School of Environmental Sciences


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Potential Honours Projects 2010

Hello potential Honours students. There is nothing more fulfilling than carrying out your own research! Honours is all about coming up with new ideas, exploring these ideas through a research project, collaborating with other scientists and making a difference. It is an exciting time and also a demanding time. It is not for the faint-hearted - it is a time when you get to challenge yourself like you have never been challenged before – but it is also a lot of fun.

If you think Honours might be for you, you have a good academic record and, most importantly, you are passionate about research, come and talk to us: Paul Humphries, Honours Coordinator for the School of Environmental Science in Thurgoona or Remy Dehaan, Honours Coordinator for SES in Wagga. Alternatively, talk to any academic staff member about your ideas or interests. Below are a list of projects, under topic headings, that academic staff have put together to give you an idea of where their interests lie. But if you have an idea of your own, don’t hesitate to talk to Paul or Remy and we can point you in the direction of the appropriate potential supervisor.

Also, as an added incentive, CSU will be providing a number of scholarships to Honours student in 2010, which will cover HECS fees and provide a small living allowance.  Go to http://www.csu.edu.au/student/scholarships/honours/

Projects

Soil and Water

Projects in soils and water aim to increase our understanding of physical geographic landscapes. Current interest is focused on the behavior and cycling of carbon under different land management practices. Investigations in this area are on the forefront of land management and climate change research. There are several opportunities to be involved in soils and water research and you should consider discussing any potential project with either Ben or Jason. Current projects include:

What role do freshwater wetlands play in carbon cycling? –Project 1

Wetlands directly affect the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. Carbon may be stored as organic material (such as leaf litter) which may have been built up over hundred (or thousands) of years. These carbon sinks may release carbon to the atmosphere if water levels are lowered or land management practices result in oxidation of the soil. This project will explore the dynamics of carbon in the sediments and waters in freshwater wetlands to understand how carbon is stored and how easily it may be lost to the atmosphere.

Dr Jason Reynolds( Thurgoona)

Can pyrolyzed organics improve soil health and fertility? – Project 2

We are moving into an era where carbon amendments to soil may be considered a viable carbon offset. However, technical information on how different soil types respond to additions of carbon is lacking.  This project aims to increase our understanding of how soil health and fertility may be improved through the addition of pyrolyzed organics. Be involved in the cutting edge of land management and the future management of carbon.

A/Prof Ben Wilson and Dr Jason Reynolds( Thurgoona)

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Terrestrial Ecology, Conservation and Management

Are you interested in the ecology, conservation or management of  birds, mammals, reptiles, insects and other terrestrial organisms?  If you are, then come and talk to David Watson, Gary Luck, Skye Wassens or Andrea Wilson.  They have a range of projects that will interest and excite you, or come with an idea of your own.

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GIS and Environment

There are several staff in the School who specialise on research using GIS and remote sensing. If you are interested in developing research skills in the areas of  modelling, mapping and analyzing spatial data in  areas such as ecology, agriculture or the human dimension please come and have a chat to one of us.  I am sure we can work something out. Please contact Remy Dehaan, Rachel O'Brien Whitsed or Rod Rumbachs to share your project ideas

Trends and implications of absentee ownership

This research poses the question of what factors affect where absentee owners purchase properties. There is an increasing proportion of absentee owners in rural areas and they have different characteristics than resident rural property owners. The research will explore to what extent various biophysical and socio-economic factors impact on the location of property purchases for this subset of landholders. Spatial analysis using GIS will be applied to explore patterns in existing data, linking property locations to various factors, and developing the capacity to predict where absentee owners might choose to buy property. Understanding why different types of landholders purchase in different locations impacts on NRM, and these implications could also be explored as part of this project.

The project will build on existing research in Victoria , in particular in Goulburn Broken, Wimmera and Corangamite catchments.

The successful candidate will receive a $5000 scholarship from ILWS.

Dr Rachel O’Brien Whitsed and Prof Allan Curtis (Thurgoona)

Ecological modelling to predict species distribution in freshwater environments

This project involves the application of existing ecological models using GIS, to compare methods and results of selected species distribution models in a freshwater environment. Existing datasets will be used of records at sampling sites in the Murray-Darling Basin with fish presence data. There are a number of different ecological models which could be applied to these data to predict habitat distribution. The choice of model depends on a number of factors, and the main aim of this research will be to explore the implications of model choice in this particular context.

Drs Rachel O’Brien Whitsed and Paul Humphries (Thurgoona)

Environmental driving factors for specialty crops

Farmers throughout the world need to know that they are planting the right crops in the right locations. Some crops are broadly adapted, and with adequate management, can thrive in a wide variety of conditions. Other crops, however, are highly localised, and will only be successful under very specific conditions. Environmental conditions can vary greatly even over small areas. However, researchers and farmers are not simply interested in mapping where something will grow, but also the question of why these locations are suitable, and not others. Driving factors are the most important variables in a model, and can vary significantly in different locations. Understanding these driving factors will allow farmers to select the most suitable crops for different locations, and also allow promising new locations to be found for high-value crops.

This project will use existing data and expert knowledge on specialty crops to examine techniques for mapping current expert knowledge related to driving factors.

Dr Rachel O’Brien Whitsed (Thurgoona)

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Aquatic Ecology, Conservation and Management

There are several staff in the School whose research interests are primarily in aquatic ecology, conservation and management.  Whether you are interested in fish, frogs, birds, macroinvertebrates or plants, there is someone who could supervise such a project.  Many are also interested in the management of aquatic ecosystems, through water allocation, river restoration, human relationships with water and the like and are actively involved at the local, state and national level.  Come and have a chat to one of us if you are interested and I am sure we can work something out.
Skye Wassens, Robyn Watts, Paul Humphries, Iain Taylor, Andrea Wilson, Max Flinlayson, David Mitchell.

Specific projects:

Skye Wassens has a number of funded projects in the area of frog ecology and conservation. Much of this research is centred around the Murray River floodplain and the nationally important  Lowbidgee wetland system and Yanga National Park.  Some examples of projects might be:

Dr Skye Wassens (Wagga Wagga)

Paul Humphries is broadly interested in the ecology of fish, macroinvertebrates and their relationship with flow in rivers and floodplains.  Some of his recent research centres on historical ecology and how past practices have resulted in what we see today.  Go and see him if you have an idea of your own or think about these possible projects below:

Interactions between flathead gudgeon and carp gudgeon

These two native species are similar in size and ecology, yet rarely occur together in the wild.  Why not?  We don’t know.  Despite overlapping distributions, they seem to dislike each other’s company.  There would be some fascinating field and laboratory-based projects that could be done to try to uncover the mystery beneath this hate-hate relationship.

Sub-fossil fish in floodplains and environmental change

The anoxic waters of billabongs are ideal sites for the preservation of fish which are trapped once floodwaters recede. Preliminary sampling has revealed that the sediments in billabongs contain the remains of fish and these may provide an opportunity for reconstructing floodplain fish faunas over tens to thousands of years. Be part of a new area of research and one which will contribute to the field of environmental change in aquatic ecosystems.

Dr Paul Humphries (Thurgoona)

Current speed and habitat use by shrimp in lowland rivers (in collaboration with Adam Richardson, from the Murray-Darling Freshwater Research Centre)

Three species of shrimp commonly inhabit lowland rivers in south-eastern Australia.  They have similar life histories, breed over similar periods and are of similar size.  Yet recent work suggests that two species do well under regulated conditions, whereas the third is suffering and has been eradicated from some regulated sections.  Why?  Not sure, but why not help to find out?
Dr Paul Humphries (Thurgoona)

Dr Paul Humphries (Thurgoona)

Sedimentation, aquatic macrophytes and macoinvertebrates in rivers

We know that some submerged aquatic macrophytes continue to exist in lowland rivers, despite large amounts of sand moving like a big wave downstream. How do they do this without being buried? And what role do these macrophytes play in providing structure for macroinvertebrates?

Dr Paul Humphries (Thurgoona)

Genetics of spotted galaxias populations in the Murray-Darling Basin (in collaboration with Dr Gavin Rees, from the Murray-Darling Freshwater Research Centre)
Want to learn how to sequence DNA?  Want to solve an historical puzzle?  Then why not think about carrying out an historical and ecological detective investigation and work out where a fish came from that should not be where it is today?  Is it a remnant of past populations or has it been recently translocated by anglers?

Dr Paul Humphries (Thurgoona)

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Vegetation Ecology

Tree and shrub regeneration in agricultural areas: social and ecological values and benefits

In many agricultural areas, native trees and shrubs have regenerated naturally to form large areas of regrowth. This regrowth has great potential to enhance ecological sustainability but may also conflict with other social values and land uses. Despite its importance, surprisingly little is known about the ecology or social dimensions of natural regeneration in agricultural regions. How valuable is it for biodiversity? How does it change over time? What do landholders think about it? How does it affect other land uses? The following projects aim to investigate social and ecological aspects of this important issue. Potential projects may focus on social science, ecology or be inter-disciplinary.

·        What do landholders think about natural regeneration on their properties?
 ·        How have landholders’ views on regrowth changed over the past 50 -100 years?
 ·        Is natural regrowth as good as planted trees? What do landholders and managers believe?
 ·        Do patches of regeneration become more like natural forests over time?
 ·        Does browsing by wildlife promote or inhibit natural regeneration?
 ·        Does regeneration by trees and shrubs assist soil health?

Supervisors: Associate Professor Ian Lunt, Dr Catherine Allan, Dr Peter Spooner and Dr Rik Thwaites.

Peter Spooner is a vegetation ecologist – so he is into plants! He currently supervises a number of honours and PhD research projects. His main areas of research include:

These are broad areas of interest, where you might have a research idea which ‘fits’ these themes. So please don’t hesitate to contact Peter to discuss your ideas. Alternatively, and if you’re not sure what to study, you may be more interested in specific topics as outlined below (from Peter’s road ecology theme):

Dr Peter Spooner (Thurgoona)

Plant recruitment patterns in roadside corridors.

In many cleared and fragmented landscapes of NSW and Victoria, roadsides are often the last ‘remnants’ of past vegetation mosaics. As a result, roadside vegetation provides a vital refuge for many endangered species and vegetation communities.  However, as many road reserves are only 20m wide, they are regularly disturbed by grazing and road management activities.  This “road effect zone” can extend close to the boundaries of the road reserve, depending on the width of the corridor and the road surface. A key to the persistent of roadside species is their ability to disperse and regenerate and establish under prevailing conditions.  Using selected species (ie native and/ or exotic) this project will address one of the following questions:
(1) Do roadside corridors provide a conduit function for species dispersal?
(2) What spatial patterns of recruitment exist along different roads?
(3) Are there particular plant traits that characterise successful colonising plants?

This project will involve field work in the South West Slopes/ northern Victoria region, and is a great opportunity to visit great roadside vegetation sites in the region.

Dr Peter Spooner (Thurgoona)

Closed roads - are they hot-spots for biodiversity?

In Australia, a vast network of road reserves was surveyed to provide access to individual properties, as part of agricultural development in the late 1800s. Over time, roads are re-aligned, closed or upgraded to cope with increasing traffic volumes.  Other road reserves were never used for their intended purpose, and remain as narrow corridors of native vegetation.  As a result of ongoing changes to road networks, many
roads are no longer used for their original purpose, but remain as narrow corridors of unmanaged land. Many such roads retain a distinct flora, and are now of high conservation status. This project will address the question:
(1) do closed roads have a different plant composition and structure than other road categories?

This project will involve field work in the South West Slopes region, and is a great opportunity to discover hidden gems of woodland remnants in the region.

Dr Peter Spooner (Thurgoona)

Search for historic trees in the NSW South West Slopes

Throughout the SWS region, scar trees created by previous indigenous peoples (i.e bark stripped for for canoes) still exist across the landscape. Some of these are listed on State heritage Lists as items of cultural heritage lists, however many remain undocumented.  Similarly during early European settlement, surveyors marked trees with a ‘blaze’ to indicate title boundaries, or the line of a major road – such as a Travelling Stock Route (TSR). These trees are an important legacy of our past land-use history, however most are succumbing to the ravages of time. Many survey trees have already been accidentally cleared, rotted, or grown over by new growth of the tree. So where are these trees? Are there any spatial patterns of their abundance? Do old TSRs have more scar trees than other categories of roads?

This project will involve a mix of fieldwork, use of existing historic maps and GIS datasets, and a community based survey (e.g. to gather landholder input) to locate these trees in our region.

Dr Peter Spooner & Yalmambirra (Thurgoona)

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Cultural Heritage

Cultural heritage management seeks to protect and preserve those objects and places that are of significance to the local, state, national or international community. One of the new and exciting areas of heritage research tries to predict which heritage places may be significant in 10, 20 and 30 time. Be part of cutting edge research that shapes the future of how we see and manage the our past !

Do Heritage Managers listen to Technology Experts?

The emergent area of Heritage Futures considers the future heritage value of emergent technologies, such as space exploration (Int J. Heritage Studies 2006 nº 4) and robotics (eg Int J Heritage Studies 2007 nº1 ). Critical to the assessment of the cultural heritage value of such technologies is expert testimony. Not all heritage managers can be expected to be familiar with, say space technology or robotics. The question arises whether heritage managers will actually listen to the view of these experts or not. The Honours Project will compare various technology-based heritage lists (mining, bridges, engineers, 20th century architecture) and assess to what extent these sites and places identified as significant on those lists are actually included on the LGA and State heritage lists/overlays. Is the heritage profession able to listen to 'outsiders'? The significance of the project is such that the outcomes are likely to shape heritage policy for years to come.

Assoc/Prof. Dirk Spennemann (Thurgoona)

Representation of late 20th century architecture in Heritage Registers

Cultural heritage management is an inherently retrospective discipline. The lapse of time is a major factor in determining heritage significance, or in triggering an assessment. Yet there are a range of structures of more recent origin that are architecturally significant. To what extent does the Australian heritage profession lists recent structures on its heritage lists. The emergent area of Heritage Futures considers the future heritage value of contemporary and emergent cultural sites. The question arises whether heritage managers are able to conceptualise that recent sites may be significant, or whether they are firmly wedded to the paradigm that considerable time must have elapsed. The Honours Project shall examine the extent to which late 20th century architecture is included in current heritage listings.

 Assoc/Prof. Dirk HR Spennemann (Thurgoona)

The cultural heritage value of current detention centres: an exercise in Heritage Futures

Cultural heritage management is an inherently retrospective discipline. Heritage Futures is an emergent research area that attempts to predict the cultural heritage values of contemporary sites in 30 years time. The aim is to set into place processes that preserve and manage such sites for the benefit of future managers. The proposed honours topic shall examine the history and current social relevance of current migrant detention centres (such as Woomera and Baxter) and attempt to project the cultural significance in 30 years time.

Assoc/Prof. Dirk HR Spennemann (Thurgoona)

Futures for Heritage / Heritage Futures

Why do we preserve the past? For whom? For US? For the next generation? The generation after that? There is much discussion on the concept of STEWARDSHIP, but is that a valid theory? This project will examine the way the raison d'etre for cultural heritage management is portrayed by heritage managers in management plans, government policies (at various levels) and in formal publications, such as newsletters. Using content analysis the project will critically explore the way heritage managers see and construct the future of the past. The outcomes of the project will influence how professionals think about the role of heritage management on the national stage.

Assoc/Prof. Dirk HR Spennemann (Thurgoona)

Eye Sores or Portends of Times to come? The Heritage Values of Wind-farms

In parts of Australia the humble windmill, an iconic element of rural landscapes, is gradually being relaced by large-scale wind farms. Environmental conservation and energy management converge to create structures that dominate much of the vista of some regions. Unquestionable these structures alter the perception of how residents and visitors alike perceive land scapes. The project will explore the tension between the viewpoint that they are an eye sore or that they are the precursors of future energy generation standards and hence are on track to become future heritage sites? The outcomes of the project will influence how the heritage community perceives such structures.

Assoc/Prof. Dirk HR Spennemann (Thurgoona)

In addition, three more ‘conventional’ projects are offered that deal with the area of risk management and heritage planning

Cultural Heritage and Bush Fires in National Parks

Research by past Honours students has looked at the way cultural heritage is taken into account during natural disaster situations. By examining the fire management components of National Pak Management Plans, the proposed project will build on these foundations and will explore to what extent cultural heritage issues are included in the planning frame works of NSW National Parks. Is the interface between heritage and natural disasters clearly understood and what where the constraints if this were not be the case? The outcomes of the project will influence how the NPWS perceives such threats.

Assoc/Prof. Dirk HR Spennemann (Thurgoona)

Theory and Reality of Heritage Registers

Local and State Heritage registers are supposed to encompass all those sites that make up the culturally significant expression of the history and social values of a given community. Yet, the actual listings are determined by the understanding of heritage theory at the time the register listings were drawn up and by the political will of the relevant council to see the properties listed. Using New South Wales as an example state, this project will examine the patterns of listings by the individual councils and compare these patterns with a range of socio-economic criteria of the councils and their constituents. The outcomes of the project will influence how professionals approach future planning projects.

Assoc/Prof. Dirk HR Spennemann (Thurgoona)

From nomination to registration

The current cultural heritage planing approach espoused by New South Wales focuses on community heritage studies. In the process, the wider community nominates a range of places that they deem to be imbued with cultural heritage value. A steering/consultative committee vets these and draws up a list of nominations to the local council, which then has the final say which places are entered on the local heritage list (Local Environmental Plan). Drawing on arrange of case studies, this project will explore whether there are underlying patterns between the community nomination, committee nomination and final listing. The outcomes of the project will influence how professionals approach future planning projects.

Assoc/Prof. Dirk HR Spennemann (Thurgoona)

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Social Research

There are a number of staff that focus on, and are available to supervise, the social or human aspects of natural resource management and ecotourism.  In general the research agenda of the School of Environmental Sciences social researchers is to understand how people interact and respond to the environment, and how we can develop better management practices.  More specifically the research areas include:

We suggest that any interested students think about their own area of interests, and who they’d like to work with; and then come and see any one of the researchers listed below.

Rosy Black, Rik Thwaites, Jon Howard, Catherine Allan, Penny Davidson and Jo Millar

Specific projects:

Climate Change refugees

It has been difficult to pinpoint the specific human consequences of climate change on local populations. This project will be based around Deniliquin. The first phase will identify people in the region who have recently moved using analysis of real estate sales, population records, and local knowledge.  The second phase, and key part of the research, will be to contact the people who have moved and conduct interviews about the reason for their relocation.  These interviewees’ testimonies and personal experiences will be used to see if there is strong evidence to suggest that recent changes in population or movements to urban places or coastal areas are influenced by climate change.

Dr Jonathon Howard(Thurgoona)

The impact of managing in the short-term

Contemporary public policy is increasingly being formulated and implemented through a plethora of non-permanent mechanisms and institutions such as Caring for our Country. This move towards non-permanent and informal structures is, in fact, one of the most important—although still very much neglected— administrative changes of the past decades. By making such efforts temporary it is difficult to assemble task forces, networks and partnerships to mobilize the appropriate competencies on a just-in-time basis. It also ignores the friction of co-ordination and continuity caused by long-term objectives. Given we are witnessing an increase in non-permanent organizations and policy instruments in an age when long-term objectives are emphasized more than ever before we need someone to research the weaknesses of project based approaches.  Existing empirical evidence on the consequences of project proliferation are fragmentary and our theoretical understanding is highly insufficient.

Dr Jonathon Howard(Thurgoona)

The emerging practice of adaptive environmental water

The NSW government will shortly establish local advisory groups to allocate environment water for most inland rivers. This process was trialled a number of years ago in our local area by a group called the Murray Wetlands Working Group. In cooperation with farmers the working group allocated environmental water to a number of wetlands on private land in the Murray Region. Between 2000 and 2006, 82,451 ML of water were diverted to inundate 201 wetlands over an area of 65,308 ha. The program has inundated 177 wetlands on private properties and 24 on public lands; it has engaged 133 private land-holders. In this honours project the candidate will re-visit this program, specifically to determine who were the farmers took up the program, and the impact of the program. The findings with have useful implications for water management throughout NSW.

Dr Jonathon Howard(Thurgoona)

 Who conserves the rocks?

A National Parks System is meant to be representative and comprehensive- but  of what?. This is most commonly taken to mean a r representative and comprehensive system of natural ecosystems. However there are a number of significant geological and geomorphological features in NSW that deserve both recognition and protection. In this project the honours candidate will survey a number of leading people with expertise in geomorphology to determine what might be viewed as what are the most important features in NSW and then use GIS to compare expert opinion with what is currently conserved.

Dr Jonathon Howard(Thurgoona)

The Market for CMA Incentives

CMAs can encourage landholders to achieve more sustainable natural resource management through a variety of policy mechanisms. Given the complex nature of landholder attitudes and behaviours, theory suggests a mix of incentives (or policy mechanisms) is necessary to address the variety of landholder needs. Unfortunately in practice, the choice among policy mechanisms is often not very sophisticated by CMAs, moreover, it is often very limited. In this project the honours candidate will determine who participates the Murray CMAs NRM tender program and compare this data with the objective of achieving conservation across the landscape.

Dr Jonathon Howard(Thurgoona)

What gives? Exploring the impacts of extreme busy-ness on State agency natural resource managers

Anecdotal evidence suggests that managers who work for natural resource management agencies (for example the Department of Sustainability and Environment in Victoria) have multiple and increasing calls on their professional time. This project will use an ethnographic and/or sociological approach to explore the implications of this constant activity, particularly on opportunities for reflection and for updating knowledge.

Dr Catherine Allan  (Thurgoona) 

Exploring changes in social discourses regarding native vegetation on farms

This project seeks to better understand the changes in societal values that have underpinned the reinstatement of native vegetation on farmland in south eastern Australia. It will involve Interpretive Textual Analysis of  archives of  a suitable rural newspaper (eg The Weekly Times, the Border Mail, the Benalla Ensign…).

Dr Catherine Allan  (Thurgoona)

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