In response to the need for sustainable development of tropical Australia, CSIRO (Divisions of Marine Research, Tropical Agriculture, and Land and Water) in collaboration with State and Territory Departments (Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia), and the Land and Water Resources Research and Development Corporation (LWRRDC) and Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) are developing a project which aims to overcome the significant gaps that exist in current knowledge relating to the impacts of catchments and their associated land uses on the coastal zone and to integrate current and new knowledge to underpin the development of negotiated approaches to multiple use management.
The project will by necessity require strong integration across a range of physical, chemical, biological, economic and social disciplines. The integration of scientific knowledge with a broad suite of innovative approaches to regional planning will allow new benchmarks that exceed current practice in natural resource management. As such, it is likely that the proposed project could serve as a model for future work and, in so doing, deliver significant benefits to both tropical Australia and the nation.
Final report
In May 1998, CSIRO Marine Research and Tropical Agriculture were commissioned by the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) and the Land and Water Resources Research and Development Corporation (LWRRDC) to undertake a six-month scoping study to examine opportunities for the development of research proposal(s) aimed at supporting the sustainable development of land, water and marine resources in tropical Australia. The study region extends westwards from the Cape York Peninsula to the Broome region in Western Australia.
This scoping study builds on a workshop held at CSIRO Marine Research, Cleveland, in September 1997 to consider issues for the sustainable development of marine resources in northern Australia, and on two major reports: one to the former Meat Research Corporation (now Meat and Livestock Australia) on the impacts of grazing in northern catchments; the other to the FRDC on the R&D needs for marine habitats to sustain fisheries production. However, this study differs from previous work by being an integrated attempt to address the question of natural resource use from land to sea. It is also unique in its approach, which involved interviews of stakeholders (85 people from 61 organisations) and a review of the literature from the terrestrial through to the marine environment. In addition to technical questions, we also considered the effectiveness of institutions, and the capacity of regional stakeholders to support the planning and management of natural resources. We also substantively incorporate Indigenous issues and needs within this review.
