15/11/2005 - Research into North Queensland environmental issues will receive a $40 million boost with the announcement today of research priorities for the Marine and Tropical Science Research Facility and a call for expressions of interest for funding.

Australian Ministers for the Environment and Heritage, Senator Ian Campbell, and Education, Science and Training, Dr Brendan Nelson, said the Marine and Tropical Sciences Research Facility (MTSRF) would help address the demand for high quality research in North Queensland.

Located at located at James Cook University campuses in Cairns and Townsville, the research facility would be involved in examining the environmental challenges facing the Great Barrier Reef, the Torres Strait and tropical rainforests including the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area.

The $40 million will be allocated to research in five key priority areas:
• Understanding the condition and trends of North Queensland’s environmental assets – improved understanding of the condition, trend and interdependencies of environmental assets,methods to support ongoing regular assessment and reporting, and methods to identify priorities for action.
• Risks and threats to North Queensland’s environmental assets - improved understanding of threats to, and impact on, the environment and the region, and options to mitigate them.
• Water quality and water resources of reef catchments - improved understanding of the causes and effects of changing water quality and resource use in coastal catchments, and options for improving and measuring practices, reducing risks and mitigating impacts.
• Catchment and coastal land use planning and management - improved understanding of the current and potential uses of land with respect to maintenance, improvement and sustainable use of biodiversity, ecosystem function and soil resources.
• Sustainable use and management of natural resources - improved understanding of the current and potential industry and community uses of biodiversity and natural resources with respect to ecological, social and economic sustainability.
The MTSRF is a key element of the Australian Government’s $100 million Commonwealth Environment Research Facilities (CERF) programme.

“This facility will help build on and enhance the research capacity established by the Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs) for the Great Barrier Reef and Tropical Rainforest Ecology and Management to support world-class public good research into the vital needs of the North Queensland region,” Senator Campbell said.

“Research focusing on these areas will provide us with the critical information needed to determine trends, measure pressures and develop possible solutions to the key issues facing our environment,” Dr Nelson said.

“I would also like to congratulate Mr Warren Entsch, the Member for Leichhardt, and Mr Peter Lindsay, the Member for Herbert, for their tireless advocacy in support of this facility, and indeed for JCU as a whole."

Both Ministers paid tribute to James Cook University for the key role it is playing in the development and operation of the facility, and also to the work of the Interim Board of the facility which provided advice on its future operation and management, including the research priorities.
Expressions of interest for funding are invited today until 5pm on Friday 16 December 2005.
Further information about CERF is available online at www.deh.gov.au/cerf