Open Access Theses

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Lessons from the Pikul-Pengajid Customary Forest of West Kalimantan: Insights to Strengthen Indonesia�s Social Forestry Program
(2025) Zuleika, Rizka
Forests are social and political spaces where questions of rights, access, and governance intersect with the lives of people, including Indigenous People and Local Communities (IPLCs). In Indonesia, centralized control rooted in colonial legacies has historically marginalized these communities, creating decades of tenure conflicts. The country�s Social Forestry (SF) program attempts to address these injustices through five schemes, with the Customary Forest scheme recognizing the ownership of customary forest by the customary communities. While substantial literature exists on the legal frameworks of SF, less attention has been paid to post- community recognition outcomes: how formal recognition shapes daily practices, power dynamics, and the enabling conditions for self-governance. This research addresses this gap by examining whether customary forests translate into meaningful governance outcomes. As a case study, I focused on the Pikul-Pengajid Customary Forest in West Kalimantan is managed by the Melayang Hamlet community, dominated by Dayak Bekati� Rara people. I conducted three weeks of fieldwork including interviews and participant observation with communities, government institutions, and NGOs. The findings reveal interconnected opportunities and challenges. Recognition created opportunities through tenure security, access to funding via SF Business Groups (KUPS), hybrid economic models reinforcing cultural identity, and strengthened social cohesion. However, structural capacity gaps created NGO dependency, inequitable participation persists, and weakening traditional knowledge transmission threatens future leadership. With Indonesia targeting 12.7 million hectaresto be managed under the SF program by 2030, these findings may apply broadly to other SF schemes. This research provides an example of pathways needed for recognition to achieve meaningful outcomes: adaptive policy frameworks that address structural constraints, long-term technical support beyond recognition process, and enabling conditions for exercising community self-determination. The study demonstrates that while acknowledging community rights provides a foundation, developing these pathways is essential for translating formal recognition into sustainable self-governance. This research gathered perspectives from communities, government institutions, and Non Government Institutions. However, it was only possible to gain limited access to officials in Ministry of Forestry and Forest Management Units, who support the recognition process. This is important for future investigation regarding evolution of the recognition process and multistakeholder coordination. Future research should examine community decision-making processes and internal power dynamics, dependency patterns and traditional knowledge transfer, and ethnobotanical and ecosystems assessments, to understand how both social and ecological dimensions can inform more effective Community-based Forest Management.
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An Investigation of Mechanisms Driving Prolonged Droughts in Southeast Australia
(2025) Xu, Blake
This study investigates the mechanisms driving prolonged droughts in Southeast Australia (SEA), an important agricultural region that is highly vulnerable to water scarcity due to significant precipitation variability. Employing a three-stage analytical framework consisting of development (12-month pre-drought persistence period), persistence (sustained period with SPI 12 � -1.0 for at least 12 consecutive months), and termination (recovery period from when SPI 12 rises above -1.0 until reaching +1.0), this research uses 30-member GFDL_SPEAR_MED large ensemble climate model simulations (1921�2100) and 12-month Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI-12) to address five key questions examining: (1) the characteristics of prolonged SEA droughts across these temporal stages; (2-3) the behaviour of individual climate drivers including the El Ni�o�Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), and Southern Annular Mode (SAM), and their combinations during drought temporal evolution; and (4-5) the frequency, intensity, and spatial patterns of synoptic-scale weather systems throughout the drought lifecycle. SPI-12 analysis shows that droughts develop either directly, occurring in 40�60% of events with a rapid onset from normal or above-normal conditions, or gradually, emerging from below normal conditions or from an incomplete recovery after prior droughts. Persistence phases substantially exceed termination phases in duration (approximately 30 vs. 10 months), with extreme events extending beyond 200 months, whereas drought termination proceeds rapidly and consistently once initiated. Large-scale climate driver analysis shows ENSO as the dominant driver of droughts, remaining influential across all drought stages. The suppression of rainfall associated with La Ni�a events tends to be more critical than the drought enhancement linked to El Ni�o during dry periods. Notably, a return to neutral or weak La Ni�a conditions does not necessarily end droughts in SEA; relief occurs mainly during strong to extreme La Ni�a events, often alongside -IOD and +SAM phases. The IOD amplifies drought conditions during the mid-development and persistence stages, rather than serving as the initial trigger. SAM shows notable shift during development, ranking second to ENSO in overall changes in phase frequency. When considering the co-occurrence of different phases climate drivers: standalone climate driver events show the largest deviations overall, neutral-neutral combinations increase substantially during development, whereas more extreme phase pairings generally produced greater shifts. At the synoptic scale, anticyclone frequency rises and cyclone frequency declines over SEA during drought development and persistence, with opposite trends during termination. Spatial analysis identifies the Tasman Sea as a hotspot for both cyclones and anticyclones, with their intensity anomalies increasing toward higher southern latitudes. ENSO, IOD, and SAM collectively modulate prolonged droughts by altering large-scale circulation and moisture availability, creating conditions that either favour or suppress precipitation. Whilst synoptic-scale systems such as cyclones and anticyclones determine the immediate precipitation patterns at regional scales. By clarifying the roles of climate drivers and synoptic processes in prolonged drought stages, this research improves our understanding of prolonged drought mechanisms and offers insights to enhance prolonged drought prediction and support long-term water resource management under a changing climate.
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Enhancing hydraulic trait visibility in Eucalyptus pauciflora subsp. niphophila tree rings Implications for snow-gum dieback analysis in Kosciuszko National Park
(2025) Doa Roth, Sabrina
Subalpine forests in south-eastern Australia are among the most vulnerable to rising temperatures, facing the threat of collapse, yet the mechanisms by which their xylem anatomy records and responds to climate variability remain poorly understood. This study addresses two key gaps in dendrochronological research: the absence of a standardised methodology for enhancing hydraulic traits without compromising those of other xylem structures, and the lack of published studies on vessel based climate proxies in Australia. Focusing on Eucalyptus pauciflora subsp. niphophila from Kosciuszko National Park, this research developed and tested methods to improve vessel and ring boundary visibility while additionally assessing the climatic sensitivity of hydraulic traits. Results showed that low concentrations of safranin, particularly at 1%, optimally enhance anatomical xylem traits without compromising measurement accuracy. The use of wet chalk as a vessel-filling medium, produced more consistent vessel measurements and simplifies the analytical workflow. Age-dependent increases in vessel lumen area reflected hydraulic adjustments to growth, emphasising the importance of standardisation procedures for removing age-related growth trends. Moreover, the study reveals that applying traditional standardisation methods and protocols associated with signal strength indices, such as the expressed population signal (EPS), may not be suitable for vessel-based chronologies compared to ring-width series. Anatomical anomalies coinciding with droughts revealed adaptive mechanisms towards hydraulic safety, which reduced vessel formation and increased parenchyma proportions. Climatic correlations revealed that especially, vessel traits respond positively to early-spring temperatures, while vessel development might be constrained by elevated summer temperatures. These elevated summer temperatures can potentially be buffered by precipitation and cloud cover, mitigating thermal stress. Overall, this study demonstrates that vessel-based traits in subalpine E. pauciflora subsp. niphophila are sensitive to intra-annual climate variability, confirming their value as complementary proxies to traditional ring-width chronologies. The findings provide a methodological framework for future multiproxy dendrochronological research in Australia and highlight the potential of vessel anatomy to improve climate reconstructions and early detection of hydraulic stress in subalpine forests.
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Spatial and Temporal Analysis of Lightning-caused Fires Across Different Climates in New South Wales, Australia
(2025) Zhou, Ruogu
The wildfires caused by lightning have caused great natural damage to the ecosystem of New South Wales, Australia (NSW). However, people's comprehensive understanding of the temporal and spatial patterns of such fires under different climatic conditions is still limited. This study investigates the fire dynamics caused by lightning strikes in the temperate, semi-arid steppe and arid desert climate zones of NSW from 2016 to 2019, aiming to fill the key knowledge gap in the relationship between regional fires and climate. Using the proximity matching algorithm, 3,414 lightning-caused fires were identified from 6,086,319 lightning strikes and 4,593 fire records, with a matching rate of 74.33%. The spatial analysis of lightning-caused fires shows that lightning-caused fires in temperate areas are extremely concentrated. Although they only cover 32.16% of the research area, account for 79.37% of the total number of lightning fires and 95.91% of the fire area. Lightning ignition efficiency (LIE) analysis shows that lightning ignition efficiency in temperate areas shows a significant year to-year growth trend, from 0.05% in 2016 to 0.16% in 2019, a triple increase. The time pattern of lightning strikes shows obvious seasonal concentration in the summer (December to February), and there are obvious differences in lightning strikes in different climate zones. The examination of environmental variables found that there was a statistically significant difference in the weather conditions between fire-causing lightning and non-fire lightning in all the analyzed climate zones. The lightning that causes fire is associated with reduced rainfall, increased maximum temperature, reduced relative humidity and reduced moisture in combustibles. Spearman correlation analysis of fire and environmental variables caused by lightning strikes shows that the relationship between weather and fire varies from climate zone to climate zone. Temperate areas show strong correlation, semi-arid areas show moderate correlation, and arid areas show limited predictability based on the environment. The analysis of the biological regions of the fire caused by temperate lightning strikes has identified seven high ignition biological regions. The South Eastern Highlands, Sydney Basin, and NSW South Western Slopes show the highest ignition efficiency, reflecting the complex interaction between altitude, topography, vegetation characteristics and fires caused by lightning strikes. The results of the study provide a quantitative threshold for fire risk assessment and show that the correlation between lightning and fire changes with the climate gradient, suggesting that fire management strategies for specific areas should be formulated under changing climatic conditions.
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Towards Sustainable Plastic Waste Management in Tuvalu
(2025) Tima, Tilia
Plastic waste poses an escalating challenge for Tuvalu, a small island developing state with limited landmass, fragile ecosystems, and virtually limited domestic plastic recycling infrastructure. In Funafuti, the capital, plastic waste particularly single-use packaging and disposable nappies constitutes a significant share of household and institutional waste, exacerbating pressure on the already saturated national dumpsite and contributing to marine pollution. This study investigates the types of plastic waste, behavioural and systemic drivers of disposal practices, and opportunities for integrated waste management in Tuvalu through national, regional, and international lenses. A mixed-methods approach was adopted, including household surveys, interviews with key stakeholders from government, healthcare, business, and communities, and an observationalstudy for the hospital. The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) was used to interpret behavioural factors. Key findings reveal that public awareness of plastic waste issues is high, but structural barriers such as irregular collection, policy gaps, and fragmented institutional responsibilities undermine effective action. Although many residents� express willingness to reduce plastic use, this is often constrained by cost, lack of alternatives, and weak policy enforcement. Regional initiatives led by SPREP, such as Pacific Waste Management (PacWastePlus), and Pacific Ocean Litter Project (POLP), have provided technical and financial support. Yet, the sustainability of donor-driven programs remains uncertain. International frameworks, including the Basel Convention and the ongoing International Legally Binding Instrument on Plastic Pollution, including in the marine environment, offer potential pathways for Tuvalu to access support and strengthen national responses. The study recommends a multi-tiered strategy combining local behaviour change, improved inter-agency coordination, and stronger engagement with regional and international mechanisms to ensure long-term sustainability in plastic waste governance.
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A Concrete Plan for the Pacific: A Comparative Analysis of Policy Instruments Used to Encourage Responsible Sourcing of Aggregates for Infrastructure Projects in the Pacific Islands.
(2025) Callen-Short, Harrison
Aggregates (sand and gravel) are an important global material given their use as a key ingredient in construction applications such as concrete, road base and land reclamation. Such is the importance of aggregates for development that they have been coined �development minerals�, reflecting the close link between development outcomes and the availability of these low value, but high impact, materials. The Pacific Islands is a region where infrastructure development is a priority for Pacific Island Governments, with international donor partners (both bilateral and multilateral) scrambling to fill the infrastructure gap � this will require large amounts of aggregates. Currently, aggregates are sourced from far and wide despite local resources being available, largely due to constraints that are present in the Pacific including the environmental and social safeguard risks associated with aggregate extraction on small island states, remoteness of states, sectoral capacity, government capacity and quality of aggregate materials locally. Whilst there has been lots of high quality, recent research informed by extensive analysis of shipping data and stakeholder interaction, there is a focus on the principles of responsible sourcing of aggregates in the Pacific Islands and what initiatives can be funded to align with these principles. Indeed, these initiatives are valuable for future infrastructure development projects, however, this thesis takes an important step back and provides a comparative analysis of the myriad policy instruments available to government and non-government policy actors. Framing the responsible sourcing of aggregates as an environmental policy problem allows for the comparative analysis to utilise Dovers and Hussey�s (2013) framework for assessing the relative merits of policy instruments to provide new insights into which instrument, or combinations of policy instruments, is most effective at ensuring construction contractors source aggregates responsibility for infrastructure development projects in the Pacific Islands. The method of comparative analysis developed in this thesis to assess the relative merits of policy instruments will also assist donor partners in selecting the instrument(s) that best fits their needs. As such, the results of this thesis will help policy actors in the region develop a �concrete plan� for sourcing aggregates to use on infrastructure projects, with this particular comparative analysis method having the potential to be applied to a wide range of other policy problems relating to infrastructure development in the Pacific.
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Translating Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) into practice in the context of climate change: a case study in Northern of Vietnam
(2025) Yen, Le
Vietnam has long experienced deforestation and forest degradation, leaving it highly exposed to the effects of climate change. Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) is an important approach internationally to address forest loss, mitigate climate change, and improve human wellbeing. Since the 1990s, the Government of Vietnam has implemented key policies aimed at advancing FLR, primarily through exotic plantation projects. However, there is limited empirical research in Vietnam that examines the social impacts of these tree plantations, the benefits of these programs, and how policies are implemented in practice to achieve FLR goals through tree planting initiatives. This study draws on an analytical framework adapted from Chazdon and Brancalion (2019) to examine how FLR concepts are interpreted and implemented in Vietnam, by exploring perspectives about FLR policies, and ecological and livelihood outcomes. It used a qualitative case study approach in Thai Nguyen Province, northern Vietnam, to address these issues, paying particular attention to gender, wealth class and intergenerational perspectives. Data were collected between June to July 2025 from interviews of 8 expert stakeholders, and 32 semi-structured interviews and 8 gender-differentiated focus group discussions across four villages. Thematic analysis was used for data interpretation. Results reveal that FLR using exotic (primarily acacia) monocultures has prioritised a single objective, economic development, over ecological considerations, and this has led to trade-offs in the face of climate change. While acacia plantations provide greater economic benefits, they face pest and disease outbreaks, support less biodiversity, and provide limited ecosystem services and reduced climate resilience. The expansion of exotic plantations also exacerbates and reinforces existing social inequities and limits equitable participation in FLR activities, particularly affecting poor households, women and youth, as their specific needs are not adequately addressed. The study identifies a number of key implications. The first is strengthening Research and Development (R&D) to ensure sustainable acacia wood supply and management practices in the short term, while exploring the potential for native Vietnamese species to enhance ecosystem services, livelihood resilience, and climate adaptability in the longer term. The second is diversifying people�s livelihoods rather than relying mainly on acacia plantations to strengthen community resilience. The third is diversifying FLR based on land use types, by adopting agroforestry systems and fostering natural regeneration, to achieve both ecological and social goals, including food production, improved soil health, and carbon sequestration. In addressing climate change, it is crucial to balance the social and ecological aspects of FLR. This requires integrated and adaptive management strategies and supportive policies that promote long-term human well-being and environmental health, rather than focusing primarily on short-term gains.
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Detection and occupancy modelling of invasive deer in Namadgi National Park
(2025) Kennedy, Jamie
Invasive deer in Australia have been associated with threats to native vegetation structure and composition, water quality, and economic impacts on agriculture. As deer numbers continue to grow and their range expands, management is becoming increasingly necessary, which requires a robust system of monitoring. Multiple methods have been recommended for deer monitoring, but these have not been broadly applied to forested, subalpine areas of south eastern Australia. Namadgi National Park has an established deer management program, but no landscape-scale analysis of deer occupancy has been undertaken. In this thesis I aimed to (1) compare deer monitoring via scat surveys and camera trapping to establish the most effective system for use in forested, mountainous landscapes; (2) determine factors influencing camera detections; and (3) understand deer occupancy at a landscape scale in Namadgi National Park. This research is intended to assist park managers in ongoing deer management and contribute to the current understanding of deer in less-studied forested sites and at lower population densities. To address my first aim, I compared camera trap records from November 2024 to April 2025 with 90 scat surveys at 45 locations in three different vegetation formations. Only 15 scats were found at 5 sites, while cameras detected deer at 23 sites, demonstrating that field based surveying was much less effective than camera trap monitoring in this landscape. To address the second aim, I developed detection-occupancy models on both my 45 field sites and the full 73-camera array using the �unmarked� package in R, focusing on detection factors which had been identified in the literature. Current low deer density in the park meant that fallow and red deer detections were low, so modelling complexity for those species was limited. Midstory density, measured along the scat transects, was significant to sambar detection in the 45-site model, and remote-sensed canopy cover was significant to sambar and fallow deer in the 73-site model, though sambar detectability decreased with increased canopy cover, and fallow deer detectability increased with increased cover. To address my third aim, both the 45-site and 73-site models were evaluated for occupancy predictors. Distance from water, or elevation, was the main covariate in all three species models, and was particularly strongly associated with fallow deer occupancy. As this modelling was single-season only, however, focusing on the summer, it could be expected that the effect of water proximity would be lower for all three species in winter and spring modelling when water is more available in the landscape. Deer populations in Namadgi National Park are currently low density, but will expand without management. My research can inform both monitoring practices within the park and priority areas for ongoing deer management, and can be used more broadly by land managers engaged in the monitoring and management of deer at low densities in similar forested locations across south-eastern Australia.
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Range Expansion of the Rainbow Lorikeet (Trichoglossus moluccanus) under Environmental Change
(2025) Stockton, Rosie
The expansion of species� ranges in response to environmental change is a growing topic of interest. While most studies on species� responses to global change have focused on range contractions, this thesis examines the underexplored phenomenon of native species expanding into new environments. Numerous anecdotal reports have noted range expansion in some native parrot species in eastern Australia. This aligns with observational evidence of several species� ability to exploit novel environmental conditions found in highly modified landscapes. However, range expansion in native parrots has not been robustly quantified. My thesis examines the Rainbow Lorikeet (Trichoglossus moluccanus), as a case study of this broader ecological phenomenon. Originally found in north-eastern Queensland, the Rainbow Lorikeet is a large-brained, competitive nectivore, characterised by its mobility and adaptability. This study provides a detailed quantification of the Rainbow Lorikeet�s rapid natural range expansion across eastern Australia. It then examines bioclimatic and anthropogenic factors associated with this expansion. Key results included positive associations between colonisation and urban and agricultural land use. Further, my results support anecdotal reports that the Rainbow Lorikeet has expanded into environmental conditions that it rarely occupied in its historical distribution, suggestive of ecological niche expansion. These findings support my hypothesis that land use changes, rather than climatic drivers alone under environmental change, are a primary driver of expansion. My results underscored the need for systematic efforts to track distributional changes across a wider range of species to understand emerging patterns of species responses to climate change and land use practises. The major expansion of the Rainbow Lorikeet is likely to have a broad range of implications for other native bird species, including competition for food resources and limited tree hollows. Overall, my thesis provides a robust case study of a species thriving under anthropogenic pressures, providing insights into range and niche shifts under environmental change.
Open Access
Trust but Verify, An Exploration of Community Trust in the Australian Fire Danger Rating System
(2024) Jones, Kate
Trust is a highly dynamic phenomenon and a vital component of hazard information dissemination, allowing communities to readily accept and act upon hazard information. This study investigates the factors that underlie community trust in the Australian Fire Danger Rating System (AFDRS), determining the psychosocial mechanisms that influence individual perceptions of its accuracy. This study utilizes a mixed method approach, comprising a community survey and a focus group discussion, recruiting those within Canberra's Western Edge community. Through this, it was found that bushfire experience, self-efficacy, and trust in agency affects trust in the AFDRS. Results of this study show that at a community level, trust in the AFDRS is high. Furthermore, both trust in fire agencies and self-efficacy significantly influence trust in the system. Those with bushfire experience were more likely to use self-efficacy to verify their trust in the AFDRS. Conversely, those with less experience relied more heavily on the credibility of fire agencies to ascertain the technological accuracy of the system. Trust in agencies was found to be the primary determinant of community trust in the AFDRS. Therefore, this study demonstrates that trust in risk forecasting systems varies substantially across individuals, comprising an amalgamation of personal perceptions and relationships with institutions. This study concludes by outlining the merit of agency outreach programs in maintaining community trust in the AFDRS.
Open Access
Stakeholder Perspectives on Sustaining Post-Project Peatland Restoration Outcomes: A Case Study in Jambi Province, Indonesia
(2024) Hidayati, Arifah
Peatland ecosystems are vital for Indonesia’s climate change mitigation objectives but face significant degradation risks. Indonesia, as the location of the world’s second-largest tropical peatlands, has prioritised peatland restoration for nearly a decade. Restoration initiatives involve a diverse array of stakeholders—including government agencies, donor organisations, the private sector, NGOs, academics, and local communities—with substantial resources allocated to seven key provinces, including Jambi. However, most restoration efforts are limited to pilot projects rather than sustainable long-term interventions. Lessons learned from previous initiatives emphasise the necessity of enhancing stakeholders’ understanding of peatland restoration and aligning restoration efforts with their strategic interests to foster long-term commitment by stakeholders. This research aimed to elicit stakeholders' perspectives on the value of peatlands, their goals after the completion of restoration projects, and actions they believed necessary to achieve them. It takes a project sponsored by the Government of the Republic of Korea as an Official Development Assistance activity, Restoration of Burnt Peatland in Jambi, as a case study. Fieldwork was conducted from June to July 2024, employing semi-structured interviews with purposively sampled participants (n= 22), alongside field and participant observations to gain insights into project implementation and stakeholder interactions. Qualitative thematic analysis was used to assist interpretation of the data. Previous studies have highlighted the significance of collaboration in Indonesian peatland restoration. However, existing reports often lack comprehensive information on the post-project experiences of these restoration efforts. The analysis reveals a deficiency in adaptive long-term planning for sustainable restoration, despite participants’ hopes for ongoing activities. Additionally, there is a varied understanding of the ‘3R’ (rewetting, revegetation, and revitalisation of local communities’ livelihoods) approach, with communities being more familiar with revitalisation activities. This research underscores the complexity of issues in restoring peatland ecosystems for climate change mitigation while also maintaining their productive use. Understanding stakeholder perspectives is crucial for effective collaboration in landscape-based ecosystem management, ensuring local communities are central to development projects. Otherwise, outcomes may be suboptimal, and funding may be inadequate to foster sustainable practices. While this study highlights the importance of stakeholder perceptions in sustaining peatland restoration efforts in Jambi, it also notes the limited representation of interviewees and the absence of private sector perspectives. Future research should engage all stakeholder categories involved in the restoration agenda and apply a Social-Ecological Systems (SES) framework to capture the intricate dynamics of social and ecological components. Additionally, improving peatland restoration governance could benefit from the Collaborative Environmental Governance (CEG) framework to navigate the complexities and competing interests inherent in Indonesia's peatland ecosystems.
Open Access
Scaling International Agricultural Research: Exploring frameworks, contexts and pragmatics of scaling outcomes to reach impact
(2024) Semmler, Nathanael
Agricultural innovation has been among the most influential drivers to alleviate poverty, enhance nutritional health, mitigate conflicts arising from scare water resources and empower food secure communities. Agricultural innovation drives productivity, enabling the economies to redirect its capital, labour and skills development into sectors that diversify and stabilise the economy, and raise the overall Gross-Domestic Product (GDP) of nations (Ortiz-Ospina and Lippolis, 2017). To date agriculture research and development remains one the most direct and influential mechanisms to reduce poverty, alongside education and health care interventions (Alene and Coulibaly, 2009; Gassner et al., 2019; Rosegrant et al., 2023). The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) is a government foreign aid organisation that administers a portfolio of around $100-130 million AUD invested towards the agricultural research for development across the Indo-Pacific. In the Midterm Review of ACIAR’s 10-Year Strategy (2018-2027) the final report recommended that ACIAR consider; “adopting frameworks to assess development effectiveness, whilst not compromising the quantum of research funding” (ACIAR, 2022). This thesis evaluated a scaling framework previously developed to assesses the scaling potential of agricultural innovations targeted at addressing challenges such as global food security (Herrero et al, 2020; Thornton et al., 2024). Scaling is only one measurement of development effectiveness however, and hence researchers should also consider principles of responsible innovation and the sustainability implications of outputs to safeguard against undesirable future outcomes (CSIRO, 2022; Robinson et al., 2022). The framework consists of eight accelerators considered critical to scale uptake and adoption (Thornton et al., 2024). Qualitative research methodologies including thematic and narrative analysis of ten ACIAR Research Projects across the Indo-Pacific region at mid-term or final review phases, were used to evaluate the scaling framework. Synthesis of themes and findings from data collected by fifteen expert interviews included the project leaders and project reviewers, as well as the mid-term and final review reports for those projects. Results and analysis findings suggest that the scaling framework provides an effective and consistent assessment tool to investigate scaling potential of ACIAR research outcomes, however research limitations and potential bias risks warrant further and more rigorous research to ensure confidence and validity of these research outcomes. A draft report has been compiled for ACIAR on the analysis findings and recommendations from the participants about the contexts of scaling agricultural research and the role ACIAR could provide in supporting research seeking to transition to development. This will be refined postthesis submission and be presented to ACIAR to facilitate discussions that will further insights and explore the value of expanding the research in subsequent studies.
Open Access
Reed bee (Exoneura spp.) thermal physiology, body pollen composition, and species diversity across an elevational gradient in Kosciuszko National Park, NSW, Australia
(2024) Takeshima, Noel
Plant-pollinator communities play an important role in the functioning of mountain ecosystems, which are notably threatened by rapid climate change impacts. I investigated trends in the thermal tolerance (CTmin), body pollen composition, and genetic diversity in these communities by sampling 96 reed bees (Exoneura) at 7 sites along an elevational gradient ranging from 920m to 1850m. Reed bees underwent genome sequencing to test for genetic diversity, which revealed two clades, Exoneura c.f. robusta and Exoneura c.f. bicolor. I found that E. c.f.robusta, mostly present up until 1600m, was the more abundant clade up until 1450m, whereas E. c.f. bicolor, present at 6 out of 7 elevations, became more abundant above 1450m. Considering all bees, high-elevation bees were more tolerant to low temperatures than low-elevation bees (p = 0.002). However, there was an interaction between the effect of elevation and clade on CTmin, such that while CTmin was greater at higher elevations in E. c.f. bicolor, the effect was weaker in E. c.f. robusta. Pollen composition analysis showed that, on any given bee, the most abundant pollen type accounted for 86.5% (population mean) of their total body pollen. Therefore, our analysis focused on the identity of the most abundant pollen type found on bees. At elevations 920m to 1600m, the pollen family that both reed bee clades foraged from the most was Myrtaceae. However, at the highest elevation (1850m), where only E. c.f. bicolor was present, Asteraceae was foraged from the most as shown by 7 of 13 bees. Overall, my findings indicate that the nature of reed bee distribution is complex and interwoven with climatic variables. Despite exhibiting a broader range of CTmin across elevations, reed bees in the E. c.f. bicolor clade are more likely to be vulnerable to climate change-induced temperature increases than those in the E. c.f. robusta clade. A process which may drive this change is the potential upward range expansion of E. c.f. robusta populations, introducing competitive pressures at higher elevations. Additionally, my findings indicate that reed bees consistently forage from a single plant family at a time, regardless of elevation, while also demonstrating a capacity to forage from a variety of plant species. This foraging behaviour highlights reed bees' important role as pollinators, supporting plant reproduction in mountain ecosystems.
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Investigating supplementary semi saline irrigation of taro and yam in Tonga
(2025) McDonald, Lily
Water security is an issue which plagues Pacific Island Nations and Territories (PICTs) despite being surrounded by water. Due to the genesis of coral atoll islands, such as Tonga �tapu, Kingdom of Tonga (Tonga) groundwater storage is minimal, and infrastructure is insufficient to capture enough rainfall for fresh water to support the island for more than 30 days. When it does not rain, crops growing under rainfed systems suffer from reduced inputs, increasing the negative effect of a drought, where fresh water must be flown in through foreign aid. Breakthroughs in thermodiffusive desalination technology presenting cheaper, more efficient and lower maintenance options for irrigation may provide relief from the consequential impacts of these droughts. Whilst the technology is vastly improved from preceding options, the product is brackish water which is mildly saline � unsuitable for human consumption. It is little understood how the environment and common crops grown in Tonga will react to supplementary saline irrigation. To evaluate the potential of this technology, the study conducted two field trials to assess the salinity tolerance of taro and yam to semi saline irrigation. Four treatments for taro, including pumped groundwater, rainfall only, 30mmol/L NaCl and 60mmol/L NaCl were applied at select rates based on actual rainfall. For yam, pumped groundwater and 60mmol/L NaCl was applied periodically to yams which were planted under rainout shelters to prevent rainfall interference. Plant growth parameters and physiological measurements were observed and analysed using statistical packages available in RStudio. The study found that under the treatments, taro exhibited no effects up to 30mmol/L NaCl and minor decrease in corm yield at 60mmol/L NaCl. For yam, no yield effect was identified up to 60mmol/L NaCl treatment. The soil analysis indicated that due to the management of saline application, soil salinity was temporarily raised and would likely return to baseline salinity levels if given appropriate periods of rest. Further study is required to assess the long-term impacts and best practice for supplementary saline irrigation. However, these results indicate that supplementary saline irrigation at rates up to 60mmol/L NaCl may provide a sustainable solution to supporting Tonga�s water security issues, however further studies will need to be conducted to assess the impact of semi saline solution to Tongan soils over time and multiple cropping cycles. Furthermore, the taro trial would benefit from being repeated in low rain conditions.
Open Access
Coastal climate change on Anindilyakwa Sea Country: GIS mapping and modelling for internal capacity
(2024) Withrow, Gwendolyn
The management of Anindilyakwa Sea Country (ASC) and the complex impacts and futures therein requires robust strategies led by internal capacity. In recent years, economic directives have evolved, climate change impacts have emerged, and efforts to secure sovereignty have reemerged. The Anindilyakwa Land Council (ALC) has sought out partnerships and expertise to support its continued self-determination through these changes. The CRCNA grant “Integrating Indigenous Priorities in Spatially Enabled Planning of the Indigenous Estate” furthers these goals through existing partnerships and Geospatial Information System (GIS) analysis. This research develops the grant’s goals through GIS modelling of climate vulnerabilities on ASC. Coastal climate change vulnerabilities are defined by the intersection of physical hazards and local community values. Vulnerability in a remote, Indigenous context such as ASC, requires synthesis of cultural perspectives, colonial impacts, and internally defined future visioning. Because goals and outcomes cannot be prescribed, co-design and development is imperative. Moreover, these principles ensure that the outputs of this research are suitable for integration as working knowledge into ALC management and planning. After robust risk assessment, climate change contextualisation, and extensive consultation, three GIS analytical strategies were selected: a physical process model of sea level inundation, a multi-criteria risk analysis of erosion, and a participatory sketch mapping process. The design, development, and delivery of each was iteratively accomplished through a partnership between the ALC and the ANU. This collaboration led to publication of the outputs in the forthcoming Makarda Management Plan by the ALC Rangers (July, 2025). A principle-driven application of GIS allowed for synthesis of culturally relevant quantitative and qualitative datasets and story map publication enables dynamic engagement and community access for continued future use. The versatility and rigor of these tools facilitates a sharing of knowledges across Traditional and Western epistemologies. Analysis utilised sitespecific, high-resolution aerial imagery and LiDAR from Aerometrex (another CRCNA partner) which greatly enhanced the accuracy and efficacy of the modelling outputs. This research aims to create an effective working knowledge of GIS analyses, appropriately and rigorously situated within the Anindilyakwa context, of spatially explicit and locally derived datasets that are useful for internal local decision-making.
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Analysing the Environmental Disclosure-Performance Relationship of Australian Mining Companies
(2025) Beer, Adam
Environmental Sustainability disclosures have become an integral component to current company annual reporting. The innovation of companies choosing to produce publicly available has enabled companies to improve how they account and manage their environmental impacts resulting from their operational activities. The quality of company environmental disclosures can represent the current environmental-related risks that could affect their short and long-term success. Questions remain whether environmental disclosures genuinely represent environmental performance � rather than being a tool for impression management. This research explored the environmental-disclosure performance relationship of 17 selected metal and mining companies from the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX). Research questions focused on how the quality of sustainability disclosure reporting varies among Australian mining companies as well as material environmental sub-topics across the sampled metals and mining industry. Interpretive content analysis was undertaken using a 0-3 scoring criterion. 26 selected material environmental disclosure requirements from the GRI Standard were given a score between 0-3 based on the adherence of the company�s 2024 sustainability data. These were totaled and correlated with the company�s respective 2024 S&P Global Environmental Score. A positive strong relationship was evident between total environmental disclosure and environmental performance from the sample mining companies. An early adopter-laggard analysis uncovered key themes to showcase the difference in high and low disclosure quality evident for early adopter and laggard companies: i) Degree of External Framework Alignment ii) Degree of Quantitative Data iii) Degree of Site-Specific Data iv) Size of Market Capitalisation. Further linear regression analysis was conducted for four environmental sub-topics (Biodiversity; Climate, Energy and Emissions; Waste; and Water) with variability being seen in their disclosure adherence percentages and r-squared coefficients. The relatively low adherence for the biodiversity sub-topic prompted further examination. The complex and individualised nature of biodiversity reporting, together with varying company sustainability priorities, are drivers behind the reduced disclosure adherence. Therefore, this study demonstrated how mining companies that provide higher quality material environmental disclosures can be positively associated with having an overall environmental performance. Implications of the research suggest that disclosure-related theories support companies wanting to legitimise their environmental actions by providing voluntary disclosures. The ability for stakeholders and investors to analyse environmental disclosure quality by companies can help understand whether they are genuine or used for impression and neutralization purposes.
Open Access
Using human ecology to identify potential pathways to the proliferation of bioregional values-led food procurement: What do Canberra Food Co-op members perceive as the benefits of participation in a solidarity-based food co-operative
(2024) James, Keri
Solidarity-based food networks provide food procurement opportunities outside of the unjust and unsustainable global industrial food system. This research seeks insight into the interactions of one such solidarity-based food system and some of its members, who are creating community around values-led food-choices - to better understand how a potential proliferation of such systems could influence change across the broader food system. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty committed working members of the Canberra Food Co-op. As a non-Indigenous researcher with a background in learning from First Nations Peoples, the Indigenous research methodologies of relational ethics of care and Dadirri - deep listening (Atkinson, 2002), were foundational to the research and interview process. The interview recordings provided data thematically analysed with a human ecology lens. Five common interview themes around values, ethics, food choices, community, and barriers and enablers were identified, and comparisons made with previous work on food values and systems. Using Wilkes' (2022) model, this study finds that co-op members attribute combinations of values-led, instrumental, systemic, and relational reasons for initial involvement at the co-op. Relational reasons alone however are found to sustain those memberships over time. Members consider that their values deepen at the co-op, and are strengthened by working together in community. Drawing upon the systems diagrams of human ecology, this research found that the main barrier to the further proliferation of solidarity-based community co-ops is lack of accessible public spaces. This case study has established that these working members see their co op and community as central to their lives and wellbeing, and that their ongoing contributions there strengthen and deepen their values, enabling them to more confidently enact those values outside of the co-op. Overall, this research concludes that if values-led food networks, ones that hold space and opportunity for communal gathering and closer relationships between farmers and members, are to proliferate, then more access to available public spaces to create community is required. Without government support and regulation to enable these conditions, those interested in creating community around solidarity-based food options find themselves necessarily considering food procurement avenues outside of space-based food co-operatives and food networks operating with an exchange of money.
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Ecological Responses to the Reintroduction of Cultural Burning in Box-Gum Grassy Woodlands
(2025) Blake, Imogene
For tens of thousands of years, Australian Aboriginal communities have shaped many landscapes through the intentional use of cultural burning. However, the comparatively recent exclusion of this practice in critically endangered box-gum grassy woodlands on Wiradjuri and Ngunnawal Countries has contributed significant degradation and management challenges. Programs supporting the re-introduction of cultural burning must be grounded in an understanding of how potential drivers of ecosystem function may be directly or indirectly aTected by fire. My honours project aimed to address key knowledge gaps regarding the influence of cultural burning on biomass accumulation (grass and leaf), soil characteristics, and decomposition activity, and how these interactions may underpin ecosystem response. Specifically, my project answered the following research questions; 1) How does biomass (grass and leaf litter) respond to cultural burning 20 months after fire? 2) How do soil characteristics and decomposition dynamics drive variation in biomass response to burning? and, 3) How does decomposition respond to cultural burning, and how do soil properties influence decomposition? This project took place across 12 sites of varying ecological condition located on Wirajduri and Ngunnawal Country. Sites underwent cultural burning in spring 2023 and were monitored in a before-after-control-impact experimental design, with biomass surveys (grass and leaf litter) conducted before burning in 2023, and again 20 months after burning in autumn 2025. In order to identify key drivers of biomass response, as part of 2025 surveys, I conducted a novel decomposition experiment based on the Teabag Index (Keuskamp et al. 2013) and collected soil samples for nutrient analysis. I found that cultural burning eTectively reduced leaf litter and grass biomass, with potential benefits for native diversity and ecosystem function. I also found that phosphorus concentration was a key driver of grass biomass and may require further management intervention to ensure elevated nutrients do not reduce positive eTects of burning. I also found that decomposition dynamics interacted strongly with phosphorus and carbon cycling, and that fire-induced changes in pH may reduce decomposition activity. My project joins a growing body of literature advocating for the re-introduction of cultural burning as a strategy for reducing biomass accumulation in box-gum grassy woodlands, and also as an opportunity to restore connection to Country and knowledge exchange among Indigenous communities.
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Understanding the changing pollination of Acacia brachybotrya in mallee woodland
(2025) Reynolds, Alana
Pollination is of vital importance to the reproduction of flowering plants. Insects are by far the most important pollinators and the vast majority of terrestrial plants are predominantly insect pollinated. However, insect pollinator declines are being observed around the world, and increasing numbers of plant species are being found to show signs of pollen limitation in their reproduction. There is evidence that land use changes and habitat fragmentation are changing the species and functional composition of pollinator communities and plant-pollinator interactions, but little is known about the mechanisms with which such changes are affecting pollen transport and pollination success. Acacia brachybotrya is a plant species found in mallee woodland environments that shows signs of increased pollen limitation of plant reproduction as a result of habitat fragmentation altering pollination services. However, little is known about the pollinator community of A. brachybotrya or its pollination. Therefore, it is unknown by what mechanism fragmentation is changing pollination services. nor of how pollen transport is changing for A. brachybotrya as a result of fragmentation. The two main ways pollination services may be changing include in the interactions between plants and pollinator community, and changes in plant-plant interactions via pollen transport. Changes in pollinator community may affect functional traits composition and thus pollinator pollination efficiency. Changes in plant-plant interactions affect heterospecific pollen interactions, whereby pollen of a heterospecific plants species can interfere with pollination. Through the collection of insect visitors to A. brachybotrya and identification and counting their conspecific and heterospecific pollen loads, my study attempts to analyse the A. brachybotrya pollinator community and their changing pollen transport. I found evidence that bees are by far the most important A. brachybotrya pollinator as indicated by high visitation, floral constancy, and significantly higher conspecific pollen loads compared to beetles and flies. Beetles and flies were the next most important A. brachybotrya pollinators, although a wide variety of pollinators was observed. The community of pollen found on insect pollinators of A. brachybotrya appears to be changing with fragmentation, and pollen species richness was found to be significantly higher in highly fragmented habitat remnants compared to larger remnants for flies, and lower in highly fragmented habitat remnants for bees, with moderate significance. Pollinator body size was not tested due to limited sample size, but trends indicated that fragmentation leads to community shifts to larger bees in mallee woodland, which may affect the amount of pollen being transported and the distance pollen is being transported. These findings have implications for land management of environments experiencing pollen limitation. Priorities for future research should include analysis on how insect functional traits and pollen community composition may be changing with habitat fragmentation.
Open Access
Pollen transport by insects in the Australian Alpine
(2024) Mitchell-Storey, Tomas
Pollinating insects contribute to the reproductive success of the vast majority of flowering plants. Pollination services are under threat as from global climate change and habitat degradation which change pollinator and plant communities and disrupt the interactions between them. Little is known about how the functional traits of flower visiting insects influence their ability to pollinate plants. Understanding how functional traits affect pollen transport by insect pollinators will improve predictions of how anthropogenic-driven changes to pollinators will impact floral communities. Additionally, most plant-pollinator research does not consider the importance of pollen transport by individual insects, rather organising them into taxonomic groups and therefore overlooking differences between individual and species-level visitation. This thesis analysed the pollen transport of flower visiting Hymenoptera, Diptera, Coleoptera, and Lepidoptera in the Australian Alpine by quantifying pollen loads removed from the respective body parts of individuals, separately. The functional traits body size, mouthpart length, hair length, and hair density of a range of insects were measured. Single visit pollen deposition (SVD) experiments were conducted on various plant-insect interactions. The mouthpart traits of Incurviseta (Lauxaniidae), a super-abundant pollen-feeding fly were imaged using a scanning electron microscope. Several species of bees and Diptera transported large pollen loads with high proportions of conspecific pollen. Diptera and Hymenoptera carried highly conspecific pollen loads because the individuals that summate their species are florally constant. Individual-level networks had lower nestedness and connectance but higher specialisation than species-level networks, underlining the need to recognise individuals separately from their parent species. The body parts of individuals had different compositions of pollen, mostly due to differences in floral morphologies, insect body sizes, and insect foraging behaviour. Grooming in bees resulted in most pollen being concentrated on their legs and dorsal thorax. Body size moderately influenced pollen load size, and the hair length and mouthpart length of Diptera moderately influenced their pollen load sizes and richness. Hair density did not influence pollen transport. SVD experiments revealed that Diptera are likely pollinators of Baeckea utilis. Diptera in the genus Incurviseta were found to have mouthpart traits enabling it to feed on a large quantity and of pollen from a diverse range of plants. This thesis addresses the importance of functional traits, both morphological and otherwise, for pollen transport, and identifies large-bodied Diptera and bees as being potentially important targets for future research and conservation in the Australian Alpine.

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