The Australian Centre for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis

Alison SpechtACEAS Program Manager.

University of Queensland

ACEAS: Australian Centre for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis

Objective To foster the development of teams of scientists and resource managers to define and address critical regional to national scale natural resource management issues that require new understanding of ecosystem function.

The aim of ACEAS is to support the integration and synthesis of ecosystem data and information across the many relevant disciplines and institutions in Australia, thereby enhancing and accelerating our knowledge and understanding of science particularly to improve our policy and management decision-making. .

- ACEAS

ACEAS provides the opportunity to assemble and analyse data and information that otherwise could not be done…

1. facilitate the advancement of pure and applied ecosystem knowledge through the search for spatial and temporal patterns and principles in existing data;

2. improve the organization and synthesis of ecosystem information in a manner useful to researchers, resource managers, and policy makers addressing important natural resource management issues;

3. influence the way ecosystem research is conducted in the future, in both the short and long term, by promoting a culture of synthesis, collaboration, and data sharing;

4. promote integrative research and the principles of ecosystem science to facilitate linkages between all ecosystem disciplines and the natural resource management community;

5. serve as a conduit between the ecosystem and natural resource management communities in the development of innovative management strategies for sustainable management of Australia’s natural resources and the maintenance of biodiversity; and

6. assist in planning the evolution of TERN into the future. In particular, to determine the types of data and new infrastructure required to address remaining major applied and pure questions in ecosystem science.

ACEAS-TERN principles

www.aceas.org.au

www.aceas.org.au

www.aceas.org.au

www.aceas.org.au

www.aceas.org.au

• Working Groups (≤ $50,000). These support innovative programs of work by small teams of scientists and managers (≤15). ACEAS supplies money for virtual support (wikis, data searching and integration assistance) and for attendance at up to 3 workshops during the life of the WG. Up to 14 in 2011.

• Targetted workshops (≤ $30,000). These support similarly small teams but only for one workshop. The team may be supported by a wiki before and after the meeting. Up to 10 a year.

• Sabbatical fellows (≤$15,000). This funding is to support extended interaction of internationally recognised ecologists and ecosystem scientists with Working Groups and Workshops for periods of 3-12 months. Up to 5 a year.

What does ACEAS fund?

A Working Group model

A Working Group model

A Working Group model

A Working Group model

Some technical support, e.g. data discovery and acquisition, data compilation, data blending, statistical advice.

• which encompass some or all of the ACEAS-TERN principles

• that are innovative and of a high standard

• that are ‘needed’ and could not be (easily) funded elsewhere

• that have a high quality team with all members clearly contributing to achieving the goals set

• that have participants from more than one organisation

• that have a high (as appropriate) level of engagement with the broad ecosystem science and management community

• that have a strong likelihood of outcome (paper, report)

• that are feasible and complete (including budget)

• For sabbatical fellows, interaction across working groups and workshops is desirable.

ACEAS is interested in activities:

Workshop• Transformational change of regional landscapes: navigating planetary limits

and resource constraints over the next five decades (Meyer: SA)

Working Groups• Determining precise estimates of modern biodiversity extinction rates

(Bradshaw: SA)• A cup half full? Thresholds and regime shifts in Australian freshwater

ecosystems (Capon: QLD)• Pyrogeography: Integrating and evaluating existing models of Australian fire

regimes to predict climate change impacts (Murphy: TAS).• Improving long-term predictions of carbon and nutrient dynamics in Australia's

agroecosystems: assimilation of datasets from long-term research sites for verification of biophysical models of vegetation and soil changes (Henry: QLD)

• Extinction risks of frogs under climate change (Keith: NSW)

2010 Round 2 funding

5. Acknowledgements• Funding provided by:

NCRIS and EIF Super Science Programs of Australian Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and ResearchQueensland Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation

• TERN Office Team: Prof. Stuart Phinn, Dr Beryl Morris, Ms Liz Cuffe, Anne Webber, Caitlin Newport, Michael Goasdoue, DataCreations.

• Faculty of Science @ UQ• Kelani Design and Belinda Crofts

Questions?

Assoc. Professor Alison Spechtaceas.tern@uq.edu.auwww.aceas.org.au