Conference Workbook—Climate Impacts on Australia's Natural Resources: Current and Future Challenges
(Conference held in November 2003)
Dr Habiba Gitay, Dr Barry Pittock, Dr Neville Nicholls, Dr Geoffery Love, Dr Penny Whetton, Dr Kevin Walsh, Dr Roger Jones, Prof. Angela Arthington, Dr Bryson Bates, Dr Lesley Hughes, Dr Michael Dunlop, Dr Dave Hilbert, Dr Chris Chilcott, Dr Geoffrey Cary, Dr Kevin Tolhurst, Dr Mark Howden, Dr Graham Turner, Dr Greg McKeon, Mr Andrew Petersen, Dr David Chel, Dr Bob Sutherst, Dr Terry Done, Dr Joanne Ellison, Dr Max Finlayson
Conference background
Available observational evidence indicates that regional changes in climate, particularly increases in temperature, have already affected a diverse set of physical and biological systems in many parts of the world. Despite Australia's water limited environment and large year to-year climatic variability Australian ecosystems have quite limited climate ranges/thresholds. Thus attempts to improve the strategic management of Australian ecosystems will need to consider both current and future climate conditions to ensure sustainability.
Conference aims
The conference provided natural resource managers from across the country with the most up-to-date scientific knowledge regarding climate change and climate variability impacts on natural and managed systems.
In addition the conference provided delegates, from across Australia, an opportunity to begin to identify practical steps towards more adaptive natural resource management to build resilience to future climate variability and change.
Conference speakers and their topics
Keynotes
Dr Habiba Gitay
Challenge: Ecosystem resiliency under Global Change
Dr Gitay has over 15 years experience researching and teaching in many parts of the world in the fields of ecology, environmental management and impacts of climate change on ecosystems. Until recently she was based at the Australian National University. At present, she is the Capacity Building Coordinator of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) where she has developed various activities (aimed at a range of audience - Conventions, private organisation, NGOs and the academic communities) to highlight the usefulness of assessments and the multi-scale and multiple pressure approaches taken by the MA. She has been a Coordinating Lead Author for various reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) since 1992. Her other international activities in the last four years have included being a senior adviser to the World Resources Institute Reports, one of the main authors on technical reports on climate change and biodiversity/wetlands for the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Ramsar Convention. She has recently been elected as the Vice-Chair of the Scientific and keynote Technical Advisory Panel of the Global Environment Facility.
Dr Barrie Pittock
Climate change and Australia's Natural Resources: A Review
Dr Barrie Pittock was senior scientist for CSIRO in atmospheric research from 1965 until 1999, and led the Climate Impact Group there from 1988 until his retirement. He continues research as a post- retirement fellow and is currently writing a guide (in press) to climate change science, impacts and adaptation for the Australian Greenhouse Office. He has been a major contributor to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change First, Second and Third Assessment Reports and was lead author on a chapter dealing with climate change impacts, adaptation and vulnerability in Australia and New Zealand in 2001. He was awarded a Public Service Medal in 1999 and in 2003 the group he currently works with was awarded the Sherman Eureka Prize for Environmental Science.
Theme 1—Contempory and Future Australian Climate Change
Dr Neville Nicholls, Commonwealth Bureau of Meteorology
Recent Australian Climate Change
Neville leads the Climate Forecasting Group at the Bureau of Meteorology Research Centre in Melbourne. Neville has been an Editor of the Journal of Climate of the American Meteorological Society, was a Convening Lead Author of the IPCC Second Assessment on Climate Change, and this year has been involved in the scoping meetings for the IPCC Fourth Assessment. His presentation will be on the influence of climate change on recent Australian droughts, climate trends and the Australian snow season.
Dr Geoffery Love, Commonwealth Bureau of Meteorology
What climate variability tells us about climate change: some views on policy evolution
Geoff Love has recently been appointed to the position of Director of the Commonwealth Bureau of Meteorology after being Secretary of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) since 2002. He has served as Vice President (1996-2000) and President (2000-02) of the World Meteorological Organisation Commission for Basic Systems (CBS). He has published a large number of scientific papers on tropical meteorology, climate and various aspects of applied meteorology and has a keen scientific interest in the climate change and climate variability. His presentation will address the issue of national policy responses to climate variability and climate change.
Dr Penny Whetton, CSIRO Atmospheric Research
Projected future climate change for Australia
Penny is currently the leader of the Climate Impact Group at the CSIRO Division of Atmospheric Research. Research activities have mainly involved analysis of climate model output for enhanced greenhouse conditions and its application in impact studies. The presentation will be aimed at providing delegates with a clearer understanding of the extent of Australia's future climate change over the next 30 to 70 years.
Dr Kevin Walsh, Melbourne University
Climate change and the coast
Kevin is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Earth Sciences at the University of Melbourne. His research interests include tropical cyclones, extreme events, climate change and the potential implications for the Australian coastline. His presentation will examine the potential impacts of climate change on coastal vulnerability, with particular reference to possible changes tropical cyclone intensity and occurrence.
Theme 2—Water Resources
Dr Roger Jones, CSIRO Atmospheric Research
Strategic planning of Australia's water resources under climate change
Roger is a senior research scientist at CSIRO Atmospheric Research working in the area of climate risk and integrated assessment. He is presently undertaking risk assessments on climate change and water resources in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. He is also working on a risk-based approach for assessing climate change with a number of international agencies and was a lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Third Assessment Report. Roger's presentation will describe continued efforts to understand the direct impact of climate change on Australian water resources and on related land-use feedbacks within catchments.
Prof. Angela Arthington, Griffith University
Implications of climate change for freshwater ecosystems
Angela is Professor of Freshwater Ecology in the Faculty of Environmental Sciences at Griffith University, Brisbane. She leads a research program on "Water Allocation and Environmental Flows" in the Centre for Riverine Landscapes at Griffith, and works with three of Australia's Cooperative Research Centres: Freshwater Ecology; Rainforest Ecology, and Sustainable Tourism. Her chief research interests are the ecology and flow requirements of freshwater fish, and the science and management of river ecosystems, and has developed holistic environmental flow methods used widely in Australia and internationally. Angela will discuss the effects of climate change on water resources, and the implications for river flow regimes and aquatic biodiversity. Her presentation will also deal with the issues of adaptive river flow management and provision of environmental flows under changing climate scenarios.
Dr Bryson Bates, CSIRO Land And Water
Facing the challenge of managing water resources under conditions of climate uncertainty
Bryson Bates is a senior principal research scientist and team leader for the Hydroclimatic Processes and Impacts Group in CSIRO Land and Water. His research interests include scaling and space-time modelling of hydroclimatic data, inter seasonal climate forecasting using both statistical and dynamical modelling methods, and the effects of climate forcing on rivers, river health and the operation of water supply systems. Bryson's presentation will deal with the challenges of managing water resources under conditions of climate uncertainty.
Theme 3—Biodiversity
Dr Lesley Hughes, Macquarie University
Climate change and biodiversity in Australia
Lesley Hughes is a senior lecturer in ecology in the Department of Biological Sciences at Macquarie University. Her research interests are in the field of plant-animal interactions and the impact of climate change on species and ecosystems. Lesley's presentation will include a discussion of the current and potential impacts of climate change on terrestrial species communities in Australia.
Dr Michael Dunlop, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems
Managing biodiversity and climate change in Australia
Michael has a background in applied physics, plant and animal ecology, and analysing the long-term future of the nation's land, water and biodiversity. He recently spent six months working in Environment Australia on biodiversity and climate change policy and is now on a multijurisdiction task group that is developing a National Biodiversity and Climate Change Action Plan for Australia. Michael will talk about strategies for protecting biodiversity against the threats of climate change and facilitating the long term natural adaptation of biodiversity to future climates.
Dr Dave Hilbert, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems
Threats to ecosystems and biodiversity in the highly diverse, mountainous wet tropics bioregion
David Hilbert is a principal research scientist at CSIRO's Tropical Forest Research Centre in Atherton, Queensland. He has worked in the area of global climate change impacts on natural ecosystems since the late 1980's. David's presentation will include a comprehensive discussion of the threat of climate change to ecosystems and biodiversity in the Wet Tropics.
Dr Chris Chilcott, QLD Department Natural Resources and Mines
Deriving landscape thresholds for Poplar Box (Eucalpytus Popilnea) woodlands in a changing climate - risks and challenges
Chris Chilcott is a Senior Environmental Scientist in the Climate Impacts and Natural Resource Systems Group,Queensland Department of Natural Resources. His research interests cross a variety of scientific disciplines including ecosystem processes, landscape design and grazing land management. His presentation will address the role of climate variability and climate change in ecosystem function and the assessment of threshold in landscape conservation.
Theme 4—Bushfires and Associated Air Quality
Dr Geoffrey Cary, The Australian National University
Sensitivity of fire regimes to climate change
Geoff Cary is a lecturer in fire science at the School of Resources, Environment and Society at The Australian National University. His research interests include modelling fire regimes at the landscape scale and understanding the impact of management (e.g. prescribed burning) and climate change on the nature of fire regimes in natural systems. He is a researcher in the recently announced Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre. Geoff's presentation will focus on the probable impacts of climate change on fire regimes in natural systems and the implications for fire management.
Dr Kevin Tolhurst, Melbourne University
Impact of climate change on forest fire size and severity
Kevin is a senior lecturer at the School of Resource Management, at the University of Melbourne where he currently teaches fire ecology and fire risk management. His research interests are ecological impact of repeated low intensity prescribed burning, fire behaviour prediction, fire risk and landscape scale ecological fire management. Kevin will discuss the ecological impacts of fire as well as the development of adaptive management through risk assessment and fire prediction.
Theme 5 - Land Use and Landscape Management
Dr Mark Howden CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems
Climate change: challenges and opportunities for Australian agriculuture
Mark Howden is a Principal Research Scientist with CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems. His specialist areas are the dynamics of grazed and cropped ecosystems, development of innovative and sustainable farming systems, impacts of climate variability and climate change on agroecosystems and urban systems and adaptations to these impacts, development of greenhouse gas inventories for the agricultural sector and investigations of sustainable methods of reducing greenhouse emissions from agriculture. He has been a significant contributor to the IPCC Second and Third Assessment reports and the IPCC Regional Impacts Report as co-Convening Lead Author, Lead Author and Review Editor. His presentation will address the implications of increases in atmospheric CO2 and climate change on cropping systems, and landuses involving woody perennials such as horticulture, viticulture and forestry. Land management adaptations and likely land use changes will also bebriefly addressed.
Dr Graeme Turner CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems
Creating solutions for Australian resource futures under climate change and other challenges
Graham Turner is a senior analyst with the National Futures Group at CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems. His recent research interests include: assembling national physical accounts of Australian agricultural history and fisheries; creating and implementing national, regional and mega-metropolitan physical economy frameworks; examining global resource-based models; designing, creating and analysing scenarios such as dematerialisation of the economy and the impacts of climate change; and developing an account of pollutants and toxicants. Graham will be presenting an assessment of the interactions between climate change, land-use and landscape management as well as considering the feedback effects of land use on climate.
Dr Greg McKeon QLD Department Natural Resources and Mines
Climate Impacts on Queensland's grazed landscapes
Greg McKeon is Senior Principal Climate Change Scientist
in the Climate Impacts and Natural Resource Systems Group, Queensland Department of Natural Resources. His research interests cross a variety of scientific disciplines used to determine factors affecting the profitability and sustainability of natural grazing lands of Queensland (including climate change impacts; use of climate forecasting in grazing management; objective drought assessment; and calculation of risk of pasture degradation). His presentation will address the role of climate variability and land use in determining the extent and intensity of historical landscape degradation events in Australia. In addition he will discuss the issue of adaptive landscape management as a means of preventing similar degradation events in the future.
Mr Andrew Petersen Price Waterhouse Coopers
Regulatory, Financial and Legal Drivers for Climate Change Corporate Responsibility
Andrew is a Partner in both PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Legal and PwC Greenhouse Councils. He is an executive member of Environment Business Australia and member of the Waste Management Association of Australia. He is widely respected for his expertise in the areas of environmental planning and assessment law, pollution prevention and control, land use planning and control, and conservation and natural resources law Andrew has a particular interest in sustainability and Climate Change, and has attended several of the recent International Conferences of the Parties (COPs) on Climate Change. Andrew's presentation will examine Australian and regional policy frameworks and government regulations which have a direct financial impact on the natural resources sector as well as the some of the financial and legal pressures facing the natural resources industry to assume corporate responsibility for climate change.
Theme 6 - Pests, Diseases and Exotic Organisms
Dr David Cheal Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research
Climate change & weeds: can we predict future problems?
David is the manager for the Flora Ecology Research Group, for the Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research in Victoria. His research interests include the study of invasive weeds, the study of invasive animal species, the development of recovery plans and development of management strategies to cope with and control invasive species. His presentation will address the relationship between climate variability and pest incursions and the ecological impacts of invasive species on natural ecosystems.
Dr Bob Sutherst CSIRO Entomology
Insect pests, diseases and weeds under climate change
Bob Sutherst is a senior principal scientist at CSIRO entomology's Brisbane office. He has spent his professional career developing and applying computer-modelling techniques to improve understanding and management of pest populations. Bob and his research team have developed a model to assess pest incursion risk (CLIMEX) that is currently used around the world in a variety of applications including risk analysis in relation to invasive species, pests, diseases and weeds, pest incursion management. His presentation will address the implications of global change and climate variability for vectorborne diseases: and discuss regional vulnerabilities to pest incursion resulting global climate change.
Theme 7 - Marine and Coastal Ecosystems
Dr Terry Done Marine and Coastal Ecosystems
Climate change and the Great Barrier Reef: biodiversity conservation and ecological resilience
Terry is a Leading Scientist at the Australian Institute of Marine Science currently involved in a project in the Great Barrier Reef that builds scenarios of future implications of climate change for coral reefs, and seeks to understand factors that determine spatial variability in vulnerability to coral bleaching and resulting coral mortality. He will present the results of his studies that suggest that a lower rate of global warming will benefit coral reefs, and another that seeks to explain the differences in vulnerability of reefs in different places.
Dr Joanne Ellison University of Tasmania
Potential impacts of climate change and sea-level rise on Australia's mangroves
Joanna is a lecturer in the School of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Tasmania. Her research interests are assess the stability of coastal sedimentary systems to human and climate pressures, and is active in broader natural resource management programs, such as the Northern Tasmania NRM Committee. Joanna's presentation will outline the potential impacts of climate change and sea level rise on Australia's mangrove ecosystems.
Dr Max Finlayson Supervising Scientist Division Commonwealth Department of Environment and Heritage
Climate impacts on Australia's tropical wetlands
Max Finlayson is the Director of the Environmental Research Institute of the Supervising Scientist based in Darwin. His presentation will cover the effects of climate change and sea level rise on the wetlands in the coastal zone of northern Australia where both freshwater and saline wetlands are under the threat of change due to climate change. This information will be presented within the context of monitoring change in a holistic manner including synergistic links with other pressures such as invasive species and the consequences for the species biodiversity.
Download brochure and workbook
- Conference brochure (PDF, 393K, last updated 01:38PM, 5 December 2008)*
- Conference workbook (PDF, 4.4M, last updated 01:38PM, 5 December 2008)*
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Last updated: 15 June 2009