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Carter, Jennifer L., and Greg J. E. Hill. "Critiquing environmental management in indigenous Australia: two case studies." Area 39, no. 1 (March 2007): 43–54. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-4762.2007.00716.x.
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de Little, Siobhan C., Roser Casas-Mulet, Lisa Patulny, Joanna Wand, Kimberly A. Miller, Fiona Fidler, Michael J. Stewardson, and J. Angus Webb. "Minimising biases in expert elicitations to inform environmental management: Case studies from environmental flows in Australia." Environmental Modelling & Software 100 (February 2018): 146–58. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2017.11.020.
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O'Donnell, Renee, Melissa Savaglio, Dave Vicary, and Helen Skouteris. "Effect of community mental health care programs in Australia: a systematic review." Australian Journal of Primary Health 26, no. 6 (2020): 443. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/py20147.
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Although numerous studies have examined the effects of community-based mental health care programs in Australia, no synthesis of this literature exists. This systematic review of peer-reviewed and grey literature described the types of community-based mental health care programs delivered and evaluated in Australia in the past 20 years, and evaluated their impact in improving outcomes for those with a serious mental illness (SMI). Articles were included if they evaluated the extent to which the programs delivered in Australia improved individual outcomes, including hospitalisations, psychiatric symptoms, substance misuse or psychosocial outcomes, for individuals with an SMI. Forty studies were included. Community-based mental health care programs were categorised into three types: case management (n=23), therapeutic (n=11) and lifestyle (n=6). Therapeutic programs were most effective in reducing psychiatric symptoms. Case management approaches yielded significant improvements in psychosocial outcomes. Lifestyle programs were inconclusive in improving individual outcomes. This review provides support for the implementation of community-based mental health care programs that are informed by both therapeutic and case management principles. A multidisciplinary team that can facilitate the provision of therapeutic and psychosocial support may be most beneficial for those with an SMI within the Australian community.
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Smith, David C., Elizabeth A. Fulton, Petrina Apfel, Ian D. Cresswell, Bronwyn M. Gillanders, Marcus Haward, Keith J. Sainsbury, Anthony D. M. Smith, Joanna Vince, and Tim M. Ward. "Implementing marine ecosystem-based management: lessons from Australia." ICES Journal of Marine Science 74, no. 7 (July 12, 2017): 1990–2003. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsx113.
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Abstract Ecosystem-based management (EBM) is now widely accepted as the best means of managing the complex interactions in marine systems. However, progress towards implementing and operationalizing it has been slow. We take a pragmatic approach to EBM. Our simple definition is balancing human activities and environmental stewardship in a multiple-use context. In this paper, we present case studies on the development and implementation of EBM in Australia. The case studies (Australia’s Ocean Policy, the Great Barrier Reef, New South Wales (NSW) marine estate, Gladstone Harbour, and South Australia and Spencer Gulf) span different spatial scales, from national to regional to local. They also cover different levels of governance or legislated mandate. We identify the key learnings, necessary components and future needs to support better implementation. These include requirements for clearly identified needs and objectives, stakeholder ownership, well defined governance frameworks, and scientific tools to deal with conflicts and trade-offs. Without all these components, multi-sector management will be difficult and there will be a tendency to maintain a focus on single sectors. While the need to manage individual sectors remains important and is often challenging, this alone will not necessarily ensure sustainable management of marine systems confronted by increasing cumulative impacts.
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Kingham, N. "Environmental action for community monitoring." Water Science and Technology 45, no. 11 (June 1, 2002): 177–84. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.2002.0393.
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Community monitoring began in Australia in the 1980s primarily as an awareness-raising tool. Since that time, the community has developed increased skills and knowledge in monitoring procedures and both the data collectors and data users are placing greater demands on community data to be accurate and reliable. With over 3,500 community groups in the field collecting data at over 5,000 sites across Australia, the Waterwatch Program has developed guidelines and tools for monitoring and data collection for the community to collect reliable, accurate and useful data. This paper will discuss how Waterwatch is providing technical support through a range of data confidence guidelines and procedures to ensure that community monitoring and community data continue to play a significant role in the protection and management of our waterways. This paper will also draw on a couple of case studies from across Australia that demonstrate community data being used by a variety of stakeholders.
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Tsatsaros, Julie, Jennifer Wellman, Iris Bohnet, Jon Brodie, and Peter Valentine. "Indigenous Water Governance in Australia: Comparisons with the United States and Canada." Water 10, no. 11 (November 13, 2018): 1639. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/w10111639.
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Aboriginal participation in water resources decision making in Australia is similar when compared with Indigenous peoples’ experiences in other common law countries such as the United States and Canada; however, this process has taken different paths. This paper provides a review of the literature detailing current legislative policies and practices and offers case studies to highlight and contrast Indigenous peoples’ involvement in water resources planning and management in Australia and North America. Progress towards Aboriginal governance in water resources management in Australia has been slow and patchy. The U.S. and Canada have not developed consistent approaches in honoring water resources agreements or resolving Indigenous water rights issues either. Improving co-management opportunities may advance approaches to improve interjurisdictional watershed management and honor Indigenous participation. Lessons learned from this review and from case studies presented provide useful guidance for environmental managers aiming to develop collaborative approaches and co-management opportunities with Indigenous people for effective water resources management.
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Grimstad, Sidsel, and John Burgess. "Environmental sustainability and competitive advantage in a wine tourism micro-cluster." Management Research Review 37, no. 6 (May 13, 2014): 553–73. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/mrr-01-2013-0019.
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Purpose – The paper aims to examine the competitive advantage of the environmental behaviour at a firm level and micro-cluster level, building the analysis on Harts model of natural resource-based view of the firm and by using Brown et al.'s framework for analysing contextual resources that would provide locational advantage based on environmental behaviour. The case study examines the drivers and the obstacles to environmental action and demonstrates how clustering has been important in progressing a sustainability agenda. Design/methodology/approach – A case study of a single wine tourism cluster in Australia is undertaken using mixed methods. Findings – The main drivers for environmental action are genuine concerns for the environment by the cluster participants, especially water conservation in the Australian context. Supporting this is the co-ordination of the Lovedale Chamber of Commerce which has promoted its “greening Lovedale” project as a source of regional identity and potential competitive advantage. The obstacles to action are those that are present when small firms dominate, a lack of resources and a lack of know how. Through clustering small businesses can share resources, access specialists and share knowledge. Research limitations/implications – A single cluster case study within the Australian and the wine tourism context confined to one point in time. Practical implications – The clustering of firms in agricultural regions offers the opportunity to achieve individual and collective benefits. Clustering participation can reduce costs, achieve scale economies and share knowledge. These advantages are relevant for environmental actions. In the context of weak or absent government actions and regulations over the environment, regional clusters can utilise the advantages of clustering to meet environmental goals. These in turn can contribute to regional identity and regional comparative advantage. These issues are addressed through the study of the Lovedale wine cluster in Australia. Originality/value – There are few studies of how clustered agricultural industries are addressing environmental challenges independently of central government directives or subsidies. Clustering enables small firms to participate in environmental programs despite being faced by resource and knowledge shortages.
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HOWARD, JONATHON LEIGH. "Managing for justice in community-based water planning: a conceptual framework." Environmental Conservation 37, no. 3 (September 2010): 356–63. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0376892910000627.
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SUMMARYThis paper provides a systematic way to consider justice in community-based environmental planning and management. A conceptual framework connects the literature on management functions to the empirical and theoretical research on justice. Two contrasting case studies of the water reform process in Australia are used to illustrate how to apply this framework. These case studies show that certain perspectives of justice are particularly pertinent during different phases of a planning process, and that community-based environmental planning and management can be more difficult when the stakeholders involved have different values and views about a resource, and when perceived injustices occur early in a planning process.
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Chanan, A., S. Vigneswaran, and J. Kandasamy. "Valuing stormwater, rainwater and wastewater in the soft path for water management: Australian case studies." Water Science and Technology 62, no. 12 (December 1, 2010): 2854–61. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.2010.544.
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A Water Sensitive City is now commonly acknowledged best practice for designing the cities of the future. In Australia, the National Water Initiative has allocated high priority towards offering insight into successful water sensitive urban development projects, to facilitate capacity building within the industry. This paper shares innovative water sensitive projects implemented at Kogarah City Council, in Sydney. Four key projects are discussed, demonstrating how stormwater, rainwater and wastewater can be incorporated into decentralised water systems to offer sustainable water management of the future. The case studies included in the paper highlight Kogarah's journey towards the Soft Path for Water Management.
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Anderson, J. "The environmental benefits of water recycling and reuse." Water Supply 3, no. 4 (August 1, 2003): 1–10. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/ws.2003.0041.
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The world's supply of fresh water is finite and is threatened by pollution. Rising demands for water to supply agriculture, industry and cities are leading to competition over the allocation of limited fresh water resources. This paper examines how water reuse increases the available supply of water and enables human needs to be met with less fresh water. The paper is illustrated with water reuse case studies in agriculture, urban areas, industry and water resource supplementation in Australia and other countries. The links between water reuse and sustainable water management are examined. Water conservation and water reuse produce substantial environmental benefits, arising from reductions in water diversions, and reductions in the impacts of wastewater discharges on environmental water quality. Some examples are presented demonstrating the environmental benefits in quantitative terms. The paper also describes the economic and environmental benefits identified in a number of recent integrated water cycle planning studies in Australia.
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Shah, Smita, Brett G. Toelle, Susan M. Sawyer, Jessica K. Roydhouse, Peter Edwards, Tim Usherwood, and Christine R. Jenkins. "Feasibility study of a communication and education asthma intervention for general practitioners in Australia." Australian Journal of Primary Health 16, no. 1 (2010): 75. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/py09056.
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The Physician Asthma Care Education (PACE) program significantly improved asthma prescribing and communication behaviours of primary care paediatricians in the USA. We tested the feasibility and acceptability of a modified PACE program with Australian general practitioners (GP) and measured its impact on self-reported consulting behaviours in a pilot study. Recruitment took place through a local GP division. Twenty-five GP completed two PACE Australia workshops, which incorporated paediatric asthma management consistent with Australian asthma guidelines and focussed on effective communication strategies. Program feasibility, usefulness and perceived benefit were measured by questionnaires before the workshop and 1 month later, and an evaluation questionnaire after each workshop. GP were universally enthusiastic and supportive of the workshops. The most useful elements they reported were communication skills, case studies, device demonstrations and the toolkit provided. GP self reports of the perceived helpfulness of the key communication strategies and their confidence in their application and reported frequency of use increased significantly after the workshops. The PACE program shows promise in improving the way in which Australian GP manage asthma consultations, particularly with regard to doctor–patient communication. The impact of the modified PACE Australia program on the processes and outcomes of GP care of children with asthma is now being measured in a randomised controlled trial.
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Jayasuriya, R. T. "Modelling the economic impact of environmental flows for regulated rivers in New South Wales, Australia." Water Science and Technology 48, no. 7 (October 1, 2003): 157–64. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.2003.0436.
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The management of water resources across Australia is undergoing fundamental reform in line with the priorities identified by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) in 1994. This includes reforms to the specification of property rights, the way the resource is shared between the environment, irrigators and other users, charges for water use and the operational management of the river systems. In New South Wales (NSW), a series of water sharing plans (WSPs) is being developed for each water source in the State including regulated rivers, unregulated rivers and groundwater aquifers. These plans, which are the mechanisms by which COAG reforms are being implemented, are being developed by community-based water management committees (WMCs). The role of the WMCs is to develop a plan that achieves a balance between environmental, economic and social outcomes. NSW Agriculture has assisted a number of WMCs by quantifying the economic impact of proposed WSP options on the irrigation community. This paper outlines the approach taken by NSW Agriculture to quantifying economic impacts on irrigators in regulated catchments and provides results of case studies in the Lachlan River Catchment which is heavily developed for irrigation.
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Yihdego, Yohannes, Hilmi S. Salem, and Hadi Hamaaziz Muhammed. "Agricultural Pest Management Policies during Drought: Case Studies in Australia and the State of Palestine." Natural Hazards Review 20, no. 1 (February 2019): 05018010. http://dx.doi.org/10.1061/(asce)nh.1527-6996.0000312.
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Paterson, John. "Water Management and Recreational Values; Some Cases in Victoria, Australia." Water Science and Technology 21, no. 2 (February 1, 1989): 1–12. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.1989.0021.
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The growing recognition of recreational and amenity demands on water systems introduces a multitude of issues, many of them complex, to the established tasks of water quality management and water management generally. Victorian case studies are presented. They (1) illustrate the range and diversity of situations that can arise in managing competition and enhancing compatibility between traditional water supply objectives and recreational demands. (2) Fluctuation of storage levels, essential to storage operations, detract from recreational value. Recreational and tourism demands upon Lake Hume have grown to threaten traditional operating flexibility. (3) Mokoan is another such instance, but with its supply function in a state of flux, Lake Mokoan provides more scope for a shift in the balance. (4) Salinity management has become an issue in the management of lakes and wetlands when water supply interests and environmental/recreation interests respectively have different perspectives on salt disposal. (5) Recreational use of town supply sources has long been a vexed issue, although marked shifts in the attitudues of many supply authorities have occurred in recent years. (6) Eutrophication of lakes and estuaries raises difficult issues of responsibility and scientific uncertainty, and the water management connection may be tenuous but will attract public attention. (7) The water body attributes valued by specialised recreational interests require definition in terms that water managers can deal with using routine techniques of systems analysis and evaluation. (8) The demands of the fish population and anglers introduce a new perspective in river management and perceptions of instream values are changing markedly. (9) Direct costs of recreational services supplied by water authorities are not fully accounted: allocation choices and fiscal incidence will emerge as issues of significance. (10) These case studies raise only a fraction of the total range of matters that will, in the years to come, tax the technology and political skills of governments and management.
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Joseph, R. A. "Technology Parks and Their Contribution to the Development of Technology-Oriented Complexes in Australia." Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy 7, no. 2 (June 1989): 173–92. http://dx.doi.org/10.1068/c070173.
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One of the features that Australia has in common with other countries has been the encouragement of clusters of high-technology firms or technology-oriented complexes (TOCs). In Australia, the primary mechanism for promoting TOCs has been technology parks. In this paper the purpose is to review technology park developments in Australia from a perspective which emphasises some key conceptual features of the literature in this area: Agglomeration economies of high-technology firms and firm–university interaction; the creation of new high-technology complexes; and locational factors which make technology parks attractive to high-technology companies. Three Australian case studies, based on interviews with high-technology firms, are reported. One of the key findings from the research is that if Australian technology parks are aiming to establish TOCs that exhibit a high level of interaction between the park and a host university, then the present situation in Australia is far removed from this goal.
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Keleher, Helen, and Virginia Hagger. "Health Literacy in Primary Health Care." Australian Journal of Primary Health 13, no. 2 (2007): 24. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/py07020.
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Health literacy is fundamental if people are to successfully manage their own health. This requires a range of skills and knowledge about health and health care, including finding, understanding, interpreting and communicating health information, seeking of appropriate care and making critical health decisions. A primary health system that is appropriate and universally accessible requires an active agenda based on research of approaches to address low health literacy, while health care providers should be alert to the widespread problems of health literacy which span all age levels. This article reviews the progress made in Australia on health literacy in primary health care since health literacy was included in Australia's health goals and targets in the mid-1990s. A database search of published literature was conducted to identify existing examples of health literacy programs in Australia. Considerable work has been done on mental health literacy, and research into chronic disease self-management with CALD communities, which includes health literacy, is under way. However, the lack of breadth in research has led to a knowledge base that is patchy. The few Australian studies located on health literacy research together with the data about general literacy in Australia suggests the need for much more work to be done to increase our knowledge base about health literacy, in order to develop appropriate resources and tools to manage low health literacy in primary health settings.
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White, S. B., and S. A. Fane. "Designing cost effective water demand management programs in Australia." Water Science and Technology 46, no. 6-7 (September 1, 2002): 225–32. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.2002.0683.
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This paper describes recent experience with integrated resource planning (IRP) and the application of least cost planning (LCP) for the evaluation of demand management strategies in urban water. Two Australian case studies, Sydney and Northern New South Wales (NSW) are used in illustration. LCP can determine the most cost effective means of providing water services or alternatively the cheapest forms of water conservation. LCP contrasts to a traditional approach of evaluation which looks only at means of increasing supply. Detailed investigation of water usage, known as end-use analysis, is required for LCP. End-use analysis allows both rigorous demand forecasting, and the development and evaluation of conservation strategies. Strategies include education campaigns, increasing water use efficiency and promoting wastewater reuse or rainwater tanks. The optimal mix of conservation strategies and conventional capacity expansion is identified based on levelised unit cost. IRP uses LCP in the iterative process, evaluating and assessing options, investing in selected options, measuring the results, and then re-evaluating options. Key to this process is the design of cost effective demand management programs. IRP however includes a range of parameters beyond least economic cost in the planning process and program designs, including uncertainty, benefit partitioning and implementation considerations.
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Raitt, Petrina, Allison Selman, and Céline Lanoëlle. "Engineering and environmental studies for decommissioning of subsea infrastructure." APPEA Journal 59, no. 1 (2019): 277. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/aj18107.
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Decommissioning of subsea infrastructure requires input from engineering and environmental studies, as well as the stakeholders, so that informed decisions can be made. This paper discusses the technical and environmental considerations relating to the decommissioning of subsea infrastructure for the full range of subsea components, including structures, rigid pipelines, flexible flowlines and control systems. Example engineering and environmental assessments that could be performed are discussed, such as stability, corrosion, lifting, materials degradation, net environmental benefit assessment (NEBA) and marine and fishing studies. The stakeholder engagement process is also presented. The paper discusses processes leading up to the decommissioning decision and what operators can do, to ensure that there is adequate information to support decisions that need to be made on transitioning into the final stage of the asset lifecycle. The paper will provide guidance on execution of the decommissioning works, how to ensure success and considerations for material handling, management and disposal of potentially hazardous and contaminated material and other environmental impacts. The technical aspects will be presented using case studies on past and present decommissioning projects in Australia. Solutions for in situ, recovery and repurposing that have been adopted will be presented, as well as alternative solutions that are currently being developed.
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Ward, Tim, Rod Lukatelich, David Smith, Gavin Begg, and Rochelle Smith. "Benefits of establishing ecological and socio-economic baselines during the exploration phase: case study in the Great Australian Bight." APPEA Journal 54, no. 2 (2014): 479. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/aj13052.
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The Great Australian Bight (GAB) Collaborative Research Science Program is a partnership between BP Australia, leading Australian marine research agencies CSIRO and SARDI, and the University of Adelaide and Flinders University of South Australia. This four-year $20 million investigation of the ecological processes and socio-economic importance of the GAB is being conducted as a single integrated program. Importantly, the program is being conducted during the period in which BP will be drilling four exploratory wells in the hope of establishing a new deepwater oil and gas province in the GAB. Eighteen inter-related projects are being conducted across seven themes: Physical oceanography Pelagic ecosystem and environmental drivers Benthic biodiversity Ecology of iconic and apex predators Petroleum geology and geochemistry Socio-economic values Data integration and ecosystem modelling Scientific peer review is undertaken by an independent science panel comprised of six eminent scientists and BP’s international team of subject matter experts. Findings will be presented directly to stakeholders and regulators and published in technical reports and scientific papers during the course of the program. The program is one the few whole-of-system studies undertaken in Australia and the first large-scale, integrated study of the GAB. Advantages of the approach include: use and development of local scientific capability will enhance social licence to operate; developing knowledge of the system prior to the production phase will provide a sound basis for predicting, monitoring, and assessing potential future impacts; ecosystem modelling will provide a framework for developing decision-support tools to assist future management.
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Goldney, D., and L. Gilbert. "An Assessment of Stream Flow Modelling Combined with The Montana Method as a Basis for Developing Optimal Environmental Flows Below a Proposed Dam." Australian Mammalogy 20, no. 2 (1998): 303. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/am98308.
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Little research has been carried out in Australia to determine the riparian and environmental flows needed to maintain riverine ecosystem integrity. Given the range of organisms present in the Australian freshwater biota, each with its own optimal requirements, it is probable that management flow conditions arrived at from species-specific studies, may not necessarily benefit all organisms. We also have inadequate understanding of how freshwater organisms interact with dynamic changes that occur in river systems (drought and flood), and the generally degraded nature of these streams. Hence formulating management outcomes in regard to flow conditions must be viewed as a particularly complex issue. In this paper a case history study is described for a tableland stream in the central west of New South Wales, where a major dam is being built on a first order stream. Comparisons are made with three other creek/river systems in the central tablelands and some implications for platypus conservation are identified.
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Chen, Xuekuan, Phillip Jackson, Wankuan Shen, Haihua Deng, Yuanhong Fan, Qiwei Li, Fengduo Hu, Xianming Wei, and Jiayong Liu. "Genotype×environment interactions in sugarcane between China and Australia." Crop and Pasture Science 63, no. 5 (2012): 459. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/cp12113.
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Sugarcane improvement has traditionally been conducted by nationally focussed breeding programs, with some exchange of elite cultivars among some programs. It has been generally assumed by breeders that genotype × country interactions are large, and therefore selection trial data in one country may be of limited relevance to another. However, no studies quantifying clone × country interactions have been reported to our knowledge. In research reported here, a common set of mostly unselected sugarcane genotypes was evaluated in commercial production environments in Australia and China. Consistent with past studies, genotype × site interaction was an important source of variation within each country. Overall a moderate to high genetic correlation existed between production environments in China and Australia for cane yield and sugar content (0.77 for both traits). This suggests that despite difference in environmental conditions and crop management in production environments between countries, that selection trials in China have some relevance for selecting clones for Australian environments and vice versa. It also supports the hypothesis that regular exchange of selected germplasm from effective breeding programs between countries will have mutual benefits.
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Williams, Peter John, and Angelique Mary Williams. "Sustainability and planning law in Australia: achievements and challenges." International Journal of Law in the Built Environment 8, no. 3 (October 10, 2016): 226–42. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ijlbe-06-2016-0008.
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Purpose Since 1992, all levels of government in Australia have pursued a policy of ecologically sustainable development (ESD). Crafted in response to the World Commission on Environment and Development 1987 report Our Common Future (the Brundtland Report), the principles contained in the Australian Government’s National Strategy for Ecologically Sustainable Development have been progressively implemented at the national, state and local levels of government. The purpose of this paper is not only to track the implementation of these principles, through both policy and law in Australia, but also to highlight recent challenges to the concept of ESD using the state of New South Wales (NSW) as a case study. Design/methodology/approach Beginning with a description of the Australian concept of ESD, this paper first examines the implementation of ESD through both policy and legislation at the national level. The state of NSW is then selected for more detailed assessment, with examples of key State government legislation and court decisions considered. Equal emphasis is placed on both the achievements in ESD policy development and implementation through legislation, statutory planning procedures and litigation, as well as the challenges that have confronted the pursuit of ESD in NSW. Findings Since its introduction in 1992, the concept of ESD has matured into a key guiding principle for development and environmental decision-making in Australia. However, in recent years, ESD has been the target of significant challenge by some areas of government. Noteworthy among these challenges has been a failed attempt by the NSW Government to introduce new planning legislation which sought to replace ESD with the arguably weaker concept of “sustainable development”. Apparent from this episode is strong community and institutional support for robust sustainability provisions “manifested through ESD” within that State’s statutory planning system. Originality/value This paper provides an overview of the implementation of ESD in Australia within both a broader international context of sustainable development and specific instances of domestic interpretation and application. It extends this analysis by examining recent public policy attempts to reposition sustainability in the context of statutory planning system reform in NSW.
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Logan, Brendan, Kathryn H. Taffs, and Laura Cunningham. "Applying paleolimnological techniques in estuaries: a cautionary case study from Moreton Bay, Australia." Marine and Freshwater Research 61, no. 9 (2010): 1039. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf09277.
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Paleoecological techniques are useful tools to identify restoration targets and natural variability for natural resource management programs. However, despite recent advances, caution is required when employing paleoecological techniques in estuaries, due to their dynamic nature relative to lake environments where these techniques were pioneered. This study used a novel combination of chronological, diatom, geochemical and isotopic data to assess the effectiveness of using these techniques in estuaries, and to develop an understanding of environmental changes within Moreton Bay, an open estuarine environment in subtropical east Australia. Results indicated mixed success, with 210Pb results indicating only background unsupported 210Pb levels, 14C results indicating sediment deposition from mixed sources, no diatom preservation and inconsistencies between geochemical and isotope proxies. Evidence did exist that the Moreton Bay sediments have been derived from different sources over the past 10 000 years. However, isotope records were not able to identify the likely sources of these sediments. Problems with diatom preservation were most probably due to the high salinity and temperatures associated with subtropical open embayment estuaries. Future studies attempting to identify environmental histories of estuaries should incorporate river-influenced locations rather than marine-dominated sites to ensure better diatom preservation and more definitive geochemical signals.
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Cheng, Allen C., and Bart J. Currie. "Melioidosis: Epidemiology, Pathophysiology, and Management." Clinical Microbiology Reviews 18, no. 2 (April 2005): 383–416. http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/cmr.18.2.383-416.2005.
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SUMMARY Melioidosis, caused by the gram-negative saprophyte Burkholderia pseudomallei, is a disease of public health importance in southeast Asia and northern Australia that is associated with high case-fatality rates in animals and humans. It has the potential for epidemic spread to areas where it is not endemic, and sporadic case reports elsewhere in the world suggest that as-yet-unrecognized foci of infection may exist. Environmental determinants of this infection, apart from a close association with rainfall, are yet to be elucidated. The sequencing of the genome of a strain of B. pseudomallei has recently been completed and will help in the further identification of virulence factors. The presence of specific risk factors for infection, such as diabetes, suggests that functional neutrophil defects are important in the pathogenesis of melioidosis; other studies have defined virulence factors (including a type III secretion system) that allow evasion of killing mechanisms by phagocytes. There is a possible role for cell-mediated immunity, but repeated environmental exposure does not elicit protective humoral or cellular immunity. A vaccine is under development, but economic constraints may make vaccination an unrealistic option for many regions of endemicity. Disease manifestations are protean, and no inexpensive, practical, and accurate rapid diagnostic tests are commercially available; diagnosis relies on culture of the organism. Despite the introduction of ceftazidime- and carbapenem-based intravenous treatments, melioidosis is still associated with a significant mortality attributable to severe sepsis and its complications. A long course of oral eradication therapy is required to prevent relapse. Studies exploring the role of preventative measures, earlier clinical identification, and better management of severe sepsis are required to reduce the burden of this disease.
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Hawke, Melanie, and Joe Byrne. "Community-based Early Childhood Assessment and Intervention in Rural Settings: Transdisciplinary Case Management of Developmental Delay in Children." Australian Journal of Primary Health 6, no. 4 (2000): 130. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/py00046.
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This paper reports on an assessment of the need for early intervention services for children aged 0-8 years in the Southern Fleurieu sub-region of South Australia and an evaluation of the efficacy of utilising a generic community health service to provide the therapeutic and case management services to appropriately address those needs. Previous studies in regional South Australia estimated the incidence of developmental delay in children to be 5% of the total population aged 0-8 years (Barossa Valley, 1997). This estimate indicated a client group of over 130 in the Southern Fleurieu sub-region. The project team adopted a transdisciplinary model for early identification and intervention, with over half the children on the program aged less than five years, indicating that the program addressed needs of children at an early age. Outcomes have demonstrated the appropriateness of using a transdisciplinary approach in a regional setting and the community health service as the auspice has shown an increase in the capacity for therapists to provide the wide variety of programs that are essential in addressing early childhood delay.
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Méndez, H., P. M. Geary, and R. H. Dunstan. "Surface wetlands for the treatment of pathogens in stormwater: three case studies at Lake Macquarie, NSW, Australia." Water Science and Technology 60, no. 5 (May 1, 2009): 1257–63. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.2009.470.
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The treatment of stormwater using surface constructed wetlands has become common in the last decades. However, the use of constructed wetlands for stormwater management has not been thoroughly evaluated in their capacity to treat microbial loads. The case studies presented in this paper are situated at Lake Macquarie, a large estuarine lagoon located approximately 150 km north of Sydney, Australia. To protect the lake ecosystem from the impact of increasing urban development, the local Council constructed numerous stormwater quality improvement devices (SQIDs) at selected locations. The SQIDs typically consisted of trash racks, gross pollutant traps and surface constructed wetlands. To evaluate the effectiveness of three of these devices in reducing faecal contamination, water samples were collected for faecal coliforms (FC) during and following rainfall at inlets and outlets of the structures. Results indicated one of the SQIDs as the most efficient for bacterial reduction, while the other two provided low or non reduction of FC. Results also illustrated dependence of bacteria reduction on flow conditions. Comparison of devices suggested that hydraulic residence times and other design parameters strongly influenced the capacity of each device to reduce FC counts during different weather conditions.
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Murphy, Peter A. "Immigration and the Management of Australian Cities: The Case of Sydney." Urban Studies 30, no. 9 (November 1993): 1501–19. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00420989320081471.
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F. Recher, Harry. "SCB-A Newsletter December 2006." Pacific Conservation Biology 12, no. 4 (2006): 259. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/pc060259.
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It is now just a bit more than six months to the inaugural meeting of the Australasian region of SCB ?The Biodiversity Extinction Crisis, a Pacific and Australasian Response?, which will be held July 10?12 2007 at the University of New South Wales, Sydney. This conference faces the major problems for biodiversity conservation in our region, existing and potential solutions and links to the global biodiversity initiatives. There will be five major themes: (I) Regional challenges (particular issues for our part of the world); (2) Managing threatening processess of universal importance; (3) Case studies of conservation in action, including biodiversity monitoring and assessment; (4) Conservation science and policy; and, (5) Conservation science and the community (non-government organizations, indigenous people). With Australian governments finally awakening to the reality of global warming and its consequences for Australasia, this meeting has the potential to make a significant impact on regional conservation. Not only is your attendance important to the success of the conference, but it is your opportunity to be heard on issues as important as water allocation for environmental flows in Australia, biodiversity conservation in the Southern Oceans, climate change and the allocation of resources to threatened species management.
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Bhatt, Payal Harshad, and Jayalakshmy Ramachandran. "Extent of environmental disclosures - a case of sensitive industries in Singapore and Malaysia." Corporate Ownership and Control 7, no. 4 (2010): 170–82. http://dx.doi.org/10.22495/cocv7i4c1p2.
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The purpose of this comparative study is to examine the extent to which information is available to stakeholders on the environmental issues from the annual reports of listed companies in Singapore and Malaysia focusing on Sectors (Construction and manufacturing) that are environmentally sensitive. Many studies in the past had tried to capture the relationship between environmental reporting against financial performances, management motives and effects on share prices of the companies operating in respective countries. This study is striving to capture the extent of information on environmental aspects available to stakeholders in Malaysia and Singapore focusing only on Sectors (Construction and manufacturing) that are environmentally sensitive. The researchers used cross sectional content analysis based on the annual reports of companies listed in the Construction and manufacturing/ industrial sector for the year 2007. The companies were selected from Stock Exchange of Singapore (SGX) and Bursa Malaysia (KLSE). A framework developed by Adams & Frost (2007) identified seven parameters to perform content analysis and observed performance related disclosure among organizations in Australia against organizations in the U.K. This study also used similar framework with addition of just one more parameter. It was found that the extent of information disclosed by organizations in Singapore for both construction and Manufacturing /Industrial sector is lower compared to organizations in Malaysia in both the sectors. This alerts the analysts that while talking about green accounting, one could walk the talk better by disclosing more information and making environmental issues or concerns more transparent.
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Heenan, Maddie, Stephen Jan, Katherine Cullerton, and Janani Shanthosh. "A political economy analysis protocol: Case study implementing nutrition and sustainability policy into government food procurement." PLOS ONE 17, no. 9 (September 9, 2022): e0274246. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0274246.
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Most Australian state and territory governments have healthy food provisioning policies targeting availability of unhealthy food at the retail level, and sustainability policies promoting a life-cycle approach to procurement. However, it remains unclear if health and sustainability are important considerations in awarding contracts, and whether these high-level policies are implemented into supplier contracts. A political economy analysis framework has been developed to prospectively identify and explain barriers and enablers to policy implementation. Using food procurement in Queensland and South Australia as case studies, the political economy analysis seeks to understand the structural and contextual factors, bargaining processes, stakeholders, and incentives and ideas surrounding food procurement. It involves a desktop and content analysis of existing policies and food contracts, and key informant interviews with government and industry stakeholders. Participants will be targeted across different departments (e.g. health, environment, treasury) and in varying roles from policy design, contract management and food service, and industry suppliers in different food and drink categories (e.g. meat, packaged foods, beverages, fruit & vegetables). Participants will be recruited using purposive sampling. Thematic analysis of interview transcripts will be undertaken, informed by the political economy analysis framework. The study will identify current food procurement policy implementation barriers and enablers, including why high-level policies aren’t embedded into contracts, mechanisms for achieving policy coherence and future opportunities for addressing barriers and incorporating socio-economic, public health and environmental considerations into purchasing practices. Ultimately, the study will achieve impact by informing a whole of government approach to health and the environment by elevating the priority of health and sustainability in procurement (short term), increasing the availability of healthy and sustainable foods (medium term), and improving health and environmental outcomes (long term). To our knowledge this is the first political economy analysis of food procurement in Australia.
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Carlsen, Jack. "Economic Evaluation of Recreation and Tourism in Natural Areas: A Case Study in New South Wales, Australia." Tourism Economics 3, no. 3 (September 1997): 227–39. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/135481669700300302.
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Provision of information for the purposes of evaluating and monitoring recreation and tourism land use is a conceptually difficult task for economists and land managers. A range of techniques has been developed since the pioneering work of Clawson and Knetsch in the 1960s to estimate the market value of recreation and tourism in natural areas. These techniques involve a number of conceptual and practical difficulties when used for environmental auditing and evaluation purposes. This article outlines the process of evaluating recreation and tourism on public lands in order to provide information for an environmental audit of the Upper North East region of New South Wales. The range of market and non-market values associated with tourism and recreation on public lands is based on existing studies of the region. The values of commercial production, recreation and tourism on public lands are compared within a structural model (input–output) of the regional economy.
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Watts, R. J., D. S. Ryder, C. Allan, and S. Commens. "Using river-scale experiments to inform variable releases from large dams: a case study of emergent adaptive management." Marine and Freshwater Research 61, no. 7 (2010): 786. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf09190.
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Case studies of successful adaptive management generally focus on examples that have frameworks for adaptive management embedded from project conception. In contrast, this paper outlines an example of emergent adaptive management. We describe an approach whereby targeted research and collaboration among stakeholders assisted learning, and ultimately the development of interim operational guidelines for increased within-channel flow variability in the highly regulated Mitta Mitta River, which is managed as part of the River Murray System in the Murray–Darling Basin, Australia. Environmental monitoring of four variable flow trials evaluated the response of water column microbial activity, benthic and water column metabolism, the structure and composition of algal biofilms, and benthic macroinvertebrates to increased flow variability created by varying the release from Dartmouth Reservoir. Each trial built upon lessons from previous trials, with collaboration among key stakeholders occurring before, during and after each trial. Institutional conditions encouraged a shift to adaptive management over time that helped to achieve environmental, social and economic objectives downstream of the dam. A key lesson is that adaptive management does not have to be specified a priori, but can emerge within a trusting relationship between stakeholders as long as they are willing and able to change their operational paradigm.
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Ratnasabapathy, S., S. Perera, and A. Alashwal. "A case study of construction and demolition waste management process flow in mega infrastructure projects in Australia." IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1101, no. 6 (November 1, 2022): 062022. http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1101/6/062022.
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Abstract The rapid growth of population and associated urbanization and economic development calls for increased demand for infrastructure development to meet ongoing and future demands. A better understanding of the waste management (WM) processes would help to manage large volumes of waste effectively at construction sites, maximise the value of resources and improve environmental and economic performances. This research aims to investigate the WM processes associated with different types of construction and demolition (C&D) waste generated by a mega infrastructure project through a case study approach, combining expert interviews and project-specific document reviews. The case studied project demonstrated high environmental and economic sustainability outcomes and exceeded the C&D WM targets, signifying more than 90% landfill diversion rates for both spoil and construction waste generated during the construction stage. As such, the infrastructure projects have a great potential to maximise the reuse of high-value waste through waste exchange across projects and gain economic and environmental benefits, while leading to paving a path to greener Australia in near future. The outcome of this case study is a WM process flow diagram (PFD) that maps out the WM processes, waste fates and associated waste flows involved with the diverse range of C&D waste throughout its life cycle. The PFD developed in this study serves as an operational tool to develop effective WM plans for construction projects of similar nature and thus helps to achieve higher landfill diversion rates. The outcome of this study can also contribute to the development of a generic WM PFD for the C&D waste stream.
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Nair, Vikneswaran, Badaruddin Mohamed, Toney K. Thomas, and Richard Teare. "How can the tourism industry respond to the global challenges arising from climate change and environmental degradation?" Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes 8, no. 5 (October 10, 2016): 611–16. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/whatt-07-2016-0039.
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Purpose This paper profiles the WHATT theme issue “How can the tourism industry respond to the global challenges arising from climate change and environmental degradation?” by drawing on reflections from the theme editors and theme issue outcomes, including case study examples from Malaysia, New Zealand and Canada. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses structured questions to enable the theme editors to reflect on the rationale for the theme issue question, the starting point, the selection of the writing team, the material and the editorial process. Findings This paper uses case studies to illustrate how the tourism industry is responding to climate change issues. Additionally, team members of the theme issue from Australia, India, Germany, Malaysia and Canada review some of the latest thinking on the relationships between tourism and climate change. Practical implications This paper outlines challenges and new approaches to the management of climate change in tourism. Originality/value Explores the extent to which innovative approaches, discussed in this theme issue, could be replicated and applied in countries that have yet to take action on tourism-related climate change.
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Noller, B. N., P. H. Woods, and B. J. Ross. "Case Studies of Wetland Filtration of Mine Waste Water in Constructed and Naturally Occurring Systems in Northern Australia." Water Science and Technology 29, no. 4 (February 1, 1994): 257–65. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.1994.0205.
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A problem common to mines operating in the tropics is the disposal of water, which may be alkaline, acidic, or contain toxic elements such as arsenic or cadmium. The availability of year-round water supply at many mine sites in Northern Australia, particularly from pit dewatering, together with the monsoonal climate, provide appropriate conditions for the formation of natural wetlands or establishment of artificial wetlands. Wetland species (particularly Typha spp.) flourish in the presence of flowing or shallow water from dewatering, and data collected from natural and experimental wetlands show reduction of metal concentrations by wetland filtration of mine waste water. The following case studies are considered:Constructed wetlands, used to remove uranium from waste rock runoff before release to an adjacent creek provide a means of “polishing” runoff water prior to discharge to the creek.Creek-Billabong systems with existing wetlands adjacent to mine sites adventitiously “filter” waters discharged from mine sites. Trace elements in dewatering water from a gold mine discharged into an oxbow show reduction of elemental concentrations downstream, compared to discharge water.Naturally generated wetlands at several Northern Territory mines have developed along channels for discharge of pit water, with ingress of Typha domingensis. Such wetlands, associated with dewatering, have been examined at four mines, some with acid mine drainage. Water quality measured after wetland treatments shows reductions in concentrations of various heavy metals and sulfate. Volunteer Typha domingensis grows and spreads in shallow flowing channels, providing an inherent “filtration” of the water.Natural swamplands are incorporated in the waste rock runoff management design of a new gold mine, to reduce potentially high arsenic levels in the waste water. Constructed and naturally occurring wetlands may be used in the treatment of most mine waste waters to achieve levels of constituents acceptable for discharge to the surrounding environment.
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Mannocci, Alice, Ornella di Bella, Domenico Barbato, Fulvio Castellani, Giuseppe La Torre, Maria De Giusti, and Angela Del Cimmuto. "Assessing knowledge, attitude, and practice of healthcare personnel regarding biomedical waste management: a systematic review of available tools." Waste Management & Research: The Journal for a Sustainable Circular Economy 38, no. 7 (May 8, 2020): 717–25. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0734242x20922590.
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Biomedical waste (BMW) management is an important commitment of hospitals both in terms of the possible infectious risk and from the financial point of view. Monitoring the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of healthcare professionals on this topic represents a source of information on BMW management. The aim of this study is to perform a systematic review to identify the reliable and valid tools able to assess the KAP of professionals in healthcare centers to manage BMW. Two databases (PubMed and Scopus) were searched on 10 May 2018 for cross-sectional studies with tools on BWM management, including original research studies from peer-reviewed journals, case studies, and review studies. Information on validation and reliability were collected. Methodological quality was assessed using the Newcastle–Ottawa scale for cross-sectional studies. Fifty-three articles were included, of which 19 presented a questionnaire on BMW for healthcare workers. Nine proposed a validated questionnaire: four reported Cronbach’s alpha, which ranged from 0.62 to 0.86. Results further emphasize the prevalence of Asian studies facing the problem of assessing KAP about BMW management using specific tools. Overall, 14 questionnaires were designed in Asia, two in Africa, one in America, one in Australia, and one questionnaire was elaborated in Europe, in Spain. This systematic review highlighted the need of creation of validated and methodologically high-quality questionnaires. Therefore, there is the need of new cross-sectional studies to investigate these problems, improving generalization, and facilitating international comparison of research findings.
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Roser, D. J., C. M. Davies, N. J. Ashbolt, and P. Morison. "Microbial exposure assessment of an urban recreational lake: a case study of the application of new risk-based guidelines." Water Science and Technology 54, no. 3 (August 1, 2006): 245–52. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.2006.476.
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New WHO and Australian guidelines promote a risk-management approach for minimising exposure to pathogens in recreational waters. Between 2003 and 2005, they were applied to Lake Parramatta (10 ha, 450 ML), a potential recreation site in Sydney, Australia. A three stage approach was developed involving (1) initial suitability assessment using historic data, (2) revised suitability assessment based on new data and (3) characterisation of hazardous (especially wet weather) events. Contrary to the stage 1 suitability classification, stage 2 baseline data indicated that during dry weather the lake had water quality sufficient for primary contact recreation (95th percentiles for enterococci=19 MPN/100, n=50) and the major pathogen source was wildfowl. Guideline principles provided a rationale for collecting microbiological and geographic data needed to understand local cycles of lake contamination/recovery. The concept of hazardous events was particularly useful. Studies of stormwater events led us to identify a transition point (>10 mm rainfall in 24 h) where human-faecal pathogen risks increased and access needed to be controlled. Together baseline and event data yielded operational tools (i.e. event detection methods, action triggers, auditing criteria, remediation priorities) for minimising bather exposure.
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Webb, Ashley A., Georgina L. Kelly, and Warwick J. Dougherty. "Soil governance in the agricultural landscapes of New South Wales, Australia." International Journal of Rural Law and Policy, no. 1 (March 29, 2015): 1–16. http://dx.doi.org/10.5130/ijrlp.i1.2015.4169.
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Soil is a valuable natural resource. In the state of New South Wales, Australia, the governance of soil has evolved since Federation in 1901. Following rapid agricultural development, and in the face of widespread soil degradation, the establishment of the Soil Conservation Service marked a turning point in the management of soil. Throughout the 20th century, advances in knowledge were translated into evolving governance frameworks that were largely reactionary but saw progressive reforms such as water pollution legislation and case studies of catchment-scale land and vegetation management. In the 21st century, significant reforms have embedded sustainable use of agricultural soils within catchment- and landscape-scale legislative and institutional frameworks. What is clear, however, is that a multitude of governance strategies and models are utilised in NSW. No single governance model is applicable to all situations because it is necessary to combine elements of several different mechanisms or instruments to achieve the most desired outcomes. Where an industry, such as the sugar industry, has taken ownership of an issue such as acid sulfate soil management, self-regulation has proven to be extremely effective. In the case of co-managing agricultural soils with other landuses, such as mining, petroleum exploration and urban development, regulation, compliance and enforcement mechanisms have been preferred. Institutional arrangements in the form of independent commissioners have also played a role. At the landscape or total catchment level, it is clear that a mix of mechanisms is required. Fundamental, however, to the successful evolution of soil governance is strategic investment in soil research and development that informs the ongoing productive use of agricultural landscapes while preventing land degradation or adverse environmental effects.
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Lindenmayer, David, Michael Tanton, T. Linga, and Steve Craig. "Public Participation in Stagwatching Surveys of a Rare Mammal - Applications for Environmental and Public Education." Australian Journal of Environmental Education 7 (January 1991): 63–70. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0814062600001865.
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There is increasing awareness of environmental issues in Australia (Victorian Government 1986, 1987). However, public participation in many such issues is typically limited to comment and submission on government policy, management plans and a range of other environmental statements. It is rare for the public to be involved in the scientific research upon which many environmental policies are based.Recent surveys for the rare and endangered Leadbeater's Possum, Gymnobelideus leadbeateri have been an exception to this trend (Lindenmayer et al. 1990a, 1990b, 1990c). These studies have used a new wildlife survey technique termed stagwatching (Lindenmayer, 1989; Lindenmayer & Press, 1989) involves observing and counting animals emerging from nest and den sites in very large living or dead trees with hollows (“stags”) at, or close to, dusk. Animals are observed and recognised in silhouette. Because many Australian animals regularly move between nest sites, stagwatching is dependent on simultaneously watching all stags in a known area (= 3 ha in this study) (Smith et al. 1989). This makes stagwatching extremely labour intensive and its success is dependent on substantial participation by the public. Our experience of this public support suggests that stagwatching has considerable value for use in public and environmental education to increase the awareness of methods of study and understanding of forest biology and conservation. The values of stagwatching in environmental education are identified in this paper, and a case study of the use of stagwatching in surveys for Leadbeater's Possum is also presented. The methods used to organise the stagwatching program are documented so they may be adopted and modified for teaching a range of topics about Australian forests.
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Woolaston, Katie. "A voice for wild animals: Collaborative governance and human–wildlife conflict." Alternative Law Journal 43, no. 4 (November 6, 2018): 257–62. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1037969x18792960.
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Animal lawyers in Australia and around the world often struggle to find room in law to participate in decision-making and give animals a voice. Collaborative governance is a regulatory mechanism that has the potential to overcome this struggle. This ‘new governance’ is of growing importance in environmental and natural resource management, premised on decentralised decision-making and removal of permanent hierarchies. This article will utilise two case studies to outline the benefits of legally integrated collaborative processes for wild animal welfare, including the allocation of a permanent voice in regulation for animal advocates and the ability to promote internalisation of animal-friendly norms.
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Pittock, Jamie, and Joerg Hartmann. "Taking a second look: climate change, periodic relicensing and improved management of dams." Marine and Freshwater Research 62, no. 3 (2011): 312. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf09302.
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Dams affect rivers and other freshwater ecosystems around the world. The structural performance and service delivery of many dams has seldom been assessed; many are unsafe and no longer deliver designed benefits. Changes in hydrology from climate change will require assessment of safety and operations of infrastructure. This creates an opportunity during relicensing for modification or removal of dams to render them safe, maximise their services and minimise social and environmental impacts. We examined case studies of reassessment of dams from Australia (New South Wales), China, France and the United States that illustrated the following: the management challenge of aging and unsafe dams; unrealised opportunities to improve environmental, social and economic benefits; and the benefits of inventory and relicensing systems. Key elements of an ideal regulatory system to optimise water infrastructure performance are identified, comprising periodic (time-limited) relicensing of all infrastructure overseen by an independent regulatory agency that would take decisions in the public interest through a transparent process, involving public participation. Each dam would have an identified owner who must apply best-available technologies to maximise safety, socioeconomic and environmental performance. Dam renovation could minimise current non-climate impacts, improve migration of aquatic wildlife and even attenuate some climate impacts on freshwater biota.
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Wenger, Caroline. "Better use and management of levees: reducing flood risk in a changing climate." Environmental Reviews 23, no. 2 (June 2015): 240–55. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/er-2014-0060.
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Many nations rely on dykes and levees to mitigate flood risk. However, a myriad of problems has prompted views that levees are ultimately maladaptive and should be used as a measure of last resort. This leads to questions not only about the place of levees in future flood risk management, but also whether anything can be done to reduce their impacts. A detailed review of flood events from Australia, China, the Netherlands, and the USA was used to develop a case study for each country. Case studies present existing levee problems, future flood threats, and national strategies to address them. These were used as a basis to analyse the transferability of adaptive flood approaches. While many countries are attempting to restore floodplain storage, thereby reducing their reliance on levees, others are increasing their investment in levee construction. This review explores factors that affect the transferability of adaptive approaches, including issues, such as problem recognition, affordability, and program delivery. It was found that countries vary in their ability to recognise levee problems, and the level at which decisions are made influences the likelihood of adaptive solutions being adopted. Analysis suggests that federal systems face particular challenges and their capacity to adopt adaptive approaches may be impaired if institutional barriers are not addressed. Regardless of the overall approach to manage flood risk, the experiences of all case study countries offer some broadly applicable lessons for improving the use and management of levees, reducing their adverse impacts, and improving the integration of natural flood mitigation.
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Langston, Craig, and Weiwei Zhang. "DfMA: Towards an Integrated Strategy for a More Productive and Sustainable Construction Industry in Australia." Sustainability 13, no. 16 (August 17, 2021): 9219. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su13169219.
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Design for manufacture and assembly (DfMA) is an important part of the future of the construction industry due to the promise of speed of project delivery, quality control, worker safety, and waste minimization onsite via the purposeful design for manufacture and assembly offsite. However, the adoption of DfMA in Australia has been slow. This paper investigates the barriers prohibiting widespread uptake and how digital construction will be a catalyst for improving use on commercial-scale projects. A total of six leading experts were interviewed to elicit their opinions, and seven recent case studies of high-rise modular apartment and hotel buildings constructed by Hickory were cross-referenced as evidence of DfMA capability. The experts suggested that the reasons for slow adoption in Australia were community mindset, government regulations and incentives, planning and building codes, unionization and business politics, finance, and supply chain management. The case studies suggest that compatible building type and transportation distance are also factors. These barriers can be addressed by the clever integration of building information modelling tools with lean construction processes as part of a proposed strategy leading to smarter (more productive) and better (more sustainable) outcomes predicated on growth in digital construction practices. The paper concludes with a proposed framework for change that conceptualizes the ‘ecosystem’ needed to support widespread DfMA in the Australian context, including the paradigm shift from building to manufacturing/assembly, the displacement of workers from onsite to offsite activity, and the expansion of interdisciplinary design and construct collaboration.
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Fearon, R. "Linking stakeholders and decision makers with science in managing the coastal water environment: case studies from urban, industrial and rural subtropical catchments in Australia." Water Science and Technology 47, no. 6 (March 1, 2003): 179–84. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.2003.0390.
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The dynamics of stakeholder participation and effective dialogue processes vary markedly between and within catchment areas. Decision support tools and conflict resolution skills are essential in developing consensus in complex and conflicting issues. Undertaking relevant research requires genuine inclusion of all stakeholders at all stages of the process including development and implementation of management plans. Providing a scientifically integrated and participative approach increases the ability to understand the social and economic dimensions.
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Sharma, A. K., S. Cook, and M. N. Chong. "Monitoring and validation of decentralised water and wastewater systems for increased uptake." Water Science and Technology 67, no. 11 (June 1, 2013): 2576–81. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.2013.168.
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Decentralised water and wastewater systems are being implemented to meet growing demand for municipal services either in combination with centralised systems or as standalone systems. In Australia, there has been increased investment in decentralised water and wastewater systems in response to the capacity constraints of existing centralised systems, an extended period of below average rainfall, uncertainly in traditional water sources due to potential climate change impacts, and the need to reduce the environmental impact of urban development. The implementation of decentralised water systems as a mainstream practice at different development scales is impeded by the knowledge gaps on their actual performance in a range of development types and settings. As the wide-spread uptake of these approaches in modern cities is relatively new compared to centralised approaches, there is limited information available on their planning, design, implementation, reliability and robustness. This paper presents a number of case studies where monitoring studies are under way to validate the performance of decentralised water and wastewater systems. The results from these case studies show the yield and reliability of these decentralised systems, as well as the associated energy demand and ecological footprint. The outputs from these case studies, and other monitoring studies, are important in improving decentralised system design guidelines and developing industry wide management norms for the operation and maintenance of decentralised systems.
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Aldous, Allison, James Fitzsimons, Brian Richter, and Leslie Bach. "Droughts, floods and freshwater ecosystems: evaluating climate change impacts and developing adaptation strategies." Marine and Freshwater Research 62, no. 3 (2011): 223. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf09285.
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Climate change is expected to have significant impacts on hydrologic regimes and freshwater ecosystems, and yet few basins have adequate numerical models to guide the development of freshwater climate adaptation strategies. Such strategies can build on existing freshwater conservation activities, and incorporate predicted climate change impacts. We illustrate this concept with three case studies. In the Upper Klamath Basin of the western USA, a shift in land management practices would buffer this landscape from a declining snowpack. In the Murray–Darling Basin of south-eastern Australia, identifying the requirements of flood-dependent natural values would better inform the delivery of environmental water in response to reduced runoff and less water. In the Savannah Basin of the south-eastern USA, dam managers are considering technological and engineering upgrades in response to more severe floods and droughts, which would also improve the implementation of recommended environmental flows. Even though the three case studies are in different landscapes, they all contain significant freshwater biodiversity values. These values are threatened by water allocation problems that will be exacerbated by climate change, and yet all provide opportunities for the development of effective climate adaptation strategies.
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Adams, Vanessa M., Samantha A. Setterfield, Michael M. Douglas, Mark J. Kennard, and Keith Ferdinands. "Measuring benefits of protected area management: trends across realms and research gaps for freshwater systems." Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 370, no. 1681 (November 5, 2015): 20140274. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2014.0274.
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Protected areas remain a cornerstone for global conservation. However, their effectiveness at halting biodiversity decline is not fully understood. Studies of protected area benefits have largely focused on measuring their impact on halting deforestation and have neglected to measure the impacts of protected areas on other threats. Evaluations that measure the impact of protected area management require more complex evaluation designs and datasets. This is the case across realms (terrestrial, freshwater, marine), but measuring the impact of protected area management in freshwater systems may be even more difficult owing to the high level of connectivity and potential for threat propagation within systems (e.g. downstream flow of pollution). We review the potential barriers to conducting impact evaluation for protected area management in freshwater systems. We contrast the barriers identified for freshwater systems to terrestrial systems and discuss potential measurable outcomes and confounders associated with protected area management across the two realms. We identify key research gaps in conducting impact evaluation in freshwater systems that relate to three of their major characteristics: variability, connectivity and time lags in outcomes. Lastly, we use Kakadu National Park world heritage area, the largest national park in Australia, as a case study to illustrate the challenges of measuring impacts of protected area management programmes for environmental outcomes in freshwater systems.
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Bagg, W. K. "Infrastructure optimisation via MBR retrofit: a design guide." Water Science and Technology 59, no. 2 (January 1, 2009): 323–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wst.2009.850.
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Wastewater management is continually evolving with the development and implementation of new, more efficient technologies. One of these is the Membrane Bioreactor (MBR). Although a relatively new technology in Australia, MBR wastewater treatment has been widely used elsewhere for over 20 years, with thousands of MBRs now in operation worldwide. Over the past 5 years, MBR technology has been enthusiastically embraced in Australia as a potential treatment upgrade option, and via retrofit typically offers two major benefits: (1) more capacity using mostly existing facilities, and (2) very high quality treated effluent. However, infrastructure optimisation via MBR retrofit is not a simple or low-cost solution and there are many factors which should be carefully evaluated before deciding on this method of plant upgrade. The paper reviews a range of design parameters which should be carefully evaluated when considering an MBR retrofit solution. Several actual and conceptual case studies are considered to demonstrate both advantages and disadvantages. Whilst optimising existing facilities and production of high quality water for reuse are powerful drivers, it is suggested that MBRs are perhaps not always the most sustainable Whole-of-Life solution for a wastewater treatment plant upgrade, especially by way of a retrofit.
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Aryanfar, Amin, Aslan Gholami, Payam Ghorbannezhad, Bijan Yeganeh, Mahdi Pourgholi, Majid Zandi, and Svetlana Stevanovic. "Multi-criteria prioritization of the renewable power plants in Australia using the fuzzy logic in decision-making method (FMCDM)." Clean Energy 6, no. 1 (December 21, 2021): 780–98. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ce/zkab048.
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Abstract The presented study focused on developing an innovative decision-making framework to select the best renewable-power-plant technologies, considering comprehensive techno-economic and environmental variables. Due to the favourable conditions, Australia was selected as the case study. A fuzzy-logic method and analytical hierarchy process were applied to prioritize different renewable-energy power plants. The techno-economic factors included levelized cost of energy, initial cost, simple payback time, and operation and maintenance costs along with environmental factors including carbon payback time, energy payback time and greenhouse-gas emissions were used to rank the power plants. The results showed that the capital cost and simple payback time had the highest priority from an economic point of view. In comparison, greenhouse-gas emissions and carbon payback time were the dominant environmental factors. The analysis results provided economic and environmental priority tables for developing different power plants in the current state and a future scenario by 2030. The fuzzy results and pairwise composite matrix of alternatives indicated that the onshore wind, offshore wind, single-axis tracker polycrystalline photovoltaic, single-axis tracker monocrystalline photovoltaic, fix-tilted polycrystalline photovoltaic and fix-tilted monocrystalline photovoltaic scored the highest in the current state. In contrast, by 2030, the single-axis tracker photovoltaic power plants will be the best choice in the future scenario in Australia. Finally, the results were used and analysed to recommend and suggest several policy implementations and future research studies.
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Hallinan, Christine M., and Kelsey L. Hegarty. "Advanced training for primary care and general practice nurses: enablers and outcomes of postgraduate education." Australian Journal of Primary Health 22, no. 2 (2016): 113. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/py14072.
Full textAbstract:
The aims of the present study were to understand enablers to participation in postgraduate education for primary care nurses (PCNs), and to explore how postgraduate education has advanced their nursing practice. Cross-sectional questionnaires were mailed out in April 2012 to current and past students undertaking postgraduate studies in primary care nursing at The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Questionnaires were returned by 100 out of 243 nurses (response rate 41%). Ninety-one per cent (91/100) of the respondents were first registered as nurses in Australia. Fifty-seven per cent were hospital trained and 43% were university educated to attain their initial nurse qualification. The respondents reported opportunities to expand scope of practice (99%; 97/98), improve clinical practice (98%; 97/99), increase work satisfaction (93%; 91/98) and increase practice autonomy (92%; 89/97) as factors that most influenced participation in postgraduate education in primary care nursing. Major enablers for postgraduate studies were scholarship access (75%; 71/95) and access to distance education (74%; 72/98). Many respondents reported an increased scope of practice (98%; 95/97) and increased job satisfaction (71%; 70/98) as an education outcome. Only 29% (28/97) cited an increase in pay-rate as an outcome. Of the 73 PCNs currently working in general practice, many anticipated an increase in time spent on the preparation of chronic disease management plans (63%; 45/72), multidisciplinary care plans (56%; 40/72) and adult health checks (56%; 40/72) in the preceding 12 months. Recommendations emerging from findings include: (1) increased access to scholarships for nurses undertaking postgraduate education in primary care nursing is imperative; (2) alternative modes of course delivery need to be embedded in primary care nursing education; (3) the development of Australian primary care policy, including policy on funding models, needs to more accurately reflect the educational level of PCNs, PCN role expansion and the extent of interprofessional collaboration that is evident from research undertaken to date. Nurses with postgraduate education have the potential to increase their scope of practice, take on a greater teaching role and provide more preventive and chronic disease services in primary care. Policies aimed at increasing access to education for nurses working in primary care would strengthen the primary care nursing profession, and enhance the delivery of primary health care services in Australia.