List.
http://www.iucn.org/about/work/programmes/wcpa_worldheritage/resources/publications/?uPubsID=4905
5
6
7

7

WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-2018

centred round the major urban centre of Cairns. The region also has world class conferencing facilities in bothCairns and Townsville and well established, internationally recognised research infrastructure, including:James Cook University (JCU), with campuses in Cairns and Townsville, and several field stations in theregion including the Daintree Rainforest Observatory at Cape TribulationCommonwealth Scientific, Industrial and Research Organisation (CSIRO) with laboratories in Cairns,
Atherton and Townsville, numerous long term research plots including the TERN 25 hectare superplot
at Robson Creek

Several State Government research establishments at places such as South Johnstone, Cairns,
Mareeba and Walkamin.

The region also has capable management institutions, including the Wet Tropics Management Authority(WTMA), the Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Queensland Parks and Wildlife
Service and the Commonwealth Department of Environment.

The Wet Tropics Management Authority
10

The Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area (WTQWHA) was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage
List of natural properties on 9 December 1988.
11

The Wet Tropics Management Authority (WTMA) was established to ensure that Australia’s obligations under
the World Heritage Convention are met. WTMA is a body corporate with statutory powers defined under the12

Wet Tropics World Heritage Protection and Management Act 1993 . Its primary task is:“to provide for the implementation of Australia’s international duty for the protection,conservation, presentation, rehabilitation and transmission to future generations of the Wet
Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area, within the meaning of the World Heritage
Convention.”
WTMA has a coordinating role with specific functions defined in its Act, which include:

gather, research, analyse and disseminate information on the Wet Tropics areaadvise and report on the state of the Wet Tropics areaprepare and implement management plansdevelop and implement management policies and programs

administer funding arrangements in relation to the Wet Tropics area

enter into arrangements for the provision of rehabilitation and restoration worksdevelop public and community education programs

promote the Wet Tropics area locally, nationally and internationallyliaise with the governments and authorities of the State, the Commonwealth, other States and the
Territories, and international and foreign organisations and agencies.

The Act requires WTMA to perform its functions consistent with the objectives and principles of the National
13

Strategy for Ecologically Sustainable Development which includes:
10
11
12

Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/486
Wet Tropics Management Authority http://www.wettropics.gov.au
Wet Tropics World Heritage Protection and Management Act 1993 http://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/LEGISLTN/CURRENT/W/WetTropicsA93.pdf

8

WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-2018



integrating the economic, social and environmental concerns and needs of the community



accounting properly for the economic costs of environmental degradation

understanding environmental risk and uncertainty.

The Act also requires WTMA, in performing its functions, to consider Aboriginal tradition and liaise and cooperate with Aboriginal people concerned with the WTQWHA, and to establish a scientific advisory committee(SAC) whose function is to provide advice to WTMA on:scientific research that will contribute to the protection and conservation of the Wet Tropics areascientific developments relevant to the protection or conservation of the area.

WTMA’s Scientific Advisory Committee played a very important role in determining both the direction anddevelopment of this research strategy and will continue to have an important role in advising on its
implementation.
WTMA is a scientifically literate organisation that uses high-quality and timely science to support its mission.
WTMA staff use their scientific competency to research, analyse and apply existing science to reach conclusions
and deliver practical outcomes for policy development. WTMA must be aware of its business context andscientific competency so it can provide fit-for-purpose knowledge to make strategic, tactical and operational
decisions that are timely, evidence-based, robust and outcome-driven.
Conservation land managers are increasingly being asked to solve complex policy problems that requiresignificant scientific input. Policymaking must be rigorous and evidence-based and routinely and systematicallydraw on science. Science provides evidence to stimulate action, clarify ambiguity, identify gaps, improve
resilience of decision-making and manage uncertainty. It is also essential for innovation.

Participation of Rainforest Aboriginal people
There are Rainforest Aboriginal communities and groups which have a continuing cultural affiliation with theWTQWHA. This affiliation includes cultural rights and responsibilities to own, access, use and manage
environments and resources associated with their traditional estates.
On 9 November 2012 the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area's Indigenous heritage values were included as partof the existing Wet Tropics of Queensland National Heritage Listing.
The listing recognises that Rainforest Aboriginal heritage is unique to the Wet Tropics and is a remarkable andcontinuous Indigenous connection with a tropical rainforest environment.
The following quote summarises the basis for the listing: “The Aboriginal Rainforest People of the Wet Tropicsof Queensland have lived continuously in the rainforest environment for at least 5 000 years and this is the only
place in Australia where Aboriginal people have permanently inhabited a tropical rainforest environment.

13

National Strategy for Ecologically Sustainable Development http://www.environment.gov.au/resource/national-strategy-ecologically-sustainabledevelopment

9WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-2018

The Aboriginal Rainforest people developed a distinctive cultural heritage determined by their dreamtime andcreation stories and their traditional food gathering, processing and land management techniques. Reliance on
their traditions helped them survive in this, at times, inhospitable environment. The distinctiveness of the
traditions and technical innovation and expertise needed to process and prepare toxic plants as food and theiruses of fire is of outstanding heritage value to the nation and are now protected for future generations undernational environmental law.”

14

The objective in managing National Heritage places is to identify, protect, conserve, present and transmit, to all
generations, their National Heritage values. Indigenous people are the primary source of information on thevalue of their heritage and the active participation and leadership of Indigenous people in identification,assessment, conservation and management is integral to the effective protection of Indigenous heritage
values.
Researchers have an obligation to seek the meaningful involvement of appropriate Rainforest Aboriginal
people and their organisations in their research projects. Involvement may vary from a desire to be kept
informed about the project, to a requirement for active co-management of the project. Issues to be consideredby Rainforest Aboriginal people may include:What procedures and processes are proposed to engage Rainforest Aboriginal people throughout the
project, and report on the findings and implications of the project at its conclusion?

Will the project be of benefit to Rainforest Aboriginal people?



What are the potential impacts of the project on Rainforest Aboriginal estates, environments,
resources, cultures, rights, interests or life styles?

What are the opportunities for training and/or employment of Rainforest Aboriginal people in the
project?

What are the safeguards for the recognition and protection of Rainforest Aboriginal intellectual
property rights?

What is the level of understanding among the researchers about Rainforest Aboriginal cultures, rights
and interests associated with the research area?
15

Some Indigenous organisations have developed or are developing protocols and priorities to assist theirpeople and research organisations to take a strategic approach to addressing issues such as those outlined
above. The report documenting the outcomes of the Traditional Owners of the Wet Tropics Strategic Research
Directions Workshop held in September 2009 for the Marine and Tropical Science Research Facility (MTSRF)
helped to inform the content of this document.

14

http://www.environment.gov.au/node/19823

15

http://www.aiatsis.gov.au/_files/research/GERAIS.pdf

10WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-2018

2.

Research objectives

Research is a necessary and valuable component of effective World Heritage management. Science supports an
integrated and adaptive management approach to solving management issues and sets an objective basis formaking decisions and policy development. Research is therefore a major and legitimate use of a World Heritage
property.
This Research Strategy is part of our response to the challenge of improving the management, protection,
understanding, and use of the WHA and its natural and cultural heritage. WTMA aims to foster collaboration
between the users of research and the providers of research to build a comprehensive knowledge bank about
the WTQWHA from natural, cultural, economic and social perspectives and how best to conserve and enhancethese attributes.
The purpose of this Strategy is to:assist in the process of knowledge transfer of the values, threats and management of the natural andcultural heritage of the Wet Tropics

apply this knowledge to improve on-ground management and policy development

apply this knowledge to obtain additional investment and other support.

This Research Strategy has also been produced to encourage partnerships between WTMA and otherinterested parties to investigate questions that are currently not well researched or understood by natural area
land managers in the region.
This document is the outcome of a review of WTMA’s Research Strategy 2010-2014 and provides an outline of
the management areas and issues WTMA, and others with management responsibility for the WTQWHA, think
important to improve the conservation management of the WTQWHA. It presents WTMA’s vision for a more
effective strategic approach to securing relevant scientific research. The vision is primarily the result ofreflections and discussions held with the SAC, WTMA staff and others. The priorities were also strongly
16

influenced by a review of WTMA’s Wet Tropics Research and Information Needs Report (2000) .
As well as focusing WTMA on our research priorities, the Strategy will assist land managers, researchers andfunding bodies to understand our information and knowledge needs for the next five years, and provide a firmbasis on which to expand and enhance interactions between research providers and research users in theregion.
The relationship between the scientific research community, WTMA and its land management, industry andcommunity partners needs to allow for exchanges, co-evolution, and joint construction of knowledge to enrichdecision-making at different scales. This includes two main requirements, that:

scientific information is relevant to WTMA’s policy and on-ground management needs



WTMA and partner organisations formulate their needs or questions in a way that are accessible
for scientists to provide the relevant information.

16

WTMA (2000). Wet Tropics Research and Information Needs. http://www.wettropics.gov.au/site/user-assets/docs/rain_report.pdf

11WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-2018

WTMA’s major research objectives over the next five years are to:1.

continue to identify priority research topics and questions which will benefit WTQWHA management2.

promote appropriate research into World Heritage, conservation land management, environmental,
cultural, social and economic issues, across the Wet Tropics bioregion and with a primary focus on theWTQWHA, policy development and operational decision making

3.

identify, and seek opportunities for, a variety of collaboration and partnership approaches to enable andencourage Wet Tropics natural area land management agencies (including WTMA), andscientists/researchers to work together on world heritage related projects

4.

promote increased financial and in-kind support through advocacy, collaboration and other means toundertake research relevant and important to the WTQWHA

5.

build on the outcomes of previous research partnerships with the Rainforest CRC, MTSRF, NERP and TERN

6.

identify ways in which WTMA can help facilitate research7.

disseminate research findings to communities of interest in an effective and timely way.

12

WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-20183.

Collaboration, partnerships & best practice

WTMA recognises the critical importance of building professional capacity, using resources to best advantage,
and fostering the ongoing interest of researchers, government and the broader community in WTQWHA
management issues. WTMA hopes to maintain and build upon our existing long-term relationships with theresearch community, and will collaborate with researchers to clearly define research questions and identify
useful research outcomes, and we are committed to integrating research findings into operational
management.
WTMA encourages those with responsibilities for on-ground management within the WTQWHA to initiate
adaptive management programs and to identify improvements in operational activities.
WTMA will:form partnerships between WTQWHA managers, industry partners and research institutions to increase
the base of knowledge which underpins conservation management of the WTQWHA and the broader Wet
Tropics bioregionform partnerships with international World Heritage property managers, industry partners and research
institutions to provide global leadership in World Heritage and tropical landscape management andprotection

foster the role of the Wet Tropics as a living laboratory for global environmental management including ofclimate change adaptation



imbue researchers with enthusiasm and respect for the international importance of the WTQWHA and theimportance of their research in increasing our knowledge and understanding of its significance and the roleof research in improving the management of the WTQWHA

promote the importance and relevance of science-manager cooperation in the development of adaptive
management approaches to improving on-ground operations



ensure that research is responsive to the needs of the WTQWHA natural area managers by using science toidentify solutions for the most significant regional natural area management issues



promote the open exchange of research findings and dissemination of research outcomes by using a rangeof communication tools including the WTMA web site, WTMA newsletters and other publications,workshops, seminars, conference presentations and scientific journals

where appropriate, use its influence and networks, to secure financial and in-kind support and expertisefor delivery of the WTMA’s research agenda.

Benefits of research collaboration and partnerships
The benefits of partnerships in research are numerous. Some of the many direct and indirect benefits ofcooperative research include:

bringing awareness of research outcomes to potential beneficiaries of the researchframing of research questions to better answer real life management problems

increasing the capacity and understanding of WTQWHA managers so that they can proactively address
management issues

13

WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-2018

increasing the focus of researchers on what are the issues of concern to managers and other potential
research beneficiaries

building upon the knowledge of decades of research already undertaken in the region by universities,
CSIRO, the Rainforest CRC, MTSRF, NERP and TERN amongst others, to further investigate Wet Tropics
natural area management issues

encouraging research which can be applied to current and expected management issues

encouraging integrated approaches to solving environmental/cultural problems

providing opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students to work closely with WTMA staff on
medium-term and long-term projects, to learn about World Heritage management and thus build the next
generation of scientists and WTQWHA managers

securing financial and in-kind support, including contributions of expertise and resources of research
partners, government, related sectors, industry and research institutions

raising the general level of awareness and concern in the community about issues and challenges
identified through scientific research about the state of the Wet Tropics.

The science-land manager relationship
17

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN 2010) list three important attributes ofeffective science-policy interactions:1.

Salience, or relevance, reflects the ability to be responsive to conditions and concerns, and to link toissues on which decision-makers focus and over which they have control

2.

Credibility reflects the believability of produced knowledge to a defined user, i.e. on the extent towhich actors perceive the contained facts, theories, ideas, models, causal beliefs, scenarios andoptions as valid or at least as a better guide to how the world works or how to address a specific issue

3.

Legitimacy reflects the perceived fairness, political acceptability, transparency and trust in theprocesses of a science-policy interface, i.e. the perception that its processes have been respectful of
stakeholders’ divergent values and beliefs, unbiased in its conduct and fair in its treatment of opposing
views and interests.

IUCN have also identified four main conditions for an effective science-policy interface which are relevant tothis strategy:a) building a common and shared knowledge base which effectively supports policy, including thepromotion of policy-relevant multidisciplinary research and the appropriate integration of non-formal
knowledge, observation and monitoring, indicators, models and scenarios, and assessmentsb) providing for an effective dialogue between science and policy and other relevant stake- andknowledge-holders, including formal mechanisms of policy advice, processes of early warning andhorizon scanning, communication and other aspects of effectively targeting decision makers
c)providing the fundamental capacity to enable full engagement in the science-policy interface of all
relevant stake- and knowledge-holders, be it to build the common and shared knowledge base, tocommunicate more effectively, or to more effectively use the knowledge for policy
action/implementation

17

IUCN (2010). Enhancing the Science-Policy Interface on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Information Paper on IPBES – March 2010.
http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/ipbes_information_paper.pdf

14

WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-2018d) increasing synergy and coherence through coordination of the different actors and activities and, inparticular across scales, sectors and disciplines.
In practice, no one-size-fits-all model exists for effective science-land manager interactions.

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WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-2018

4.

Regional research capacity

The Wet Tropics of Queensland has a mega-biodiverse environment, world-class research capabilities andinfrastructure based largely around the two campuses of James Cook University (JCU) and CSIRO laboratories.
The region also adjoins a mega-biodiverse marine environment in the Great Barrier Reef with its welldeveloped research infrastructure.
The region has rapidly developed its research capacity in rainforest ecology and management throughAustralian Government investment in:

two rounds of Rainforest CRC funding (1993 – 2006)



Marine & Tropical Sciences Research Facility (MTSRF) research investment (2006 – 2010)National Environmental Research Program (NERP) (2010 - ongoing).



Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) - FNQ Rainforest Supersite (2009 – ongoing)Daintree Rainforest Observatory (previously the Australian Canopy Crane Research Station) (DRO
1998 – ongoing)

WTMA has been an active collaborating research-user partnering in each of these multi-organisation
collaborative regional research consortiums.
Governments and regional institutions have invested in a range of research infrastructure including a canopy
crane facility and a comprehensive network of long-term rainforest monitoring plots (including the 25 hectare
forest dynamics plot at Robson Creek). These have been established to examine long-term dynamic processes
in forests and monitor climate change signals and their ecological impacts.
The Daintree Rainforest Observatory facility at Cape Tribulation is one of five Long Term Ecological Researchsites in Australia allied to the International Long Term Ecological Research Network (ILTER), and is one of
twelve canopy cranes in forests around the world.
A hallmark of the region’s rainforest, biodiversity, and conservation biology research in response to theregion’s challenging environmental issues, has been the collaborative, multidisciplinary approach to discovery,
integration and application. This approach was strongly fostered with the commencement of the Rainforest
CRC in 1993, and the subsequent establishment of the Cairns campus of James Cook University.
The research programs of the Rainforest CRC, MTSRF and NERP have all focussed on the environment andhuman interactions with it. The region’s scientists have provided national and international leadership in
tropical rainforest and conservation biology, climate change and human disturbance ecology. The researchers
and their institutions are acknowledged for their successful collaborations with government agencies, industry
and the community.

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WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-2018

Changing research landscape
The National Environmental Research Program (NERP) was established in December 2010 by the AustralianGovernment to replace MTSRF (the Marine and Tropical Sciences Research Facility).
Other recent changes to the region’s research landscape include:
In 2007 the Australian Tropical Herbarium (ATH) was established in Cairns. ATH is a joint venture between
CSIRO, James Cook University, and Queensland Department of Science, Information Technology, Innovationand the Arts (DSITIA). ATH amalgamates the herbarium specimen collections from the Australian National
Herbarium previously housed at CSIRO Atherton (QRS), the Queensland Herbarium’s Mareeba collection (MBA)and the James Cook University Townsville collection (JCT) to form one of Australia’s largest and most diverse
collections of tropical plant specimens. Its geographic scope includes Australia's tropics; and related plantgroups of Papua New Guinea, the Pacific, and Southeast Asia.
An initiative of the Australian Government Department of Education’s Science and Infrastructure Branch
is the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS). Part of this strategy included
establishing the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) in 2009. TERN aims to provide a set of
dedicated observation sites, standardized measurement methodologies, equipment, data, and information
services for ecosystem research and natural resource management across Australia.
As part of TERN, a FNQ Rainforest Supersite has been established in the Wet Tropics through co-investment
funding from the Queensland Government. The Supersite links specific site-based observations to regional
issues of significance. The FNQ Rainforest Supersite builds on more than 40 years of scientific monitoring of thephysical and biological status of the rainforests of the Wet Tropics of far north Queensland (FNQ). This includes
ecosystem monitoring, vertebrate, invertebrate and higher plant monitoring, carbon and water balanceexperiments, in stream water quantity and quality measurements and OzFlux energy, carbon and water
monitoring. Significant environmental gradients in altitude, temperature and rainfall exist over short distancesin the region enabling the monitoring of multiple parameters across a broad range of environments within acompact supersite footprint. The FNQ Rainforest Supersite is divided structurally into two transects, each basedaround an intensive study site node: the lowland rainforest node is based around Cape Tribulation (the DROsite) and the upland rainforest node is based around the 25 hectare plot at Robson Creek.
National research networks such as TERN enable the region’s researchers to collaborate with other Australianand international researchers to generate, share and apply research findings on a wider basis and increase their18

sphere of influence .
James Cook University has established The Cairns Institute as an international research, consulting and training
hub. It is a concentration of tropical knowledge and innovation, focussing on human, social and culturaldimensions. The Cairns Institute integrates the expertise and intellectual resources of more than 20 academic
disciplines across three campuses in Townsville, Cairns and Singapore.
These changes greatly increase the potential for the region to expand its role as a centre for professional
environmental training and learning. The region has the advantage of being a wet tropical environment with a18

A good summary of the region’s recent collaborative rainforest research directions and examples of research outputs can be found in the following
publication: Stork, N.E. & Turton, S.M. (eds) (2008). Living in a Dynamic Tropical Forest Landscape. Blackwell Publishing.

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WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-2018

modern economy. Its close proximity to the Asia-Pacific region increases its attractiveness as a regional
research hub and centre of excellence for tropical ecological research and management with international
relevance.

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WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-2018

5.

Facilitating the research agenda

A major function of WTMA is to encourage strategic research and promote the sharing of knowledge. WTMA isa regionally located and focussed government entity whose defined functions include:

promotion of the WTQWHA locally, nationally and internationallygathering, researching, analysing and dissemination of information on the WTQWHAdevelopment of public and community education programsmanaging funding arrangements in relation to the WTQWHAliaison with the governments and authorities of the State, the Commonwealth, other States and the
Territories, and international and foreign organisations and agencies.

WTMA is therefore in an ideal position to facilitate broader collaboration across government agencies andindustry sectors and advocate for financial and in-kind support.
WTMA recognises that we need to provide incentives if we are to effectively engage with researchers, and thatto best achieve this we need to promote our role as a potential research facilitator, in addition to being a
potential user of research. WTMA also needs to promote and increase the visibility of the scientific andtechnical partnerships and cooperative arrangements we have established over time, and the mutual benefits
that have emerged from this collaboration.

Facilitating mechanisms
1.

Communicating our information needsThis Strategy is designed to produce a greater synergy between management (policy and practice)and research by informing researchers and research funders as to where their efforts might best
be focussed.

2.

Providing resources


WTMA can increase its role as a communication platform (web site, newsletters, otherpublications, convening user-focussed seminars/workshops);



WTMA can provide a wide range of in-kind support, reports and other sources of ‘grey literature’,
office space and facilities, GIS data, services and expertise, staff time and established networks;The project structure of WTMA’s operations is ideally suited for encouraging student placements,
student internships, or other work experience projects.

3.

Promotion and recognition


WTMA is well positioned to act as a champion for particular research proposals, and to moregenerally promote and support research, researchers and funding applications;

WTMA can give special recognition to a researcher’s body of work which benefits the
management of the WTQWHA through the science category of the WTMA Cassowary Awards;

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WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-2018

4.

Liaison

WTMA has regional, State, Commonwealth and international links and responsibilities;



WTMA is well positioned to raise the region’s biodiversity and World Heritage agenda/profile,and attract funding, due to the region’s outstanding natural significance and the threats tothese values.

5.

International relevance

UNESCO has urged World Heritage sites be used as research benchmark sites and to become partof international research networks;



WTMA is in a position to ‘twin’ with other World Heritage Areas – this may open new funding
opportunities not otherwise available to researchers.

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WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-2018

6.

Partnership approaches

WTMA must look at a variety of partnership approaches as the best means of influencing the nature andrelevance of research being undertaken in the Wet Tropics, the more common of which are outlined below.
The choice of approach will be influenced by circumstances.

Approach 1: Research commissioned by WTMA
WTMA commissions research by contracting researchers to tackle specific research questions, in a particularway, over a defined time-frame, outlined in a ‘terms of reference’ a ‘list of deliverables’ and ‘milestone timelines’.
In the past, WTMA was a major funding and administering body for natural area research in the region,
however WTMA has not operated a formal research funding program since 2006.
WTMA’s past research program consisted of three separate initiatives:
1.

Research Grants Scheme (short-term contracts) – 1992 to 2006
i. established researchersii. post-graduate student research grants
iii. Post-Doctoral Fellowships.

2.

Project Gondwana – biophysical inventory (medium-term contracts) - 1996 to 2000.

3.

Vegetation mapping of the Wet Tropics bioregion at a scale of 1:50,000 (long-term contract) – 1997 to2008.

Pursuit of this approach in the future would depend on WTMA securing responsibility for administration of a
substantial research investment fund over several years.

Approach 2: Collaborative research programs
Formal collaborative affiliations of this type between WTMA and researchers have been in place for many
years, for example, through a long-term collaborative partnership with the Rainforest CRC (1993 – 2006) andmore recently through MTSRF (2006 – 2010) and NERP (2010 - present).
Individual projects are coordinated by the Reef and Rainforest Research Centre (for NERP funded projects) or
through cooperative research centres in the case of the Rainforest CRC. WTMA’s role, as an industry partner, is
to assist in project selection; be represented on various Boards, steering committees and project support
teams; attend and contribute to workshops and conferences; and review and comment on various reports andother documentation.

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WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-2018

Approach 3: Projects initiated by researchers
In this partnership approach, research projects are initiated independently by researchers through theirresearch institutions with input and support from WTMA as an industry partner. Generally, the support of
WTMA is sought because there is a requirement for the researcher to prove the practical value of their
proposal by accruing matching financial or other forms of in-kind contributions from an industry partner. This
form of partnership is very opportunistic and ad hoc and difficult for WTMA to budget for in advance.
An example of this type of partnership approach is that WTMA is currently an industry partner organisation in
an ARC Linkage project initiated by James Cook University. Linkage Projects support research and development
projects which are collaborative between higher education researchers and industry which are undertaken toacquire new knowledge, and which involve risk or innovation. Linkage Project proposals must involve a Partner
Organisation from outside the higher education sector. The Partner Organisation must make a significant
contribution in cash and/or in-kind, to the project that is equal to, or greater than, the ARC funding.
The advantage of this approach is that it can initiate long-term strategic research alliances between researchorganisations and the end-users of the research, in order to apply advanced knowledge to problems and/or toprovide opportunities to obtain national economic, social or cultural benefits

Approach 4: projects delivered through postgraduate student grants
WTMA recognises the importance of providing research support to postgraduate research students who
demonstrate clear evidence of high research potential. Providing modest financial support can greatly improvetheir research effectiveness, confidence and productivity. Providing top-up-grants to assist student researchrecognises the importance of attracting, retaining and supporting talented candidates to research degrees,with the longer-term aim of building the region’s research capacity. Not only is providing support topostgraduate researchers a very cost-efficient method of undertaking research, it is also recognition of theimportant contribution postgraduate student researchers are making.

Approach 5: Joint research with affiliated sectors
In this approach, WTMA initiates research projects, in collaboration with other research-user organisations.
Examples of this approach include:

joint visitor surveys and economic studies between WTMA and tourism industry researchers

design, construction and monitoring of wildlife underpasses and overpasses involving the Queensland
Department of Transport and Main Roads, WTMA and researchers.

As the contribution of the WTQWHA to the social, cultural and economic wellbeing of the community becomes
more widely appreciated, the opportunity to conduct research with related sectors (e.g. Indigenous, tourism,
economic, community service infrastructure providers and local government) increases. This creates theopportunity to spread the cost of the research over several organisations, and increase the relevance of theresearch findings across different sectors of the regional community.

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WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-2018

Approach 6: Projects delivered through volunteers
Community science programs are now lauded for their benefits to the participating individuals, the projects
and the host organisations. Baseline research and monitoring projects conducted, or heavily supported by thework of community groups or non-government organisations, can capture large amounts of data.
Community science programs can increase the capacity of organisations for research. They supply labour tocollect quantitative statistics from a large number of sites. Successful programs in our region link the work ofvolunteers to formal scientific programs that monitor the condition of species or ecosystems, for example theGreat Barrier Marine Park Authority Reef Monitoring Program, and several large rainforest research projects
through Earthwatch.
Recent research projects supported by WTMA involving volunteers have included cassowary dung collections
for DNA analysis to develop improved techniques for cassowary population census, the feral ‘Deer Watch’project based on community deer sighting information and an important yellow crazy ant surveillance program
involving Conservation Volunteers Australia (CVA).

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WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-2018

7. Important general areas of research
Regional research capacity
Although not directly related to any specific research area, WTMA recognises the importance of supporting
efforts directed at maintaining and strengthening regional research capacity, and the continued developmentof problem-solving approaches that can be applied to effective and sustainable World Heritage management.
This research capacity, and the high quality research outcomes resulting from it, depends upon creating,
maintaining and attracting:

talented researchersadequate and up-to-date research infrastructureadequate and targeted funding

good linkages to the best science overseaseffective linkage to local users of knowledge and expertise

consistent support over a long time-scaleeffective dissemination and promotion of research success

successful translation of research resulting in significant environmental, social and economic impacts.

WTMA also recognises that all ecological research relies on accurate taxonomy. We are facing an increasing
shortage of professional taxonomists and there is an urgent need to encourage more taxonomic expertise to
the region. New technologies and software developments, such as interactive plant identification keys,
phylogenetic trees, genetic fingerprinting and aerial surveillance technology are particularly valuable and are
now considered basic resource tools for research.
WTMA is also generally supportive of the continuation and expansion of long-term monitoring and inventory
programs and of the development and advancement in the disciplines of ecological and predictive modelling,
and other forms of spatial and temporal analysis.
Historically, governments have placed much greater emphasis on short-term outcomes. Similarly, much of theresearch undertaken in universities is carried out by doctoral and post-doctoral researchers employed on ashort-term basis and where time is a major constraining factor in the type of research that can be undertaken.
Although these studies have provided a rich source of data for the development of ecological theories which
underpin ecological science, formulating theories solely on the basis of short-term extrapolation is fraught withdanger. Short-term studies need to be supported by long-term data which provides a context for interpretationand helps test the validity and robustness of hypotheses. Modern ecology relies more and more on thedevelopment of sophisticated models to predict ecological responses and such models have become valuable
tools in the management of our ecosystems but few models have been robustly tested against real, long-termdata.
In addition, the complexity of the interaction between short term cycles and longer trends makes
interpretation difficult. Long term studies provide an invaluable aid to a better understanding of changes
occurring in our ecological systems. Long term studies are also essential for the study of slow processes such as
succession and the impact of climate change on natural systems, and in the recording of rare or episodic events

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WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-2018

which play a very important role in determining the complex patterns which characterises our ecologicallandscapes.

What types of research are important?
Research is required to improve our understanding of the World Heritage Area, how ecosystems function, to beable to monitor their health, maintain and build their resilience to current and future threats and to be able touse ecosystems sustainably. These needs can be addressed by investing in four broad research areas:
1.

Understanding the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area

2.

Understanding the rainforests (and associated ecosystems) of Australia’s Wet Tropics.

3.

Understanding the causes of change to Australia’s tropical rainforest ecosystems and how to maintain,
restore and monitor their ecological resilience to change.

4.

Understanding the social drivers of change and the social responses to managing tropical rainforest
ecosystems.

1. Understanding the Outstanding Universal Value of the Wet Tropics World
Heritage Area
Research that adds to our knowledge about the attributes of the OUV of the Wet Tropics, relevant to the Area’s
listed criteria in addition to the identification of additional natural or cultural values is an important obligation.

Key research needs
Increase our knowledge the OUV of the Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area
 Identify and describe new species of flora and fauna and update OUV attributes of the WTWHA based on
new research or on reassessments based on new scientific concepts and understanding.
 Identify and describe appropriate benchmarks and indicators for sustainable monitoring of the integrity
and OUV of the WTWHA.
 Establish and maintain permanent and representative networks of monitoring sites across the WTWHA to
improve our understanding of natural dynamic processes and to provide early warning of changes inecological condition which may threaten the viability of OUV.
 Identify, assess and increase our knowledge of the cultural values of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area.

2. Understanding the rainforests (and associated ecosystems) of Australia’s
Wet Tropics
Understanding the outstanding universal value, biological diversity, function, and maintenance of Australia’s
tropical rainforest ecosystems and the long-term Aboriginal association with the region remains the foundationof conserving, managing and presenting these important ecosystems.
The origin and maintenance of biodiversity and the impact of humans on this biodiversity is essential
knowledge for their informed management.

Key questions
Describing Australia’s wet tropical diversity•

What are the attributes that contribute to the outstanding universal value of Australia’s wet tropicalrainforest ecosystems?

•

What are the patterns of diversity in Australia’s wet tropical rainforest ecosystems?

25

WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-2018•

What factors and processes explain the current patterns and distribution of diversity at the population andspecies levels?

Origin, patterns, and maintenance of Australia’s wet tropical diversity•

How has history influenced genetic and species diversity?

•

What factors explain species abundances and richness?

•

What is the role of biotic interactions in the structure and function of Australia’s wet tropical ecosystems?

•

How did Aboriginal occupancy influence the ecology of Australia’s wet tropical ecosystems?

•

How did diversity originate in natural ecosystems and how can it be maintained in human-impacted
landscapes?

Functioning of Australia’s wet tropical ecosystems•

How are biodiversity and ecosystem functioning linked in different habitat types?

•

What are the characteristics and dynamics of rainforest/open forest boundaries, ecotones and otherecosystem margins and how should these characteristics be incorporated into improved fire management
practices?

3. Understanding the causes of change to Australia’s tropical rainforest
ecosystems and how to maintain, restore and monitor their ecologicalresilience to change
Invasive species, fragmentation, and climate change threaten many habitats and there is compelling evidence
that these threats will increase in the future. Understanding the responses of biodiversity and ecosystems tonatural and man-made changes is fundamental to appropriate and timely management intervention.
Research priorities include evaluating the multitude of human impacts on Australia’s wet tropical rainforests.
Responses of these ecosystems to management strategies designed to conserve and restore them also need to
be assessed.
As environmental issues have no borders and require a global approach, research being undertaken in the Wet
Tropics is also relevant to many other parts of the world.

Key questions
Human impacts on ecosystems•

What are the levels of environmental change that natural systems can tolerate before fundamental
ecological processes are irreversibly altered?

•

Where are the areas at highest risk and what options are available to mitigate and/or adapt toenvironmental change?

•

What are the effects of changes in land use and land cover, economic drivers and resource use on thecomposition, structure, and function of Wet Tropics ecosystems?

•

What are the environmental impacts of roads and other infrastructure on the integrity of the WTWHA andwhat options are available to avoid or mitigate these impacts?

•

What and where are the cumulative impacts of past and present developments and how and where should
management be directed at improving landscape resilience to counter these impacts?

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WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-2018

Fragmentation•

What are the effects of past regional clearing patterns and habitat fragmentation on present and futurecomposition, structure, and function of Wet Tropics ecosystems?

•

What are the effects of fragmentation on dispersal, invasive species and the spread of diseases?

•

What is the fragmentation; patch size and connectivity thresholds for the maintenance of biodiversity andecosystem processes?

Invasive species•

What are the effects of invasive weeds, vertebrate and invertebrate pest species and diseases on present
and future composition, structure, and function of Wet Tropics ecosystems?

•

What are cost-effective approaches to predicting, identifying and eradicating novel invasive species?

Restoration•

What are the biological, social, economic, and political limitations to restoration of tropical ecosystems?
How might one overcome these limitations?

•

What are achievable, cost-effective techniques for rehabilitating degraded sites and re-establishing natural
successional processes, including the restoration of ecological connectivity?

Sustainable use•

How does agricultural and urban land uses impact on biodiversity and ecosystem function at both local andlandscape scales and how can they be managed to minimise impacts?

•

How is tourist visitation to high biodiversity or environmentally sensitive areas best managed to minimise
impacts?

4. Understanding the social drivers of change and the social responses tomanaging tropical rainforest ecosystems
Studying the social forces that impact rainforest ecosystems is central to their sustained management.
Improved understanding of the complex drivers of change both inside and outside Australia’s Wet Tropics willcontribute to better policies, actions and management for conservation and sustainable use.

Key questions
Governance•

What is the role of Aboriginal traditional knowledge and community based management in theconservation of Australia’s tropical rainforest ecosystems?

•

What is the relative effectiveness of conservation policies, management and governance regimes incurtailing habitat degradation in Australia’s Wet Tropics?

•

How can business and other community and Traditional Owner partners be engaged, benefit from, andcontribute to the knowledge and management that is integral to World Heritage protection andmanagement?

•

What are the social and economic incentives that may encourage involvement in and support for the
WTWHA and its values?

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WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-2018

Presentation•

What are the key determinants of visitor experience in the Wet Tropics?

•

What are the key indicators of visitor behaviour, motivation and understanding and how might these beapplied to improve management and education?

•

What constitutes best practice techniques for presentation of World Heritage, and what is the role of the
tourism industry in this?

•What are the best approaches to developing a strong citizen science and volunteering program to support
public engagement in WTWHA management?

Ecosystem services•

What is the economic value of biological diversity? What are the best measures of ecosystem services?

•

How is human welfare related to the maintenance of biodiversity and ecosystem services and what are theeconomic and non-economic “valuations” of these services?

•

What is the role of Australia’s tropical rainforests in the global carbon budget and can Australia’s tropicalrainforest ecosystems serve as indicators of climate change?

•

What are the dynamics of water in Australia’s wet tropical rainforests and what are the impacts of its use
on freshwater aquatic biodiversity and ecosystem services?

•

What are the intangible values provided by the WTWHA for the local and regional community?

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WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-2018

8. Priority research questions 2014-2018
This Research Strategy identifies a small number of specific research questions of fundamental interest andrelevance to WTMA, to which we are willing to commit greater resources in championing and supporting(presented below as TOP PRIORITY research questions (.T), and a larger number of more general questions.
Of the general questions the HIGH PRIORITY research questions (.H) are those that WTMA has identified as of
special interest and/or concern in the short to medium term, while the LOWER PRIORITY research questions(.P) are considered to be important but of lesser urgency. These three tiers also provide a broad indication of
the scale of resources and time WTMA may be willing to invest in a project.
The scope of projects prompted by the more general questions will be dependent upon the capabilities of theresearchers (e.g. student vs. established researcher, full-time vs. part-time research commitment etc.) as wellas financial and other resources. Some questions in isolation might be the basis of a small piece of researchsuch as an honours thesis. Others might be scoped or combined in larger-scale projects. WTMA would welcome
the opportunity to work collaboratively with researchers to develop projects that meet our needs and increase
effectiveness and efficiency across our government and industry partners.
WTMA encourages its research partners to collaborate on long-term strategic issues as well as emerging
threats that affect the WTQWHA. The focus of research and the priority topics will change over time withchanges in the environmental, community, economic and political landscape, but the following informationneeds have been identified as priorities in the medium term (3–5 years).
Thirteen categories of management issues have been identified under priority research themes, andinformation needs have been identified under each of these. Research questions have been prioritised into Top(.T), High (.H), and lower Priority (.P). These have been coded for ease of reference. The first letter refers to therelevant management function, the second and third letter to the relevant category, and the fourth to thepriority. The final number is purely for ease of reference where there is more than one question identified forthat category and priority.

CEH.T1

What are the key indicators of forest healththat can be regularly measured at alandscape scale within the WTQWHA?

Condition | Ecological Health | Top Priority (Information Need 1)

TCC.H3

Where are the key locations and landscape‘networks’ most likely to function as
refugial areas and landscape linkages forthreatened key species and ecosystems?

Threat | Climate Change | High Priority (Information Need 3)
In addition to the following list of questions, they have also been included as appendices sorted on the basis of‘top priority questions’ (Appendix 1), ‘high priority questions’ (Appendix 2) and ‘priority questions’ (Appendix
3).

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WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-2018

1. Understanding the Outstanding Universal Value of the Wet
Tropics World Heritage Area
1a.

Increase our knowledge the OUV of the Wet Tropics of Queensland
World Heritage Area
What do we wish to achieve?
Research that adds to our knowledge about the attributes of the OUV of the Wet Tropics, relevant to
the Area’s listed criteria in addition to the identification of additional natural or cultural values is an
important obligation.

Understanding the Wet Tropics’ Outstanding Universal Value (OUV)
The term Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) is the fundamental cornerstone of World Heritage (including
nominations, monitoring and reporting) and is the basis for the protection and management of a World
Heritage property. It is defined (in paragraph 49 of the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the
19

World Heritage Convention ) as the:“cultural and/or natural significance which is so exceptional as to transcend nationalboundaries and to be of common importance for present and future generations of
all humanity. As such, the permanent protection of this heritage is of the highest
importance to the international community as a whole”
Interpreting Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) and its integrity (OUV-I) and applying it in practice can bedifficult, but remains at the heart of the philosophy of World Heritage. There is an ongoing need, andobligation, to improve and update our knowledge of the OUV of the Wet Tropics and to incorporate newscientific evidence, understanding, theories and phylogenetic tools. We need better knowledge andunderstanding in relation to the four natural World Heritage criterion for which the Wet Tropics was inscribed(criterion vii, viii, ix and x):(vii)“contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty andaesthetic importance”:

HIGH priority research questions
CUV.H1

How can the areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance of the WTQWHA,
considered to be of outstanding universal value (OUV), be identified, located, mapped anddescribed in greater detail as a basis for planning, management, presentation and decisions
about development in and around the WTQWHA?

19

Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention http://whc.unesco.org/archive/opguide08-en.pdf

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OTHER PRIORITY research questions
CUV.P1

How can the superlative natural phenomena displayed by the WTQWHA which are of outstanding
universal value (OUV) be identified, located, mapped and described in greater detail as a basis forplanning, management, presentation and decisions about development in and around theWTQWHA?

(viii)“be outstanding examples representing major stages of earth's history, including therecord of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development oflandforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features”:

HIGH PRIORITY research questions
CUV.H2How can the new understanding and theories of phylogenetics and the evolution of theangiosperms be used to update understanding of the OUV of the Wet Tropics; in particular, theconcept and listing of ‘primitive’ or ‘basal’ angiosperms, Gondwanan taxa, species with a nodal
position in evolution, and those species of Cretaceous origin and describe those aspects which
could be considered to be of outstanding universal value?

OTHER PRIORITY research questions
CUV.P2

What and where are the fossil, geological processes and geomorphologic features and attributesof the WTQWHA which could be considered to be of outstanding universal value?

(ix)“be outstanding examples representing significant ongoing ecological and biologicalprocesses in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal andmarine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals”; and(x)“contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservationof biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding
universal value from the point of view of science or conservation”.

HIGH priority research questions
CUV.H3How can the climate sensitivity of species and ecosystems be determined to provide a greater
indication of those outstanding universal values which are most susceptible to climate change
and identify how much climate change (direction, magnitude, rate, means vs. extremes) is toomuch in relation to specific values including understanding the climatic thresholds of key species
and communities?

CUV.H4Which species and ecosystems within the WTQWHA are most at risk from threatening processes
and how can they be identified and quantified?

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WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-2018

2. Understanding the rainforests (and associated ecosystems) ofAustralia’s Wet Tropics
What do we wish to achieve?

Understanding the outstanding universal value, biological diversity, function, and maintenanceof Australia’s tropical rainforest ecosystems and the long-term Aboriginal association with theregion remains the foundation of conserving, managing and presenting these important
ecosystems.
The origin and maintenance of biodiversity and the impact of humans on this biodiversity isessential knowledge for their informed management.

2a.

Describing Australia’s wet tropical diversity
What do we wish to achieve?
We need to improve our understanding of the condition, trend, threats and interdependencies of thenatural and cultural environments of the Wet Tropics including methods to support ongoing regularassessment and reporting. We also need to identify those OUV attributes at risk from various threats
and identify what management approaches can be adopted to build their resilience.

Ecological / Forest ‘Health’ (EH)
WTMA is responsible for reporting annually on the state of the WTQWHA to the Queensland and Australian
governments, and also to UNESCO on a six yearly cycle. To understand whether and how the ‘health’ or
ecological integrity of the WTQWHA is changing we need to develop improved monitoring tools including
methods and opportunities for using remote sensing technology.

TOP PRIORITY research questions
CEH.T1

What are the key indicators of forest health that can be regularly measured at a landscapescale within the WTQWHA?

CEH.T2Is there proven remote sensing technology able to be used to measure trends in these key
indicators either directly or indirectly?

CEH.T3

If not, what alternate approaches could be employed?

Why are these priorities?
WTMA uses a variety of data and information but has not yet identified any practical measure to report on
trends in ‘health’ of the WTQWHA at the ‘whole-of-WTQWHA’ scale. Remote sensing is the only technologythat promises to provide a practical means of reporting on trends in overall WTQWHA ‘health’ or ‘condition’ innear real-time and on a regular, repeatable, affordable basis.

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WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-2018

Considerations
WTMA has previously commissioned research in this area but several technological hurdles prevented it frombeing turned into simple routine procedures. Topography, the canopy, and cloud cover pose challenges tointerpretation of remote sensing information for the WTQWHA.

HIGH PRIORITY research questions
CEH.H1

What are the key indicators of forest health that can be used as a basis for assessment andreporting?

CEH.H2

Is it possible to achieve high resolution mapping and monitoring of change and recovery by
remote sensing in a topographically diverse landscape such as the Wet Tropics?

CEH.H3What are operational, cost-effective methods for monitoring trends in the ‘condition’ oflandscapes, forests and waterways of the WTQWHA at a range of scales, incorporating themonitoring and assessment of risks and threats to the WTQWHA and the impacts of management
actions, and how can monitoring results be incorporated into WTMA’s statutory reporting?

CEH.H4How can the spatial distribution and magnitude of pressures impacting on the ecologicalcondition of the WTQWHA be identified and mapped, including invasive species, development
pressures, habitat fragmentation, wildlife diseases, water quality, upstream land uses and visitor
pressures?

CEH.H5What are appropriate socio-economic and cultural indicators to describe the effects of changes inthe ecological state of the region and changes in its management?

2b.

Origin, patterns, and maintenance of Australia’s wet tropical diversity

Priority Species and Ecosystems (SP)20

There are several national and state Recovery Plans and Threat Abatement Plans which identify research
priorities for threatened species and ecological communities. The following research questions are additional
to those and of particular relevance to the WTQWHA.

TOP PRIORITY research question
CSP.T1

What are the condition, trends and projected futures of threatened species including
cassowaries and arboreal mammals and other threatened species and ecosystems (including
the identification and evaluation of the key threats to them and evaluation of available
management options to improve their status)?

20

National Recovery Plans and Threat Abatement Plans (required under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
http://www.environment.gov.au/epbc/about/index.html for threatened species and ecological communities, including the Southern Cassowary), can be foundhere: http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/index.html
Recovery plans under the Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992 https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/LEGISLTN/ACTS/1992/92AC020.pdf can be found here:
http://www.ehp.qld.gov.au/wildlife/threatened-species/recovery_conservation_plans.html

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WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-2018

Why is this a priority?
The cassowary is classified as endangered in Australia. It is also recognised as a keystone species for seeddispersal in the WTQWHA. Cassowary populations are centred around the Mission Beach, Daintree andKuranda areas, all of which are contested landscapes in term of development pressures. The cassowary is ahigh profile species and its survival or otherwise has become somewhat of a ‘sustainability’ indicator to theregional community. If we have good science to demonstrate that the population is definitely in decline thiswill give more weight for securing resources and government commitment to implementing impact mitigation
measures. Improved understanding of population dynamics will also assist in designing such impact mitigation
measures.

Considerations
WTMA and other organisations have already supported cassowary research by CSIRO and techniques forcassowary DNA-profiling have now been proved. CSIRO scientists have the capacity to build on this technology
and undertake population dynamics research.

HIGH PRIORITY research questions
CSP.H1

What aspects of population dynamics, DNA techniques, ecology, physiology, behaviour, anddisease research are likely to be the most useful for on-ground recovery of threatened species
such as the cassowary?

CSP.H2

What is the LD50 dose, and what is an appropriate 1080 management strategy to ensure that the
Wet Tropics subspecies of the endangered spotted-tailed quoll (Dasyurus maculatus gracilis) is
not put at further risk from wild dog baiting programs?

OTHER PRIORITY research questions
CSP.P1

Are there valid surrogacy relationships between vegetation types/regional ecosystems and fauna
habitat, and can this be used in the development of habitat mapping and improved predictive
capacity especially with respect to threatened and endemic regional fauna?

CSP.P2

What are the population trends, structure, distribution and genetics for key cassowary
populations and what factors are the most likely cause of change for these populations?

2c.

Functioning of Australia’s wet tropical ecosystems

Fire Management (FM)Many ecosystems in the Wet Tropics evolved under the influence of fire. Traditional Aboriginal fire
management created a mosaic of ecological niches for plants and animals and in so doing influenced patternsof biodiversity. Modern-day changes in landuse and management have disrupted these historical fire patterns
and have resulted in changes to fire-adapted ecological communities, particularly in the wet and dry sclerophyll
communities along the boundaries of the rainforest. Some of these fire-adapted ecological communities arehome to rare and threatened species such as the northern bettong, several species of gliders, and numerous
terrestrial orchids.

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WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-2018

WTMA recognises the need for land managers to use fire and to exclude fire for different management
purposes. Fire, however, is a complex phenomenon and if employed (or excluded) without adequate
knowledge, can threaten the biological productivity, biodiversity and sustainability of ecosystems. Because fire
regimes affect biodiversity, management actions which affect fire regimes will also affect biodiversity.

In fire-prone landscapes, fire regimes can have a major influence on the composition of vegetation by
regulating demographic processes such as mortality, reproduction, germination and survival of plant
populations.

Many ecologists have emphasised the complexity of designing appropriate fire regimes for conservation.
Although there has been a large increase in ecological knowledge of fire regimes during recent decades, thecreation of new fire regimes is still bedevilled by a lack of knowledge. There are many complex and
unpredictable biotic responses to fire, making it difficult to arrive at useful generalisations.

Fire is a complex phenomenon but is also a convenient and often necessary tool for the management of
ecosystems to maintain biodiversity. This complexity is also reflected in the serious dichotomy in our
knowledge: we have quite reasonable levels of understanding of the principles of fire physics, wildfire
suppression and prescribed burning technology on one hand, but relatively poor comprehension of the impactsof fire and its role in ecosystem management and the effects of past fire histories and the cumulative effects offire events, on the other.

The optimal fire regime for a particular ecological community or ecological community state (for example theoptimal season, frequency, intensity and extent of burning) varies between ecological communities and varies
within the same ecological community depending upon previous fire histories. Consequently, changes to fire
regimes play a role in shaping the biodiversity of the Wet Tropics by acting as drivers between ecologicalcommunity states and types. The conclusion to be drawn is that an appropriate fire regime for many
communities depends on the desired management outcomes.

TOP PRIORITY research question
HFM.T1

What are the characteristics of the dynamics of rainforest/open forest edges and otherecosystem boundaries and how should these characteristics be considered when reviewing
boundary fire management in response to a changing climate?

Why is this a priority?
A distinctive feature of rainforests in the Wet Tropics is the often abrupt boundary between the rainforest andeucalypt dominated vegetation. In the region, wet sclerophyll forest dominated by tall (>40 metre) eucalypts
typically forms a narrow band ranging from 300 metres to less than four kilometres in width along the western
rainforest margin. There is evidence that the extent of this forest type has been reduced to half its extent overthe last 50 years, largely as a result of conversion to rainforest. Similar claims have been made regarding
coastal sclerophyll forests in high rainfall areas being transformed to rainforest at an accelerating rate. There iscurrently poor understanding of the short and long term dynamic processes involved in this pattern of35

WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-2018

ecological change, and a poor appreciation of what constitutes appropriate short and long term management
responses to this change.

Considerations
The vegetation dynamics of the rainforest boundary has been the subject of much scientific and management
interest. While the rainforest boundaries appear abrupt and stable on short time frames, pollen records showthat these boundaries have been expanding and contracting throughout geological history, and the current day
expansion is partly a function of climatic amelioration and/or release from fire suppression. A number of
researchers report that rainforest is expanding at the expense of eucalypt forest, due to altered changed fire
regimes since European settlement.

HIGH PRIORITY research questions
HFM.H1

What are the criteria that need to be developed to identify key areas for fire management andother areas where expansion of rainforest is actually a desirable/natural outcome?

OTHER PRIORITY research questions
HFM.P1

In light of the impact of climate change on ecosystems, how can WTQWHA on-ground land
managers optimise their fire management while meeting biodiversity and cultural heritage
conservation, recreational availability, and requirements for community safety?

HFM.P2

What are the ‘best’ fire management regimes (for the protection of the Area’s outstanding
universal value and its integrity) for key vegetation types or locations?

HFM.P3How can traditional ecological knowledge be incorporated to effectively involve Aboriginal
people in fire management programs?

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3. Understanding the causes of change to Australia’s tropicalrainforest ecosystems and how to maintain, restore andmonitor their ecological resilience to change
What do we wish to achieve?
We need to improve our understanding of the threats to, and their impact on, the Wet Tropics
environment, develop options to mitigate them, and methods to identify priorities for action.

3a.

Human impacts on ecosystems

Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Strategies / Regional Responses (CC)Climate change poses a significant threat to the Wet Tropics, particularly to species adapted to cool uplandareas and isolated mountain tops, and many endemic species are predicted to decline significantly in range due
to even slight increases in temperature. In 1997 the World Heritage Centre identified the WTQWHA as atparticularly high risk from climate change.
We need predictions on the likely impacts of changing climate on key species, habitats and ecosystems, better
understanding of how they might adapt, and to identify key species and ecosystems that are under mostthreat. To be able to mitigate the effects of climate change, we need to identify key climate-buffered, stablerefugia and landscape links, and develop guidelines for the design of landscape connectivity incorporatingrefugia to allow for movement of organisms and persistence of gene pools.

TOP PRIORITY research questions
TCC.T1

How resilient are different WTQWHA species and ecosystems to climate change and whatmanagement actions can be undertaken to maintain/improve ecosystem ‘resilience’ in the faceof climate change?

TCC.T2

Where are the key locations and best landscape configurations most likely to function as
refugial areas and landscape linkages for key threatened species and ecosystems?

TCC.T3

When and where is landscape connectivity a bad choice in relation to the maintenance andstability of refugial areas?

Why are these priorities?
A better understanding of the impacts of climate change would enable WTMA to encourage land managers andland use planners to focus on these areas to mitigate ongoing impacts and build the resilience of such networks
and refugial areas.

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Considerations
The principle of increasing landscape connectivity is strongly supported and promoted by WTMA as a means ofimproving regional environmental resilience to a range of pressures such as clearing, fragmentation andclimate change, and as a way of increasing access to a fragmented resource-base by wildlife, and mitigating theeffects of population isolation and fragmentation. However, there may be special cases where climaticallystable refugial areas with high levels of local endemism and highly specialist species, may be destabilised, andthe resident species disadvantaged, by habitat invasion resulting from well-meaning but ill-conceived corridor
design.

HIGH PRIORITY research questions
TCC.H1

What are the short-term and long-term environmental, economic and social costs and benefits
associated with particular climate change adaptation options and their likely effectiveness in the
Wet Tropics?

TCC.H2

How will climate change impact on the natural and cultural environments of the WTQWHA andwhat is the level of spatial and temporal confidence associated with these predictions?

TCC.H3

Where are the key locations and landscape ‘networks’ most likely to function as refugial areas
and landscape linkages for threatened key species and ecosystems?

OTHER PRIORITY research questions
TCC.P1

How can climate change models and their underlying relationships and assumptions be tested
and improved by the strategic collection of environmental and ecological data sets through theestablishment of monitoring systems to enable early detection of climate change impacts on key
species and ecosystems?

TCC.P2Which species are likely to be the best indicators of the effects of climate change on naturalcommunities?

TCC.P3

How will climate change and its primary impacts interact with other threats such as clearing,fragmentation, fire, weeds, feral animals, declining water quality, urbanisation and other land
uses to impact on the outstanding universal values of the WTQWHA, including identification of
those which have the greatest potential for substantial impact?

TCC.P4

Under what circumstances and which places in the landscape could improving landscapeconnectivity result in negative ecological outcomes?

TCC.P5What design aspects and species selections need to be incorporated into rehabilitation projects
to ensure that altitudinal and latitudinal buffers or corridors exist through the landscape?

TCC.P6

How does the WTQWHA contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, sequestration and storage?

TCC.P7

How resilient are key sectors of local industry, notably tourism and visitor services, with respect
to the environmental impacts of climate change?

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Impact Mitigation – Community Infrastructure and Activities (IM)The provision of necessary community infrastructure is the main reason for permitting ongoing humandisturbances within the WTQWHA, and managers are eager to minimise such disturbance.

For example, the presence of a road alters hydrology, fragments habitat and results in road-kill. Some native
animals avoid roads, resulting in wildlife populations becoming isolated and causing a disruption to seasonal
movements and genetic interchange. Roads are also a source of stream pollution and increased sediment load,
while road culverts, causeways and bridge footings often result in the fragmentation of aquatic habitats andthe altering of stream flow patterns. The habitat fragmentation impacts of a road can be amplified by road use
which results in noise, vibration, movement, dust, emissions, and lights, each of which can interfere withwildlife activities and behaviour.

The clearings associated with power transmission lines typically have greater fragmentation and edge effectimpacts than roads and can result in the intrusion of non-forest habitats (usually tall exotic grasslands or
shrublands) into native forests which act as conduits for weeds, feral animals, wind and fire into the interior of
the forest. Dams, weirs and culverts impact on aquatic ecosystems by causing changes in natural flow regimes
as a result of water extraction and supply; by modifying or destroying habitats; by acting as barriers to the
movement of plants and animals; by decreasing water quality and quantity; and increasing colonisation byintroduced and exotic animal and plant species.

Guidelines relating to the design, construction and maintenance of these activities have been produced for the
purpose of avoiding or mitigating undesirable impacts on the environment, but managers are always keen to
keep strengthening them. We need information on ways to:Completely avoid particular impacts;Control the effects of unavoidable impacts; andAlleviate the effects of particular threats.

TOP PRIORITY research question
TIM.T1

What is the effectiveness of impact mitigation strategies and on-ground practices in restoringor maintaining ecological processes and function with respect to community infrastructure (e.g.
roads, power supply and distribution, communications, water storage and water supply)
design, construction, maintenance and use?

Why is this a priority?
As part of an adaptive management approach and to ensure that on-ground improvements are being achieved,
it is important that researchers collaborate with WTMA, its on-ground managers and with infrastructure
providers to monitor and provide feedback to continually improve design, construction and maintenancepractices.

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Considerations
Essential services supplied by community infrastructure are important for regional development but theconstruction and maintenance of infrastructure also impacts significantly on the condition of the naturalenvironment, particularly where cleared corridors are required through rainforests.

HIGH PRIORITY research questions
TIM.H1

What impacts do high altitude, low traffic presentation roads (e.g. Mt Lewis; Mount Edith-Kauri
Creek Circuit Road) have on locally restricted endemic wildlife and what are appropriate design,
maintenance and management considerations?

TIM.H2How can mountain-top sites within the WTQWHA be classified with respect to their ecologicaland evolutionary significance, vulnerability to disturbance and irreplaceability?

TIM.H3What impacts does the provision of community infrastructure have on water quality and on theecological functioning of freshwater aquatic ecosystems?

OTHER PRIORITY research questions
TIM.P13b.

What are suitable indicators for quantifying and monitoring grazing impacts?

Invasive species

Alien and Invasive Species (AI)Alien and invasive species are a major threat to the integrity of the WTQWHA and to rural industries in theregion. Managers need to identify the best practices for prevention or control of pest species in the Wet
Tropics, the implications of using these methods, and the habitat types and subregions that are mostsusceptible to invasive species, including better maps of current and projected distribution of spread, trends,
and impacts at scales relevant to local and regional management.
Science is a critical element underpinning biosecurity. It can have an enormous input to managing risks anduncertainties, and ultimately the effectiveness of any decision. It can provide key information for manyquestions and can help determine which questions should be asked. We need better methods to identify,
assess and prioritise organisms that are most likely to emerge as pests, weeds and diseases including the range
of factors that influence emerging pests, weeds and diseases. Research is also required to minimise the risk ofentry, establishment or spread of pests and disease invasions.

To successfully eradicate, control, or mitigate the impact of established pests we need to:Understand the movement of invasive species through complex natural and human modified
environments



Develop effective and integrated approaches to managing established pests

Improve the understanding of the life history/ecology of pests and the invaded system

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WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-2018

assess current and future costs, both to the environment and the economy, of invasive species.

We require better tools for the risk analysis of pathways by which high priority pest organisms enter the Wet
Tropics and, once established, are disseminated. Particular needs are for new and improved tools and models
to better understand and manage:
the inanimate pathways associated with the entry of specific invertebrate groups (such as tramp ants)

pathways to predict the potential natural and human mediated spread of high priority pest organisms after
their initial establishment

the relative risks between pathways

We require diagnostic tools, and aligned taxonomic research, that enable rapid identification of high priority
risk organisms including their taxonomy. Particular needs are new/improved diagnostic tools for:


priority arthropods (such as yellow crazy ant and other tramp ant species)

pathogens (such as phytophthora, myrtle rust)

aquatic species.

Our surveillance systems are under increasing demand and we need to better understand, and increase, theefficacy of both existing and new surveillance tools and systems. Particular needs in the area of efficacy ofsurveillance are:

Methods to evaluate the effectiveness of current approaches to surveillance including tools and systems.

Assessment of the sensitivity and specificity of tools for detecting pests and pathogens.



Developing more effective approaches to targeted surveillance, considering the application of detection
tools and the design of sampling schemes. This is particularly important for the detection of pests andpathogens at low densities.



Social research to improve the acceptability to and active engagement from, the general population.



Methods for proving the absence of pest, weed and disease organisms.

Key pests are successfully controlled using a variety of control tools; however some of these tools (e.g. toxins)
are increasingly unacceptable. We need more control options which are humane, socially and culturally
acceptable and minimise impacts on non-target species and the environment. Particular needs are research
into more effective and acceptable management options for:

vertebrate pests



invertebrate pests

plant pests

plant diseases including myrtle rust and phytophthora

use in the freshwater environment.

A critical research need is to better understand and quantify the actual and potential impacts of pests anddiseases on ecosystems, i.e. more of a systems approach to risk.

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TOP PRIORITY research questions
TAI.T1

What is the realised and potential ecological impact of yellow crazy ants on the OUV and integrityof the WTQWHA and how effective is the management regime being employed to eradicate themfrom the Wet Tropics?

Why is this a priority?
Yellow crazy ants have recently been found in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area in a restricted area around
Mount Peter near Edmonton while a smaller outbreak in the Kuranda district is only a short distance from theWorld Heritage Area. These ants are on the World Conservation Union’s list of ‘100 of the World’s Worst
Invasive Alien Species’ and fit the stereotype of a rapacious marauding invader. Where yellow crazy antsflourish, little else does. They can remove nearly all insect life, leaving none for other animals, and kill small
animals such as lizards and bird chicks.
The Wet Tropics World Heritage Area is at grave risk, for the ants’ preferred habitat is moist lowland tropicalforest. Yellow crazy ants demonstrate the power of numbers and the benefits of social cooperation. They areable to dominate large areas by forming super-colonies with multiple nests and multiple queens and extend
over several hundred hectares. The boundary of a super-colony has been found to be able to advance by 3
metres a day in some environments.

The adults eat nectar and honeydew and feed their brood on animals killed or scavenged. They don’t sting but
squirt formic acid, which blinds and debilitates their prey. Their great numbers allow them to overwhelm
animals far exceeding them in size. Yellow crazy ants farm sap-sucking bugs for their honeydew (excreted
sugary liquid) and protect them from predators. The build-up in bugs and sugar encourages the growth of sooty
mould, which can severely compromise tree health and is sometimes fatal.

Considerations
The Wet Tropics Management Authority is managing a yellow crazy ant eradication program in the hope of
removing this threat before the risk escalates. We need a research package that will inform the Wet Tropics
Yellow Crazy Ant Eradication Program on the efficacy of its eradication approach, on the effectiveness ofdifferent chemical baits, toxins and hormones (the current control methods) and explore alternative methods.
The program to be effective requires life-history information to optimise the timing of bait delivery, andefficient surveillance techniques in rugged rainforest situations, and monitoring of both the impacts of theyellow crazy ant infestation and the effectiveness of the management regime being employed to eradicate
them.
TAI.T2

Where should investment in pest animal research and management be directed and focussed,
considering the relative risk posed to the ecology and outstanding universal values andintegrity (OUV-I) of the WTQWHA?

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WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-2018

Why is this a priority?
Current pest animal research and management is largely focussed on pig control and more recently on wild
dogs and the pest fish, tilapia. However, there has recently been a proliferation of newly emerging pest animals(especially invertebrates) establishing in the region, including various tramp ant species (such as the yellow
crazy ant and the electric ant), feral bees (Asian honeybee), feral worms (Pontoscolex corethrurus) and deer(rusa, fallow and chital). Other pests, for example rabbits and foxes, have also been expanding their ranges.
Many of these pests also have the potential to have a significant impact upon rural economies. Natural area
managers need to be better informed of the relative potential risks posed by these introductions.

Considerations
Socio-economic costs and benefits of both pests and their management is an important additional factor. For
example, the environmental damage caused by feral pigs is recognised nationally as a key threatening process.
There is widespread and high level community concern regarding pig damage to both the environment andrural industries in the region and increasing concern regarding the role of feral pigs in the spread of diseases ofwildlife, domestic stock, and humans. Pig numbers are such that control measures designed to reduce numbersby killing need to be intensive and continuous. The response to the pig issue has diverted much of the region’s
protected area pest animal resources for many years.

TAI.T3

Where are there identifiable, vulnerable, high-susceptibility areas where weeds and pest
animals have the potential to become major drivers impacting the ecological health ofparticular communities, ecosystems or regions of the WTQWHA that should be the focus forkeeping pest, pathogen and/or weed free?

Why is this a priority?
If we knew which areas are most vulnerable, then it allows land managers to more strategically focus pest andweed control / hygiene activities in these areas. The vulnerability of an area may be related to its interactions
with climate change impacts, the significance of the site in terms of its OUV-I (e.g. mountain tops and centresof local endemism), or particular vegetation types and their susceptibility to pest attack.

Considerations
Traditionally pest control has targeted specific pest species rather than targeting susceptible parts of thelandscape. This change in emphasis will become more important when considering the interacting effects andimpacts of climate change.

HIGH PRIORITY research questions
CAI.H1

Which weed species cause, or are likely to cause, the greatest environmental harm, where are
the key areas of susceptibility and what are their environmental impacts?

CAI.H2

Are current infrastructure management/maintenance hygiene prescriptions appropriate and/or
adequate with respect to potential weed and disease risks?

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WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-2018

CAI.H3What are the impediments and management barriers to effective feral pig control in the Wet
Tropics?

CAIH4

Is the distribution and prevalence of Phytophthora cinnamomi within the WTQWHA increasing or

decreasing: what factors drive change in distribution and virulence, and which of these are susceptible tomanagement intervention?

OTHER PRIORITY research questions
CAI.P1

What are the cost/benefits of different control measure options and is it possible to develop
effective, species specific, and environmentally safe control methods (with an emphasis on theyellow crazy ant, feral pig, tilapia and feral deer)?

CAI.P2

What criteria should be used to prioritise expenditure on prevention, control, eradication orcontainment of weeds considered to pose a major threat to natural environments in the region?

CAI.P3What criteria should be used to prioritise expenditure on prevention, control, eradication orcontainment of vertebrate and invertebrate pests considered to pose a major threat to naturalenvironments in the region?

CAI.P4

What are the ecological and evolutionary impacts associated with the translocation of native
species outside their natural range including fish stocking and tree planting?

CAI.P5What plant and/or soil diseases or pests are, or could potentially be, associated with tree planting
activities and what risk do they pose?

3c.

Restoration
What do we wish to achieve?
We need to improve our understanding of the current and potential uses of the WTQWHA with respect
to the maintenance, improvement and sustainable use of biodiversity and ecosystem function. Moreinformation is needed to assist WTMA, infrastructure agencies and communities, to plan effectively forsustainable land management, and to identify options for improving practices, reducing risks, andmitigating adverse impacts, and to measure the effectiveness of actions designed to halt and reverse
declines.
The following priority research questions are additional to the research priorities identified in regionally21

relevant national Recovery Plans and Threat Abatement Plans .
Fragmentation is one of the major threats to the integrity of the WTQWHA. Queensland’s Vegetation
22

Management and Other Legislation Amendment Regulation (No.1) (2004) restricts broad-scale clearingof native vegetation, but historical land-clearing, particularly on the level and gently undulating lands ofthe coastal lowlands and the upland Tablelands has resulted in these landscapes being highly
fragmented. Fragmentation increases the vulnerability of the WTQWHA to disturbance and decreases its
21

National Recovery Plans and Threat Abatement Plans (required under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
http://www.environment.gov.au/epbc/about/index.html for threatened species and ecological communities, including the Southern Cassowary), can be foundhere: http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/index.html
Conservation Plans under the Queensland Nature Conservation Act can be found here: http://www.ehp.qld.gov.au/wildlife/threatenedspecies/recovery_conservation_plans.html
22
Queensland Government (2004). Vegetation Management and Other Legislation Amendment Regulation (No.1) (2004)
http://legislation.govnet.qld.gov.au/LEGISLTN/SLS/2004/04SL063.pdf

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resilience to threats such as weeds, feral animals and climate change. Rehabilitation efforts focused on
restoring connectivity are therefore critical to increasing the resilience of Wet Tropics ecosystems.

Wildlife corridors and ecological connectivity (WC)TOP PRIORITY research question
HWC.T1

What are achievable, cost-effective techniques for rehabilitating degraded sites and reestablishing natural successional processes, including the restoration of ecological connectivity
in infrastructure corridors?

Why is this a priority?
Establishing corridors across a contested landscape has many challenges and costs. It is important to have areasonable level of research information available to know what is required to ensure a rehabilitation corridor
will fulfil its intended ecological function.

Considerations
At this stage it is uncertain how to achieve the most effective habitat connectivity e.g. does connecting thelandscape by rehabilitation with a preferred food source encourage wildlife movement or will it result in
occupation and territorial behaviour inhibiting connectivity? Consideration also needs to be given to aquatic
corridors that are currently fragmented (by dams, barriers, culverts, etc.) that may affect threatened andendemic aquatic species.

HIGH PRIORITY research questions
HWC.H1

What constitutes critical patch size thresholds and corridor widths for wildlife associated withdifferent landscape types?

HWC.H2By applying existing knowledge and trialling different designs, demonstrate how to design andrehabilitate a wildlife corridor to achieve improved habitat connectivity for identified species ofWorld Heritage significance, and in particular the cassowary?

OTHER PRIORITY research questions
HWC.P1

What evidence is there that wildlife corridors are achieving their intended purposes at alandscape scale?

HWC.P2

Are riparian corridors fulfilling their functional roles and how important are width and overall
connectivity in achieving desired ecological outcomes?

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WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-2018

Rehabilitation and Restoration (RR)
TOP PRIORITY research question
HRR.T1

What constitutes the best ecological restoration practices and what are their costs and benefits
in environmental, social and economic terms?

Why is this a priority?
We need this information to assist in implementing cost-effective, ecologically functional restoration projects.
An adaptive management approach to utilising research and monitoring data to refine and improve theecological outcomes of our investment in restoration important. Ecological outcomes will be influenced by the
purpose of the restoration project such as improving connectivity for wildlife movement, ‘buffering’ significant
ecosystems from adjacent land uses impacting on the WHA, re-establishing threatened ecosystems, increasing
available habitat for targeted species of wildlife or screening infrastructure which impacts on significant scenic
amenity of the WHA amongst others.
Considerations
Net costs and benefits (both economic and ecological) of any offsetting option need to be taken into account.

HIGH PRIORITY research questions
HRR.H1

What are the options for enhancing or accelerating large-scale natural regeneration ofabandoned, previously cleared areas?

HRR.H2

What are the best practice designs for creating refuge habitats as a proactive response to shifts inclimate zones due to climate change?

HRR.H3How can we effectively prioritize the most important large-scale ecological restoration projects
that could be undertaken in the Wet Tropics?

HRR.H4

What are the options for undertaking large-scale land rehabilitation and forest restoration
following the decommissioning of redundant infrastructure (e.g. powerlines or roads)?

OTHER PRIORITY research questions
HRR.P4

What are the preferred or priority areas for undertaking World Heritage ‘offset’ ecologicalrestoration activities?

HRR.P4

What options are available for planting and/or screening exposed rock faces, steep road battersand shotcrete batters following road construction, maintenance or repair?

3d.

Sustainable use

Land Use Change (LU)
There are many direct and indirect ecological impacts related to population growth and associated urban andrural development including habitat loss, modification and fragmentation. Far North Queensland (FNQ) has one

46

WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-2018of the fastest rates of population growth in Queensland. The regional population doubled from around 111,000
in 1976 to over 220,000 by 2006. As at 30 June 2011 the resident population was 252,233 persons. Projections
released in 2011 indicate that by 2016 the expected population of FNQ will be between 268,044 and 285,070
23

persons. By 2031 this is expected to change to between 307,028 and 372,597 persons . This will increasedemand for resources such as land, water, recreational opportunities, and agricultural products, which in turnwill increase external pressures on the WTQWHA. Although over 85% of the WTQWHA is protected area estate(national park), the remainder, and most of the surrounding landscape, falls under a range of different land
tenures. While people may be attracted to live in the region in part because of its outstanding natural values,
changes in land use surrounding the WTQWHA will inevitably put more pressure on those values.
24

The Far North Queensland Regional Plan 2009-2031 aims to ensure this growth is sustainable and protects
areas of significant environmental value (including the WTQWHA and the GBRWHA). WTMA is keen to ensurethat planning decisions are guided by the best available environmental science.

HIGH PRIORITY research questions
TLU.H1

What are the fragmentation, patch size and connectivity thresholds for maintenance of
biodiversity and ecosystem processes?

TLU.H2

What is the impact on water quality and on aquatic wildlife within the WTQWHA (in particularendangered amphibians and endemic freshwater fish) of agricultural chemicals used upstream of
the WTQWHA?

OTHER PRIORITY research questions
TLU.P1

Which Wet Tropics landscapes and ecosystem processes are most at risk from changing land
uses?

TLU.P2

What is the comparative biological and ecological importance of regrowth, modified, disturbed
and/or fragmented vegetation?

TLU.P3What are the impacts on water quality and local and regional water resource demands arisingfrom land use change?

TLU.P4

What impacts does groundwater extraction have on the condition of vegetation and freshwateraquatic communities in the WTQWHA?

TLU.P5What are the assessment and planning needs for sustainable native vegetation and biodiversity
conservation at various planning scales?

TLU.P6How can ecosystem goods and services be defined and quantified as a framework for theapplication of incentive mechanisms with respect to development activities?

23

Population and Dwelling Profile, Far North Queensland, Office of Economic and Statistical Research, Queensland Treasury and Trade.
http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CC4QFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.qgso.qld.gov.au%2Fproducts%2Fprofi
les%2Fpop-housing-profiles-reg-planning%2Fpop-housing-profilesfnq.pdf&ei=NfMwU7oTj86SBebZgZgM&usg=AFQjCNF0sRqFfROC1JG92hXcw3dQXU5jLA&bvm=bv.63587204,d.aGc
24
Queensland Government (2009) Far North Queensland Regional Plan 2009-2031. http://www.dip.qld.gov.au/regional-planning/regional-plan-3.html

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WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-2018

4. Understanding the social drivers of change and the social
responses to managing tropical rainforest ecosystems
4a.

GovernanceRainforest Aboriginal Cultural Studies (AB)Rainforest Aboriginal people have occupied, used and been intimately connected to their lands in theWTQWHA since time immemorial. Eighteen to twenty Aboriginal tribal groups continue to live in and around
the WTQWHA and sustain their traditional cultural knowledge and connections to country. Conservation of theWTQWHA is inextricably linked with that of Aboriginal culture and spiritual values.
The long term special associations of Rainforest Aboriginal people with the land in the WTQWHA are
recognised in the preambles of both State and Commonwealth legislation designed to direct management andprotection of the Area. The preamble of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Protection and Management Act
25

1993 states:"It is also the intention of the Parliament to acknowledge the significant
contribution Aboriginal people can make to the future management of cultural andnatural heritage within the Area, particularly through joint managementagreements."
26

The Wet Tropics World Heritage Area Regional Agreement 2005 provides for cooperative management
between 18 Aboriginal tribal groups, WTMA and the Australian and Queensland governments, and WTMA
remains committed to ensuring appropriate involvement of Aboriginal people in management of theWTQWHA.
The following quote summarises the basis for the listing: “The Aboriginal Rainforest People of the Wet Tropicsof Queensland have lived continuously in the rainforest environment for at least 5 000 years and this is the only
place in Australia where Aboriginal people have permanently inhabited a tropical rainforest environment.

The Aboriginal Rainforest People developed a distinctive cultural heritage determined by their dreamtime andcreation stories and their traditional food gathering, processing and land management techniques. Reliance on
their traditions helped them survive in this at times inhospitable environment. The distinctiveness of the
traditions and technical innovation and expertise needed to process and prepare toxic plants as food and theiruses of fire is of outstanding heritage value to the nation and are now protected for future generations under27

national environmental law.”

25
26
27

Wet Tropics World Heritage Protection and Management Act 1993 http://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/LEGISLTN/CURRENT/W/WetTropicsA93.pdf
Wet Tropics World Heritage Area Regional Agreement 2005 http://www.wettropics.gov.au/rah/rah_pdf/regional_agreement.pdf
http://www.environment.gov.au/node/19823

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WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-2018

TOP PRIORITY research questions
CAB.T1

What are the aspirations and interests of Rainforest Aboriginal people in the use and joint
management of different parts of the WTQWHA, and what systems of management can be
developed to facilitate Aboriginal co-management of the WTQWHA?

CAB.T2How can Wet Tropics Rainforest Aboriginal culture be documented, consistent with objectivesof the Wet Tropics Regional Agreement?

Why are these priorities?
WTMA is committed to supporting increased meaningful involvement by Rainforest Aboriginal people in the
management of the WTQWHA and recognises the need to work with Rainforest Aboriginal people in keepingwith the principles of self-determination. In the spirit of reconciliation and improved management of theWTQWHA, we are taking positive steps to assist Rainforest Aboriginal people to achieve their aspirations tomanage the Area.

Considerations
28

The Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992 and the Wet Tropics World Heritage Protection and
29

Management Act 1993 require the Environmental Protection Agency/Queensland Parks and Wildlife (QPWS)
and WTMA to perform their functions, as far as practicable, in consultation and cooperation with Rainforest
Aboriginal people.
Mechanisms for achieving greater Aboriginal involvement in management are provided under legislation such30

31

as the Aboriginal Land Act (Queensland) 1991 , the Native Title Act (Commonwealth) 1993 , Wet Tropics
32

Management Plan (Queensland) 1998 or where land is owned by Aboriginal peoples (e.g. DOGIT,
freehold/private, etc). Mechanisms can range from information sharing and consultation arrangements
between Aboriginal people and land management agencies through to joint-decision making power.

HIGH PRIORITY research questions
CAB.H1

How can Aboriginal capacity building and engagement in natural resource management be
improved and implemented?

CAB.H2

What are culturally important attributes of the WTQWHA and where are they located (cultural
mapping)?

OTHER PRIORITY research questions
CAB.P1

What is the status of traditional ecological knowledge as it applies to plants, animals, habitats,ecological processes, landscape function and caring for country in the Wet Tropics and how can itbest be recorded, integrated and used in a culturally appropriate way?

28

The Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992 http://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/LEGISLTN/CURRENT/N/NatureConA92.pdf
Wet Tropics World Heritage Protection and Management Act 1993 http://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/LEGISLTN/CURRENT/W/WetTropicsA93.pdf
Aboriginal Land Act (Queensland) 1991 Aboriginal Land Act (Queensland) 1991 http://legislation.govnet.qld.gov.au/LEGISLTN/CURRENT/A/AborLandA91.pdf
31
Native Title Act (Commonwealth) 1993
http://www.comlaw.gov.au/ComLaw/Legislation/ActCompilation1.nsf/0/E2786B9A17728077CA25770D0019F960/$file/NativeTitle1993_WD02.pdf
Native Title Act (Queensland) 1993 http://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/LEGISLTN/CURRENT/N/NativeTitleQA93.pdf
32
Wet Tropics Management Plan (Queensland) 1998 http://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/LEGISLTN/CURRENT/W/WetTropMgmtP98.pdf
29
30

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WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-2018

CAB.P2

What information is needed for the assessment and documentation of the case for recognition ofRainforest Aboriginal cultural heritage for international World Heritage listing?

CAB.P3How can traditional Aboriginal ecological knowledge systems be applied in better management of
the WTQWHA?

CAB.P4

What is the potential for tourism as a vehicle for increasing involvement of rainforest Aboriginal
people in the management of the WTQWHA?

Giving the WTQWHA a Role in the Life of the Community (CO)World Heritage managers have an obligation, outlined in UNESCO’s Operational Guidelines for the33

Implementation of the World Heritage Convention to “adopt general policies to give the heritage a functionin the life of the community”. A systematic approach to understanding community expectations and residents’experience of the WTQWHA will help develop on-ground programs that increase appreciation of the WTQWHA
and improve community satisfaction and support.

TOP PRIORITY research question
TCO.T1

How can business (particularly the tourism industry) and other community and Traditional
Owner partners be engaged, benefit from, and contribute to the knowledge and managementthat is integral to WTQWHA protection and management?

Why is this a priority?
Industry, Traditional Owner and community benefits are an important raison d’être for WTMA. WTMA needs toknow not only how to engage the community but also to show that this engagement is occurring and that
benefits are derived from the engagement.

Considerations
Engagement models, for example those related to the cassowary as a focal species, are important tounderstand and to quantify the economic benefits that flow from such engagement.

HIGH PRIORITY research questions
TCO.H1

What are community attitudes, knowledge levels, perceptions, expectations, concerns, needs andlevels of support with respect to the use and management of the WTQWHA?

TCO.H2How can traditional knowledge or traditional resource management techniques be amalgamatedwith mainstream or western-based management practice which is generally based on science andgovernment policy?

OTHER PRIORITY research questions
TCO.H333

How can we best promote the value of the WTQWHA to the community?

Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention http://whc.unesco.org/archive/opguide08-en.pdf

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TCO.H4

What are the reasons behind people’s use and appreciation of the WTQWHA and what disparities
exist between different demographics or segments of the population?

TCO.H5How can WTMA best enhance community understanding and enjoyment of the WTQWHA?

TCO.H6How can WTMA understand, evaluate, document and promote the educational benefits of theWTQWHA?

Adoption – Making a Difference (AD)What do we wish to achieve?
We want to improve our understanding of how effective research findings are in terms of their influenceon (uptake, adoption, contribution to) regional World Heritage conservation, policy, and management
practices; and in building community knowledge, awareness and support.

TOP PRIORITY research question
SAD.T1

How can social and ecological science be integrated into World Heritage conservation policy
and management in order to build long-term social and environmental sustainability andresilience in the Wet Tropics?

Why is this a priority?
There is growing recognition among conservation managers of the need to incorporate the findings from boththe ecological sciences with those of the social sciences. Contributions from both the ecological and social
sciences are important in ecosystem-based management approaches in order to build long-term resilience andsustainability. We need to better understand how to turn scientific knowledge into effective real-worldconservation actions that are supported by the community.

Considerations
Complex environmental challenges require multi-disciplinary, collaborative, approaches to managing them.
Relevant, timely, and well-focussed research has a crucial role to play in informing management decisions andactions, and managers need to ensure that findings can be applied to conservation policy and practice.

HIGH PRIORITY research questions
SAD.H1

What evidence is there that the findings from research and monitoring programs are influencing
land management agencies in the region and what are the barriers to knowledge transfer?

SAD.H2

What evidence is there that the partnerships and cooperative arrangements between WTMA andthe research provider community are achieving desired outcomes?

OTHER PRIORITY research questions
SAD.P1

What is the uptake of research recommendations by WTMA and other agencies with a role inmanaging the WTQWHA?

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SAD.P2

What evidence is there that research topics and grant applications are representing andresponding to on-ground management challenges and issues?

4b.

Presentation

World Heritage Presentation, Recreation and Tourism (TO)Nature-based tourism is the mainstay of the North Queensland economy, with visits to tourism sites in andaround the WTQWHA estimated to be about 5 million per year. In order to protect both the integrity of theWTQWHA and the tourism industry itself, tourism in the area must be ecologically sustainable. WTMA also has
an obligation under the World Heritage Convention to present the OUV of the Wet Tropics to locals andvisitors. Much useful information to improve the management of the WTQWHA can be gained through periodic
visitor surveys aimed at assessing the effectiveness of tourism, and WTQWHA management, in achieving a‘matching’ of visitor needs with tourism experiences.

HIGH PRIORITY research questions
MTO.H1

What are the key determinants of visitor experience at WTQWHA recreation sites?

MTO.H2

What are the key indicators of visitor behaviour, motivation and understanding and how mightthese be applied to improve management?

OTHER PRIORITY research questions
MTO.P1

How can visitor perceptions of scenic and aesthetic importance be assessed and how might thisinformation be used in impact assessment?

MTO.P2

What constitutes best practice techniques for presentation of the WTQWHA, and what is the roleof the tourism industry in this?

MTO.P3What are best practice techniques for design, construction and maintenance of nature-based
visitor facilities within the context of a wet tropical environment?

MTO.P4

What are the impacts on rainforest wildlife of visitor – wildlife interactions and can better wildlife
viewing techniques be developed to mitigate adverse visitor impacts?

MTO.P5What particular issues are relevant to international visitors to the Wet Tropics and how could thisbe adopted in management?

Information Technology (IT)New technologies are constantly emerging that enable land managers to increase their knowledge and improve
management practices. The opportunities for using existing and emerging technologies, including web-based
approaches, in WTQWHA management, interpretation and education, are immense, but not without cost.

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HIGH PRIORITY research questions
SIT.H1

How successful are WTMA’s current programs, and how can WTMA and its research anddevelopment partners work together to use new technologies to maximise access/exposure
benefits and minimise cost? Which new technologies are available to WTMA and how can they
best be applied to operational systems?

4c.

Ecosystem services

Socio-economic and Environmental Benefits (Environmental Goods & Services) (SE)The WTQWHA provides many direct and indirect benefits to the community in the form of environmental
goods and services. The most important of these services are those which are essential for life and those which
prevent, limit, minimise or correct environmental damage to water, air and soil. There is also a growing
recognition of the importance to society that environmental goods and services provide for the health, social,economic, cultural, spiritual, educational, recreational or medicinal needs of human societies.
The majority of the region’s rivers feed into the Great Barrier Reef lagoon, and water quality is a key threat to34

the integrity of GBRWHA values .
The WTQWHA is also a sanctuary from urban pressures, a place for exploration, and provides the community
with a sense of place, cultural identity and spiritual nourishment. Although placing a financial value on these
services is complex and contentious, they are nevertheless of enormous value to the regional economy, and tocommunity health and wellbeing.

TOP PRIORITY research questions
MSE.T1

What are the environmental goods and services provided by the WTQWHA to the community(across a range of parameters) and what socio-economic contributions and benefits do they
provide to the community?

Why is this a priority?
There is a need to demonstrate the importance of the WTQWHA, not only as a place to enjoy for its intrinsic
Outstanding Universal Value, but also the benefits it bestows on the community in terms of water, erosioncontrol, filtration, natural resources, Aboriginal health, and tourism.

Considerations
A better understanding of the nature, scale and range of environmental goods and services could also assist in
developing incentive mechanisms with respect to development activities and better inform the concept of
ecological offsets.

34

Queensland Government (2009). Reef Water Quality Protection Plan. http://www.reefplan.qld.gov.au/about/rwqpp.shtm

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HIGH PRIORITY research questions
MSE.H1

What are the environmental goods and services provided by the WTQWHA for the regional
community and the GBRWHA?

MSE.H2How does the WTQWHA support the regional nature-based tourism and recreational industry,and regional economic activity through employment and investments and how can thisinformation be used in advocacy, policy development and planning?

MSE.H3How sensitive is the economic contribution of the WTQWHA to land management options?

OTHER PRIORITY research questions
MSE.P1

What are the relative financial and economic values of key Wet Tropics’ species (particularly the
Cassowary), habitats and regional water resources?

MSE.P2

What is the role of the WTQWHA in maintaining economic prosperity, social health andcommunity wellbeing?

MSE.P3What are the environmental goods and services provided by the WTQWHA with respect toconservation benefits for the Great Barrier Reef?

Supporting Economic Activity (EA)
What do we wish to achieve?
We need to better understand the current and potential community uses/benefits of the WTQWHA, its
biodiversity and natural resources, with respect to ecological, social and economic sustainability. We
need information and options to assist managers, industries and communities to minimise adverse
impacts of use where they occur.

Tourism has been the fastest growing industry in North Queensland for the last three decades and makes asignificant contribution to the local economy. Nature-based tourism is the main drawcard. Protection of theWTQWHA is essential to the sustainability of the local tourism industry, and tourism contributes significantly topolitical and community support for protection of the Great Barrier Reef and Wet Tropics rainforests.

HIGH PRIORITY research questions
MEA.H1How does the WTQWHA support the regional tourism and recreation industries, and how does
this relate to regional economic activity through employment and investments and how can thisinformation be used in advocacy, policy development and planning?

MEA.H2How sensitive is the economic contribution of the WTQWHA to management and planning
decisions?

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OTHER PRIORITY research questions
MEA.P1

What socio-economic value does the tourism industry derive from the WTQWHA and what are
the flow-on benefits to the regional community and economy?

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9.

Actions

Identifying these research questions is only one step in the process of meeting WTMA’s information needs. We
also need to communicate our priority research needs, foster partnerships, provide a range of incentives andother services, initiate or promote projects, collaborate as a research partner, disseminate major findings, andassist in securing financial and in-kind support. To further our research objectives, WTMA will:

1.

Communicate WTMA’s research strategy and priorities
WTMA will encourage research institutions and industry sector partners to undertake research that
addresses strategic WTQWHA management issues. WTMA will promote research partnerships toinvestigate environmental, management, cultural, social and economic issues as outlined in thisstrategy.

2.

Establish partnerships and promote investment to support Wet Tropics research
WTMA will participate cooperatively and facilitate collaboration on research projects that benefit the
management of the WTQWHA. WTMA will promote, advocate, and champion investment into its
priority research areas and research partnerships. Support may include providing letters of support orcommitments as industry partners. Investment may be in the form of seed funding to initiate a newarea of enquiry, co-investment or in-kind support for projects conducted through formal government
or non-government grant schemes.

3.

Facilitate research through a range of supportive mechanisms
WTMA will undertake to provide a range of supportive mechanisms and services to assist researchersin undertaking their studies, such as promoting the region as an outstanding location for tropicalecosystem research projects. WTMA will also offer a range of incentives to attract research interest byproviding services such as the identification of collaboration opportunities and relevant researchquestions, a brokering service to help link people together, assistance with logistical needs, provisionof office accommodation as appropriate, access to reports and other ‘grey’ literature, GIS data,
products, services and expertise, work experience or supervision of in-house student projects andfinancial support subject to budgetary constraints.

4.

Disseminate and adopt research findings
WTMA will improve its dissemination of research findings, knowledge and information on the
management of the WTQWHA through its website and other publication resources. WTMA’s website
has the potential to develop into a focal point to connect, share and develop knowledge and resources
relevant to the WTQWHA. A well designed and managed web-based focal point will encourage
researchers to make their knowledge available.

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10. Key Performance Indicators
The following set of indicators will be used as a basis for reporting on progress towards the achievement of the
WTMA’s research objectives and evaluating the impact of this Strategy. Indicators have been organised underfour main groupings based on the Actions identified in the previous section.

Action 1:

Communicate WTMA’s research strategy and priorities

Objective

Key performance indicators

1.

Identify priority research topics andquestions which will benefit WTQWHA
management.

1a. Priority research topics reviewed annually to ensure
priorities remain current.

2.

Promote appropriate research into World
Heritage, conservation land management,
environmental, cultural, social andeconomic issues, across the Wet Tropics
bioregion and with a primary focus on theWTQWHA, policy development andoperational decision making.

2a. Numbers of significant research projects addressing
Wet Tropics research priorities.

Action 2:

2b. Number of scientists with permits to undertake
research in the WTQWHA.
2c. Evidence or examples of the research strategy being
influential in attracting research investment to theregion.

Establish partnerships and promote investment to support Wet Tropics research

Objective

Key performance indicators

3.

Identify, and seek opportunities for, avariety of collaboration and partnershipapproaches to enable and encourage Wet
Tropics natural area land management
agencies (including WTMA), andscientists/researchers to work together onworld heritage related projects.

3a. Number of WTMA collaborative research partnerships
with key organisations.

Promote increased financial and in-kind
support through advocacy, collaborationand other means to undertake research
relevant and important to the WTQWHA.

4a. Number of industry partner commitments from
WTMA.

4.

3b. Evidence of researcher/WTMA partnerships, including
collaborative development of research proposals andin-kind support.

4b. Examples of WTMA financial investment or in-kind
support for research projects.
4c. Examples of how the Research Strategy has beenused in the formulation or justification of researchfunding proposals.

5.

Build on the outcomes of previous research
partnerships with the Rainforest CRC,MTSRF, NERP and TERN.

5a. Examples of research which builds on outcomes fromprevious WTMA research partnerships.

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WET TROPICS MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY RESEARCH STRATEGY 2014-2018

Action 3:

Facilitate research through a range of supportive mechanisms

Objective

Key performance indicators

6.

6a. Number of researchers using WTMA office facilities.

Identify ways in which WTMA can help
facilitate research (e.g. through knowledge
brokering, information sharing, project
facilitation and capacity building).

6b. Evidence of use of WTMA library of grey literatureand GIS resources.
6c. Number of students undertaking work experience,
training or supervision at WTMA.

Action 4:

Disseminate and adopt research findings

Objective

Key performance indicators

7.

7a. Number of technical and scientific publications about
the Wet Tropics and the Wet Tropics of Queensland
World Heritage Area in particular.

Disseminate research findings tocommunities of interest in an effective andtimely way (e.g. research findings used by
Wet Tropics land managers and other key
stakeholders in evidence-based decision
making).

7b. Number of forums for land managers and other key
stakeholders, to promote research and its findings,
and provide an opportunity to consider the
implications of this work for policy and practice.
7c. Examples of where research findings have been
applied in making evidence-based decision-making,policy and planning, and on-ground management
practice.
7d. Evidence of WTMA knowledge transfer being
effective in informing key stakeholders of solutionsbased research findings.

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Appendix 1
A summary of identified research questions
A summary of our identified priority research questions are listed below. The management context, what wewish to achieve and why these questions are a priority are described in Chapter 8.

A summary of the TOP PRIORITY research questions
Understanding the rainforests (and associated ecosystems) of Australia’s Wet Tropics.
Ecological/forest ‘health’What are the key indicators of forest health that can be regularly measured at a landscape scale within theWTQWHA? Is there proven remote sensing technology able to be used to measure trends in these key
indicators either directly or indirectly? If not, what alternate approaches could be employed?

Priority species and ecosystems


What is the condition, trends and projected futures of threatened species including cassowaries andarboreal mammals and other threatened species and ecosystems (including the identification andevaluation of the key threats to them and evaluation of available management options to improve theirstatus)?

Fire Management
What are the characteristics of the dynamics of rainforest/open forest edges and other ecosystemboundaries and how should these characteristics be considered when reviewing boundary fire
management in response to a changing climate?

Understanding the causes of change to Australia’s tropical rainforest ecosystems and how tomaintain, restore and monitor their ecological resilience to change.
Alien and invasive speciesWhat is the realised and potential ecological impact of yellow crazy ants on the OUV and integrity of theWTQWHA and how effective is the management regime being employed to eradicate them from the Wet
Tropics?

Where should investment in pest animal research and management be directed and focussed considering
the relative risk posed to the ecology and outstanding universal values and integrity (OUV-I) of theWTQWHA?



Where are there identifiable, high-susceptibility areas where weeds and pest animals have the potential to
become major drivers impacting the ecological health of particular communities, ecosystems or regions of
the WTQWHA that should be the focus for keeping pest and/or weed free?

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Impact mitigation – community infrastructure and activities


What is the effectiveness of impact mitigation strategies and on-ground practices in restoring ormaintaining ecological processes and function with respect to community infrastructure (e.g. roads, power
supply and distribution, communications, water storage and water supply) design, construction,
maintenance and use?

Climate change impacts and adaptation strategies/regional responses


How resilient are different WTQWHA species and ecosystems to climate change and what management
actions can be undertaken to maintain/improve ecosystem ‘resilience’ in the face of climate change?

Where are the key locations and best landscape configurations most likely to function as refugial areas andlandscape linkages for key threatened species and ecosystems?

When and where is landscape connectivity a bad choice in relation to the maintenance and stability of
refugial areas?

Wildlife corridors and ecological connectivity
What are achievable, cost-effective techniques for rehabilitating degraded sites and re-establishing natural
successional processes, including the restoration of ecological connectivity in infrastructure corridors?

Rehabilitation and restoration
What constitutes the best ecological restoration practices and what are their costs and benefits inenvironmental, social and economic terms?

Understanding the social drivers of change and the social responses to managing tropicalrainforest ecosystems
Rainforest Aboriginal cultural studies


What are the aspirations and interests of Rainforest Aboriginal people in the use and joint management ofdifferent parts of the WTQWHA and what systems of management can be developed to facilitate
Aboriginal co-management of the WTQWHA?

How can Wet Tropics Rainforest Aboriginal culture be documented, consistent with objectives of the Wet
Tropics Regional Agreement?

Giving the WTQWHA a role in the life of the communityHow can business (particularly the tourism industry), community and Traditional Owner partners be
engaged, benefit from and contribute to the knowledge and management that is integral to WTQWHA
protection and management?

Socio-economic & environmental benefits (ecological goods & services)

What is the value of the goods and services provided by the WTQWHA across a range of parameters andwhat socio-economic contributions and benefits do they make to the community?

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Adoption – making a differenceHow can the ecological and social dimensions of World Heritage conservation policy and management belinked to build resilience and long-term sustainability in the management of the WTQWHA?

A summary of the HIGH PRIORITY research questions
Understanding the Outstanding Universal Value of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area
Understanding the Wet Tropics’ outstanding universal valuesHow can the aesthetic and scenic features and attributes of the WTQWHA, considered to be ofoutstanding universal value (OUV-I), be identified and described in greater detail as a basis for decisions
about development in and around the WTQWHA?

How can the new understanding and theories of phylogenetics and the evolution of the angiosperms be
used to update understanding of the OUV-I of the Wet Tropics; in particular, the concept and listing of‘primitive’ or ‘basal’ angiosperms, Gondwanan taxa, species with a nodal position in evolution, and thosespecies of Cretaceous origin and describe those aspects which could be considered to be of outstanding
universal value?

How can the climate sensitivity of species and ecosystems be determined to provide a greater indication of
those outstanding universal values which are most susceptible to climate change and identify how muchclimate change (direction, magnitude, rate, means vs. extremes) is too much in relation to specific values
including understanding the climatic thresholds of key species and communities?

Which species and ecosystems within the WTQWHA are most at risk from threatening processes and how
can they be identified and quantified?

Understanding the rainforests (and associated ecosystems) of Australia’s Wet Tropics.
Ecological/forest ‘health’What are the key indicators of forest health that can be used as a basis for assessment and reporting?



Is it possible to achieve high resolution mapping and monitoring of change and recovery by remote sensing
in a topographically diverse landscape such as the Wet Tropics?

What are operational, cost-effective methods for monitoring trends in the ‘condition’ of landscapes,
forests and waterways of the WTQWHA at a range of scales, incorporating the monitoring and assessmentof risks and threats to the WTQWHA and the impacts of management actions, and how can monitoring
results be incorporated into WTMA’s statutory reporting?

How can the spatial distribution and magnitude of pressures impacting on the ecological condition of theWTQWHA be identified and mapped, including invasive species, development pressures, habitat
fragmentation, wildlife diseases, and visitor pressures?

What are appropriate socio-economic and cultural indicators to describe the effects of changes in theecological state of the region and changes in its management?

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Priority species and ecosystems


What aspects of population dynamics, DNA techniques, ecology, physiology, behaviour and diseaseresearch are likely to be the most useful for on-ground recovery of threatened species such as the
cassowary?

Fire management
What are the criteria that need to be developed to identify key areas for fire management and other areas
where expansion of rainforest is actually a desirable/natural outcome?

Understanding the causes of change to Australia’s tropical rainforest ecosystems and how tomaintain, restore and monitor their ecological resilience to change
Alien and invasive speciesWhich weed species cause, or are likely to cause, the greatest environmental harm, where are the key
areas of susceptibility and what are their environmental impacts?

Are current infrastructure management/maintenance hygiene prescriptions appropriate and/or adequate
with respect to potential weed and disease risks?

What are the impediments and management barriers to effective feral pig control in the Wet Tropics?

Is the distribution and prevalence of Phytophthora cinnamomi within the WTQWHA increasing or
decreasing: what factors drive change in distribution and virulence, and which of these are susceptible tomanagement intervention?

Impact mitigation – community infrastructure and activities


What impacts do high altitude, low traffic presentation roads (e.g. Mt Lewis; ACB Roads) have on locally
restricted endemic wildlife and what are appropriate design, maintenance and management
considerations?



How can mountain-top sites within the WTQWHA be classified with respect to their ecological andevolutionary significance, vulnerability to disturbance and irreplaceability?

What impacts does the provision of community infrastructure have on water quality and on the ecological
functioning of freshwater aquatic ecosystems?

Climate change impacts and adaptation strategies/regional responsesWhat are the short-term and long-term environmental, economic and social costs and benefits associatedwith particular climate change adaptation options and their likely effectiveness in the Wet Tropics?



How will climate change impact on the natural and cultural environments of the WTQWHA and what is thelevel of spatial and temporal confidence associated with these predictions?



Where are the key locations and landscape ‘networks’ most likely to function as refugial areas andlandscape linkages for threatened key species and ecosystems?

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Wildlife corridorsWhat constitutes critical patch size thresholds and corridor widths for wildlife associated with different
landscape types?



By applying existing knowledge and trialling different designs, demonstrate how to design and rehabilitate
a wildlife corridor to achieve improved habitat connectivity for identified species of World Heritage
significance, and in particular the cassowary?

Rehabilitation and restoration
What are the options for enhancing or accelerating large-scale natural regeneration of abandoned,
previously cleared areas?

What are the best practice designs for creating refuge habitats as a proactive response to shifts in climate
zones due to climate change?

How can we effectively prioritize the most important large-scale ecological restoration projects that could
be undertaken in the Wet Tropics?

What are the options for large-scale rehabilitation following decommissioning of redundant infrastructure(e.g. powerlines or roads)?

Landuse changeWhat are the fragmentation, patch size and connectivity thresholds for maintenance of biodiversity andecosystem processes?

What is the impact on water quality and on aquatic wildlife within the WTQWHA (in particular endangered
amphibians and endemic freshwater fish) of agricultural chemicals used upstream of the WTQWHA?

Understanding the social drivers of change and the social responses to managing tropicalrainforest ecosystems
Rainforest Aboriginal cultural studiesHow can Aboriginal capacity building and engagement in natural resource management be improved andimplemented?

What are culturally important attributes of the WTQWHA and where are they located (cultural mapping)?

World Heritage presentation, recreation and tourism
What are the key determinants of visitor experience at WTQWHA recreation sites?

What are the key indicators of visitor behaviour, motivation and understanding and how might these beapplied to improve management?

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Giving the WTQWHA a role in the life of the communityWhat are community attitudes, knowledge levels, perceptions, expectations, concerns, needs and levels of
support with respect to the use and management of the WTQWHA?

How can traditional knowledge or resource management techniques best be incorporated withmainstream or western-based management practice which is generally based on science and government
policy?

Socio-economic & environmental benefits (ecological goods & services)

What are the ecological goods and services provided by the WTQWHA for the regional community and the
GBRWHA?

How does the WTQWHA support the regional nature-based tourism and recreational industry, and regional
economic activity through employment and investments and how can this information be used in
advocacy, policy development and planning?

How sensitive is the economic contribution of the WTQWHA to land management options?

Supporting economic ActivityHow does the WTQWHA support the regional nature-based tourism and recreational industry, and regional
economic activity through employment and investments and how can this information be used in
advocacy, policy development and planning?

How sensitive is the economic contribution of the WTQWHA to land management options?

Adoption – making a differenceWhat evidence is there that the findings from research and monitoring programs are influencing land
management agencies in the region and what are the barriers to knowledge transfer?

What evidence is there that the partnerships and cooperative arrangements between WTMA and theresearch provider community is achieving desired outcomes?

How successful are WTMA’s current programs and how can WTMA and its research and development
partners work together to use new technologies to maximise access/exposure benefits and minimise cost?
Which new technologies are available to WTMA and how can they be best applied to operational systems?

A summary of the OTHER PRIORITY research questions
Understanding the Outstanding Universal Value of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area
Understanding the Wet Tropics’ outstanding universal valuesHow can the superlative natural phenomena displayed by the WTQWHA which could be considered to beof outstanding universal value (OUV-I) be identified and described in greater detail?

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What are the fossil, geological and geomorphologic features and attributes of the WTQWHA which could
be considered to be of outstanding universal value be identified and described?

Understanding the rainforests (and associated ecosystems) of Australia’s Wet Tropics.
Priority species and ecosystems


Are there valid surrogacy relationships between vegetation types/regional ecosystems and fauna habitat,and can this be used in the development of habitat mapping and improved predictive capacity especiallywith respect to threatened regional fauna?



What are the population trends, structure, distribution and genetics for key cassowary populations andwhat factors are the most likely cause of change for these populations?

Fire management
In light of the impact of climate change on ecosystems, how can WTQWHA on-ground land managers
optimise their fire management while meeting biodiversity and cultural heritage conservation, recreational
availability, and requirements for community safety?

What are the ‘best’ fire management regimes (for the protection of the Area’s outstanding universal value
and its integrity) for key vegetation types or locations?



How can traditional ecological knowledge be incorporated to effectively involve Aboriginal people in fire
management programs?

Understanding the causes of change to Australia’s tropical rainforest ecosystems and how tomaintain, restore and monitor their ecological resilience to change.
Alien and invasive speciesWhat are the cost/benefits of different control measure options and is it possible to develop effective,
species specific, and environmentally safe control methods (with an emphasis on the feral pig, tilapia andferal deer)?

What criteria should be used to prioritise expenditure on prevention, control, eradication or containmentof weeds considered to pose a major threat to natural environments in the region?

What criteria should be used to prioritise expenditure on prevention, control, eradication or containmentof vertebrate pests considered to pose a major threat to natural environments in the region?

What are the ecological and evolutionary impacts associated with the translocation of native species
outside their natural range including fish stocking and tree planting?



What plant diseases or pests are, or could potentially, be associated with tree planting activities and whatrisk do they pose?

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Impact mitigation – community infrastructure and activities


What are suitable indicators for quantifying and monitoring grazing impacts?

Climate change impacts and adaptation strategies/regional responses
How can climate change models and their underlying relationships and assumptions be tested andimproved by the strategic collection of environmental and ecological data sets through the establishmentof monitoring systems to enable early detection of climate change impacts on key species and ecosystems?

Which species are likely to be the best indicators of the effects of climate change on natural communities?



How will climate change and its primary impacts interact with other threats such as clearing,fragmentation, fire, weeds, feral animals, declining water quality, urbanisation and other land uses to
impact on the outstanding universal values of the WTQWHA, including identification of those which havethe greatest potential for substantial impact?



Under what circumstances and which places in the landscape could improving landscape connectivity
result in negative ecological outcomes?

What design aspects and species selections need to be incorporated into rehabilitation projects to ensurethat altitudinal and latitudinal buffers or corridors exist through the landscape?

How does the WTQWHA contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, sequestration and storage?

How resilient are key sectors of local industry, notably tourism and visitor services with respect to theenvironmental impacts of climate change?

Wildlife corridors and ecological connectivity
What evidence is there that wildlife corridors serving their intended purposes at a landscape scale?

What are the functional implications of riparian corridors with respect to width and connectivity?

Rehabilitation and restoration
What are the preferred or priority areas for undertaking World Heritage ‘offset’ ecological restoration
activities?

What options are available for planting and/or screening exposed rock faces, steep road batters andshotcrete batters following road construction, maintenance or repair?

Landuse changeWhich Wet Tropics landscape and ecosystem processes are most at risk from changing landuses?

What is the comparative biological and ecological importance of regrowth, modified, disturbed and/or
fragmented vegetation?

What are the impacts on water quality and local and regional water resource demands arising from land
use change?

What impacts does groundwater extraction have on the condition of vegetation and freshwater aquaticcommunities in the WTQWHA?

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What are the assessment and planning needs for sustainable native vegetation and biodiversity
conservation at various planning scales?

How can ecosystem goods and services be defined and quantified as a framework for the application of
incentive mechanisms with respect to development activities?

Understanding the social drivers of change and the social responses to managing tropicalrainforest ecosystems.
Rainforest Aboriginal cultural studies


What is the status of traditional ecological knowledge as it applies to plants, animals, habitats, ecologicalprocesses, landscape function and caring for country in the Wet Tropics and how can it best be recorded,
integrated and used in a culturally appropriate way?



What information is needed for the assessment and documentation of the case for recognition ofRainforest Aboriginal cultural heritage for national and international listing?

How can traditional Aboriginal ecological knowledge systems be applied in better management of theWTQWHA?



What is the potential for tourism as a vehicle for increasing involvement of rainforest Aboriginal people inthe management of the WTQWHA?

World Heritage presentation, recreation and tourismHow can visitor perceptions of scenic and aesthetic importance be assessed and how might thisinformation be used in impact assessment?

What constitutes best practice techniques for presentation of the WTQWHA, and what is the role of the
tourism industry in this?



What are best practice techniques for design, construction and maintenance of nature-based visitor
facilities within the context of a wet tropical environment?

What are the impacts on rainforest wildlife of visitor – wildlife interactions and can better wildlife viewing
techniques be developed to mitigate adverse visitor impacts?

What particular issues are relevant to international visitors to the Wet Tropics and how could this be
adopted in management?

Giving the WTQWHA a role in the life of the communityHow can we best promote the value of the WTQWHA to the community?

What are the reasons behind people’s use and appreciation of the WTQWHA and the variation between
different demographics or segments of the population?

How can WTMA best enhance community understanding and enjoyment of the WTQWHA?

How can WTMA understand, evaluate, document and promote the educational benefits of the WTQWHA?

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Socio-economic & environmental benefits (ecological goods & services)

What are the relative financial and economic values of key Wet Tropics’ species (particularly the
Cassowary), habitats and regional water resources?



What is the role of the WTQWHA in maintaining prosperity together with social health and wellbeing?

What are the ecological goods and services provided by the WTQWHA with respect to conservation
benefits for the Great Barrier Reef?

Supporting economic activity
What is the socio-economic value of the WTQWHA for the tourism industry and their flow-on benefits to
the regional community and economy?

Adoption – making a differenceWhat is the uptake of research recommendations by WTMA and other agencies with a role in managing
the WTQWHA?

What evidence is there that research topics and grant applications are representing and responding to onground management challenges and issues?

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Appendix 2
WEB RESOURCES
Organisations & Entities
Australian Government
Commonwealth Scientific, Industrial and Research Organisation (CSIRO) http://www.csiro.au/
CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences Division http://www.csiro.au/en/OrganisationStructure/Divisions/Ecosystem-Sciences.aspx
CSIRO Atherton Laboratory http://www.csiro.au/places/Atherton.html
CISRO Townsville: Australian Tropical Sciences and Innovation Precinct
http://www.csiro.au/Organisation-Structure/Divisions/Ecosystem-Sciences/ATSIP.aspx
Department of Environment http://www.environment.gov.au/
National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF) www.nccarf.edu.au/
Terrestrial Biodiversity Network (TBN)
http://www.nccarf.edu.au/networks/terrestrial-biodiversity-network
National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) http://www.education.gov.au/nationalcollaborative-research-infrastructure-strategy-ncris
National Environmental Research Program (NERP) http://www.environment.gov.au/topics/science-andresearch/national-environmental-research-program
Australian Tropical Herbarium (ATH) http://www.ath.org.au/
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au
International Long Term Ecological Research (ILTER) http://www.ilternet.edu/
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) www.iucn.org/
James Cook University (JCU) http://www.jcu.edu.au
Daintree Rainforest Observatory http://www.jcu.edu.au/canopycrane/
The Cairns Institute www.jcu.edu.au/cairnsinstitute/about/Centre for Tropical Biodiversity and Climate Change www.jcu.edu.au/ctbcc/
Cooperative Research Centre for Tropical Rainforest Ecology and Management (Rainforest CRC)
http://www.jcu.edu.au/rainforest/
Reef and Rainforest Research Centre (RRRC) www.rrrc.org.au/
Marine & Tropical Sciences Research Facility (MTSRF) http://www.rrrc.org.au/publications.html
Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) http://www.tern.org.au/
Queensland Government
Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (EHP) http://www.ehp.qld.gov.au/
Department of National Parks, recreation, Sport and Racing http://www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/
Department of Science, Information Technology, Innovation and the Arts (DSITIA) http://www.qld.gov.au/dsitia/
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/
UNESCO World Heritage Centre: http://whc.unesco.org/
UNESCO World Heritage List: Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area (WTQWHA)
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/486

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Wet Tropics Management Authority (WTMA) http://www.wettropics.gov.au
WTMA’s Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) http://www.wettropics.gov.au/scientific-advisory-committee.html

Legislation & Publications
Australian Government
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 http://www.environment.gov.au/epbc/about/index.html
National Recovery Plans and Threat Abatement Plans (under the EPBC Act)
http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/index.html
Native Title Act (Commonwealth) 1993
http://www.comlaw.gov.au/ComLaw/Legislation/ActCompilation1.nsf/0/E2786B9A17728077CA25770D0019F9
60/$file/NativeTitle1993_WD02.pdf
National Strategy for Ecologically Sustainable Development
http://www.environment.gov.au/about/esd/publications/strategy/index.html
IUCN (2010). Enhancing the Science-Policy Interface on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Information Paper on IPBES –March 2010. http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/ipbes_information_paper.pdf
Queensland Government
Aboriginal Land Act (Queensland) 1991
http://legislation.govnet.qld.gov.au/LEGISLTN/CURRENT/A/AborLandA91.pdf
Far North Queensland Regional Plan 2009-2031. http://www.dip.qld.gov.au/regional-planning/regional-plan3.html
Native Title Act (Queensland) 1993
http://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/LEGISLTN/CURRENT/N/NativeTitleQA93.pdf
Nature Conservation Act 1992 http://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/LEGISLTN/CURRENT/N/NatureConA92.pdf
Queensland Research and Development Priorities and Objectives.
http://www.chiefscientist.qld.gov.au/research-and-development/about-priorities.aspx
Wet Tropics Management Plan (Queensland) 1998
http://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/LEGISLTN/CURRENT/W/WetTropMgmtP98.pdf
Wet Tropics World Heritage Protection and Management Act 1993
http://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/LEGISLTN/CURRENT/W/WetTropicsA93.pdf
Stork, N.E. & Turton, S.M. (eds) (2008). Living in a Dynamic Tropical Forest Landscape. Blackwell Publishing. – available forpurchase (hard copy and online version) through http://au.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd1405156430.html
UNESCOOperational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention
http://whc.unesco.org/archive/opguide08-en.pdf
Policy document on the impacts of climate change on World Heritage properties (WHC-0716.GA/10) 2007.
http://whc.unesco.org/document/9281
World Heritage Convention 1972. http://whc.unesco.org/archive/convention-en.pdf
Wet Tropics Management Authority (WTMA)
Maps of the Wet Tropics region http://www.wettropics.gov.au/maps
State of the Wet Tropics Reports http://www.wettropics.gov.au/annual-reports
Wet Tropics Conservation Strategy 2004 http://www.wettropics.gov.au/conservation-strategy
Wet Tropics Research and Information Needs 2000. www.wettropics.gov.au/site/userassets/docs/rain_report.pdf
Wet Tropics World Heritage Area Regional Agreement 2005 http://www.wettropics.gov.au/regional-agreement

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Wet Tropics Management Authority
Ground Floor, Cairns Port Authority
Corner Grafton and Hartley Streets
Cairns QLD 4870

PO Box 2050 Cairns QLD 4870

Phone: 4241 0500 Fax: 4241 0550
Website www.wettropics.gov.au