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Driscoll DA, Garrard GE, Kusmanoff AM, Dovers S, Maron M, Preece N, Pressey RL, Ritchie EG. Consequences of information suppression in ecological and conservation sciences. Conserv Lett 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/conl.12757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Don A. Driscoll
- Academic Freedom Working Group Ecological Society of Australia Windsor Australia
- Centre for Integrative Ecology School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University Geelong Melbourne Burwood Campus Burwood Australia
| | - Georgia E. Garrard
- Academic Freedom Working Group Ecological Society of Australia Windsor Australia
- ICON Science, School of Global, Urban and Social Studies RMIT University Melbourne Australia
| | - Alexander M. Kusmanoff
- Academic Freedom Working Group Ecological Society of Australia Windsor Australia
- ICON Science, School of Global, Urban and Social Studies RMIT University Melbourne Australia
| | - Stephen Dovers
- Academic Freedom Working Group Ecological Society of Australia Windsor Australia
- Fenner School of Environment and Society Australian National University Canberra Australia
| | - Martine Maron
- Academic Freedom Working Group Ecological Society of Australia Windsor Australia
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences The University of Queensland Brisbane Australia
| | - Noel Preece
- Academic Freedom Working Group Ecological Society of Australia Windsor Australia
- College of Science & Engineering, Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science James Cook University Cairns Australia
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods Charles Darwin University Darwin Australia
| | - Robert L. Pressey
- Academic Freedom Working Group Ecological Society of Australia Windsor Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies James Cook University Townsville Australia
| | - Euan G. Ritchie
- Academic Freedom Working Group Ecological Society of Australia Windsor Australia
- Centre for Integrative Ecology School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University Geelong Melbourne Burwood Campus Burwood Australia
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Zentelis R, Banks S, Roberts JD, Dovers S, Lindenmayer D. Managing military training-related environmental disturbance. J Environ Manage 2017; 204:486-493. [PMID: 28930693 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2017.09.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2017] [Revised: 08/17/2017] [Accepted: 09/09/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Military Training Areas (MTAs) cover at least 2 percent of the Earth's terrestrial surface and occur in all major biomes. These areas are potentially important for biodiversity conservation. The greatest challenge in managing MTAs is balancing the disturbance associated with military training and environmental values. These challenges are unique as no other land use is managed for these types of anthropogenic disturbances in a natural setting. We investigated how military training-related disturbance is best managed on MTAs. Specifically, we explored management options to maximise the amount of military training that can be undertaken on a MTA while minimising the amount of environmental disturbance. MTAs comprise of a number of ranges designed to facilitate different types of military training. We simulated military training-related environmental disturbance at different range usage rates under a typical range rotation use strategy, and compared the results to estimated ecosystem recovery rates from training activities. We found that even at relatively low simulated usage rates, random allocation and random spatial use of training ranges within an MTA resulted in environmental degradation under realistic ecological recovery rates. To avoid large scale environmental degradation, we developed a decision-making tool that details the best method for managing training-related disturbance by determining how training activities can be allocated to training ranges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rick Zentelis
- Sir Roland Wilson Scholar, The Australian National University, Canberra, 0200, Australia; Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, 0200, Australia; Australian Department of Defence, Russell, ACT, 2600, Australia.
| | - Sam Banks
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, 0200, Australia.
| | - J Dale Roberts
- Centre of Excellence in Natural Resource Management, University of Western Australia, PO Box 5771, Albany, WA, 6332, Australia.
| | - Stephen Dovers
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, 0200, Australia.
| | - David Lindenmayer
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, 0200, Australia.
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Lynch AJJ, Thackway R, Specht A, Beggs PJ, Brisbane S, Burns EL, Byrne M, Capon SJ, Casanova MT, Clarke PA, Davies JM, Dovers S, Dwyer RG, Ens E, Fisher DO, Flanigan M, Garnier E, Guru SM, Kilminster K, Locke J, Mac Nally R, McMahon KM, Mitchell PJ, Pierson JC, Rodgers EM, Russell-Smith J, Udy J, Waycott M. Transdisciplinary synthesis for ecosystem science, policy and management: The Australian experience. Sci Total Environ 2015; 534:173-84. [PMID: 25957785 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.04.100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2014] [Revised: 03/07/2015] [Accepted: 04/26/2015] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Mitigating the environmental effects of global population growth, climatic change and increasing socio-ecological complexity is a daunting challenge. To tackle this requires synthesis: the integration of disparate information to generate novel insights from heterogeneous, complex situations where there are diverse perspectives. Since 1995, a structured approach to inter-, multi- and trans-disciplinary(1) collaboration around big science questions has been supported through synthesis centres around the world. These centres are finding an expanding role due to ever-accumulating data and the need for more and better opportunities to develop transdisciplinary and holistic approaches to solve real-world problems. The Australian Centre for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (ACEAS <http://www.aceas.org.au>) has been the pioneering ecosystem science synthesis centre in the Southern Hemisphere. Such centres provide analysis and synthesis opportunities for time-pressed scientists, policy-makers and managers. They provide the scientific and organisational environs for virtual and face-to-face engagement, impetus for integration, data and methodological support, and innovative ways to deliver synthesis products. We detail the contribution, role and value of synthesis using ACEAS to exemplify the capacity for synthesis centres to facilitate trans-organisational, transdisciplinary synthesis. We compare ACEAS to other international synthesis centres, and describe how it facilitated project teams and its objective of linking natural resource science to policy to management. Scientists and managers were brought together to actively collaborate in multi-institutional, cross-sectoral and transdisciplinary research on contemporary ecological problems. The teams analysed, integrated and synthesised existing data to co-develop solution-oriented publications and management recommendations that might otherwise not have been produced. We identify key outcomes of some ACEAS working groups which used synthesis to tackle important ecosystem challenges. We also examine the barriers and enablers to synthesis, so that risks can be minimised and successful outcomes maximised. We argue that synthesis centres have a crucial role in developing, communicating and using synthetic transdisciplinary research.
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Affiliation(s)
- A J J Lynch
- Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
| | - R Thackway
- School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld 4072, Australia
| | - A Specht
- School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld 4072, Australia; Australian Centre for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network, Australia
| | - P J Beggs
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - S Brisbane
- Australian Centre for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network, Australia
| | - E L Burns
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia; Long Term Ecological Research Network, Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network, Australia
| | - M Byrne
- Science and Conservation Division, Department of Parks and Wildlife, Locked Bag 104, Bentley Delivery Centre, WA 6983, Australia
| | - S J Capon
- Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, Qld 4111, Australia
| | - M T Casanova
- Centre for Environmental Management, Federation University, Mount Helen, Vic 3350, Australia
| | - P A Clarke
- School of Environment, Griffith University, Nathan, Qld 4111, Australia
| | - J M Davies
- School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, Qld 4102, Australia
| | - S Dovers
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - R G Dwyer
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld 4072, Australia
| | - E Ens
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - D O Fisher
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld 4072, Australia
| | - M Flanigan
- Formerly of Department of Environment, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - E Garnier
- CEntre for the Synthesis and Analysis of Biodiversity (CESAB-FRB), 13100 Aix-en-Provence, France; Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (UMR 5175), CNRS - Université de Montpellier - Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier - EPHE, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - S M Guru
- Australian Centre for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network, Australia; Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld 4072, Australia
| | | | - J Locke
- Biocultural Consulting Pty Ltd, Brisbane, Qld 4000, Australia
| | - R Mac Nally
- Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - K M McMahon
- School of Natural Sciences, Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research, Edith Cowan University, WA 6027, Australia
| | - P J Mitchell
- CSIRO Land and Water Flagship, College Rd, Hobart, Tas 7005, Australia
| | - J C Pierson
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - E M Rodgers
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld 4072, Australia
| | - J Russell-Smith
- Darwin Centre for Bushfire Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT 0909, Australia
| | - J Udy
- Healthy Waterways, PO Box 13086, Brisbane, Qld 4001, Australia
| | - M Waycott
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia; State Herbarium of South Australia, Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia
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Dovers S. Precaution, prediction, proof, and policy assessment. New Solut 2002; 12:281-96. [PMID: 17208774 DOI: 10.2190/6njb-gl0c-kxy2-7xxu] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
The challenge of sustainable development--the ultimate goal of precaution-- demands that we shift our focus away from individual environmental problems and toward long-term integration of environmental, social, and economic policy. It also elevates protection of ecosystem processes and biodiversity to the status of significant policy goals. In this article, the author argues for a new use of the precautionary principle, as a means to assess broad policy decisions to target indirect or systemic rather than direct threats to sustainability. He draws on a case study of two Australian policies: the National Strategy for Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD), and the National Competition Policy (NCP).1 While the proposals are ambitious and may not be achievable in the near future, nonetheless, it is in the nature of institutional and policy systems that it is difficult to predict when opportunities for policy change will arise. It is crucial to develop and articulate strategies now, to be promoted during brief windows of opportunity for policy change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen Dovers
- Work Environment Department, UMASS Lowell, Lowell, MA 01854, USA
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