With this year’s Ecological Society of Australia conference just around the corner, we take the opportunity to highlight some TERN-related activities during the event. Hone your ecological monitoring skills on our field trip, provide your input to the National Environmental Prediction System, or just drop by the joint TERN – ALA booth and say hi.
‘Ecology: science for practical solutions’ is the theme of this year’s annual conference of the Ecological Society of Australia (ESA)in Launceston from 24 to 29 November. The 2019 conference will feature a diverse range of applications of ecology that demonstrates the field’s contribution to developing and implementing solutions for our planet as it faces unprecedented biodiversity and climate crises. ESA’s President-elect Dr Bek Christensen says:
“Ecological science is fundamental for understanding the world we live in, and informing the solutions we need now and for the future.
As it does every year, the conference will help to showcase the breadth and depth of ecological science, provide an opportunity for sharing knowledge across many audiences, and further strengthen connections amongst the ecological community.
In particular, this year’s conference will showcase the many ways ecologists are working across boundaries of disciplines, institutions, borders and more, to develop and implement ecologically sustainable practices.”
TERN is pleased to continue its affiliation with ESA’s annual conferences and is sponsoring two symposia on Thursday, 28 November:
- ‘Vegetation Science for decision-making’ convened by Ms Sarah Luxton, Dr John Hunter and Eda Addicot; and
- ‘Solutions from above and below: Plant-soil research addressing climate change and biodiversity loss’ convened by Dr Adam Frew and Dr Anna Hopkins.
We will also be sharing a booth with fellow NCRIS project, the Atlas of Living Australia, and will have staff on hand to answer your questions and share information on our open-access research infrastructure.
There are also two exciting TERN events on during the week that you’re invited to:
- TERN Ecosystem Surveillance Field Trip
- National Environmental Prediction System (NEPS) Scoping Study Consultation
In addition, a number of presentations throughout the week describe advances in Australian ecosystem science enabled by TERN’s infrastructure. A complete list of these presentations, their times and locations is below.
We look forward to seeing you at this year’s ESA…
Not going to ESA this year? Don’t worry, you can follow all the action via Twitter using the hashtag #ESAus19 and by following @TERN_Aus.
TERN Ecosystem Surveillance Field Trip: Plot-based ecological monitoring in Australia’s ecosystems
Wednesday 27 November 8:00 – 17:30
Participation fee: $65 inc GST per participant
Inclusions: morning and afternoon tea, lunch
TERN’s Ecosystem Studies platform provides the data, methods, field samples, networks, apps, training and opportunities and advice needed for improved monitoring and assessment of Australia’s major ecosystems. All outputs are freely available to anyone who would like to use them.
This field trip provides an overview of the TERN ecological surveillance plot-based monitoring methods and techniques. We will visit one of the 700+ plots Australia wide, provide an overview of how the plot location was selected, and run-through all the techniques used to mark the plot, and collect vegetation and soil measures.
Participants will obtain hands-on practical experience in the standardised, nationally accepted techniques, including:
- Plot layout and positioning using DGPS (or equivalent)
- Photopoints
- Vascular plant vouchering
- Genetics and isotope sample vouchering
- Point intercept transects
- Basal area calculations
- Leaf area index
- Soil pit descriptions including soil characterisations and bulk density sampling
- Soil metagenomic sampling
- Plot disturbance
- Landform and vegetation community descriptions
To join the field trip please register via https://www.esa2019.org.au/
Going to #ESAus19? We'd love to have you at our workshop on plot-based ecological monitoring on Wed 27/11!
— TERN (@TERN_Aus) October 10, 2019
Get hands-on practical experience in standardised, nationally accepted techniques for collecting vegetation & soil measures. Info: https://t.co/4sIcIE2k5P #NCRISimpact pic.twitter.com/pY5tD5cUYG
National Environmental Prediction System (NEPS) Scoping Study Consultation
Wednesday 27 November 10:00 – 12:00
Room: Chancellor 8
Participation fee: $nil
This workshop is aimed at any interested Australian ecologists who would like to see the plan for a National capability for investigating, modelling, forecasting and predicting the state of our future environments for research and evidence-based policy development. Have a say in shaping a business and use case to the Australian Government for establishment of this proposed new environmental research capability.
There will be a presentation on the proposed National Environmental Prediction System (NEPS) Scoping Study followed by facilitated round table discussion on technical design, uses and the social architecture. A summary of the workshop discussion will form part of the feedback to the Australian Government from the Scoping Study’s Expert Panel when it submits its consultation and implementation reports in 2020.
Under the Australian Government National Research Infrastructure Investment Plan, released in the 2018-19 Budget, the NEPS is conceived as a federated form of national research infrastructure, enabling integration of environmental observations with predictive modelling. In addition to its importance to researchers, the NEPS would be expected to produce data and information products and services to be used by decision-makers to boost our economy through improved environmental knowledge.
This workshop forms part of the scoping study’s broad, nation-wide consultations, and is an opportunity for members of Australia’s peak body for ecosystem science, ESA, to have their say on Australia’s future environmental predictive capabilities.
More information on the NEPS Scoping Study here: https://science.uq.edu.au/neps
Your input invited to Australia’s environmental predictive capability #NEPS #NCRIShttps://t.co/96d80NJ4uf
Submissions close 5pm AEDT, Friday, 29 November ’19.#ESAus19 #GEOweek19 #eResearch19 pic.twitter.com/eQv47Z8CtT— TERN (@TERN_Aus) October 8, 2019
Presentations at ESA19 featuring TERN
The following presentations all feature research using TERN infrastructure, data or expertise. Some are given by TERN staff, but the majority by TERN users.
Monday, November 25, 2019
(1D) SYMPOSIUM: Field-based manipulative experiments for understanding environmental change (part 1)
11:00 – 13:00 Track 4
Alfredo Huete – Phenocam-observed pasture responses to variable rainfall: experiences from the DRI-GRASS drought experiment
Sally Power – Pastures and climate extremes (PACE): Understanding pasture responses to elevated temperature and drought
Glenda Wardle – Too much or too little: plant responses to nutrient and drought manipulations in arid grasslands.
POSTERS at ESA19
18:00 – 19:30
Tina Schroeder – Effects of ecological restoration on soil condition in agricultural landscapes
Thursday, November 28, 2019
(6B) SYMPOSIUM: Vegetation science for decision-making (part 1)
11:00 – 13:00 Track 2
Siddeswara Guru – Towards harmonisation and integration of ecology data
Peter Lyon – The Habitat Condition Assessment System: big data analytics for the state of Australia’s ecosystems.
(8E) OPEN FORUM: Aquatic fresh
16:00 – 17:30 Track 5
Jenny Davis – The outback water project: combining citizen science & isotope hydrology to identify future aquatic refugia
Friday, November 29, 2019
(9B) OPEN FORUM: Forest ecology
11:00 – 13:00 Track 2
Sue Baker – Assessing habitat quality in forests managed for wood production
Katie Irvine – Wild Orchid Watch: creating a citizen science program
(9D) OPEN FORUM: Restoration
11:00 – 13:00 Track 4
Alan Andersen – Faunal standards for ecosystem restoration: rehabilitation of Ranger Uranium Mine
