Survey responses

Survey questions

Which discipline areas do you think are relevant to the Ecosystem Science Long-Term Plan? (List as many as you like.)

What do you see as the advantages of developing a long-term plan for ecosystem science, in comparison to maintaining the status quo (no coordinated plan)?

What do you see as the biggest impediment(s) to delivering ecosystem science and outcomes in Australia?

What do you see as the greatest opportunities for advancing the delivery of ecosystem science and outcomes in Australia over the next 20 years?

Relevant discipline areas (1)

Atmospheric sciences Atmospheric chemistryBiogeochemistry BiogeographyBiodiversityBiologyBotanyCarbon scienceClimatology ConservationCoral reef sciences Earth System science

Ecology (and all of its variants)

Behavioural, Community, Disturbance, Physiology, Applications, Freshwater, Functional, Landscape, Marine and Estuarine, Molecular, Palaeoecology, Population, Terrestrial, Wetland, Wildlife diseaseEconomicsEcosystem dynamicsEnvironmental GeoscienceEnvironmental HealthEnvironmental Science

Environmental ManagementEvolutionFisheriesForestryFuture castingGenetics Geochemistry GeoengineeringGeography (and all of its variants)Geology (and all of its variants) Geomorphology Geospatial analysis

Hydrology (and all of its variants) Information technologyLand surface modellingLandscape systemsLimnologyManagement (wildlife and ecosystem)Marine IchthyologyMarine and coastal studiesMarine scienceMarine systemsMeteorology

MicrobiologyMitigation scienceMonitoringNutrient cyclingOceanography (Physical and biological) Pedology Plant Science (Terrestrial and aquatic, plant physiology)Political science RangelandsRange of different survey techniques

(wildlife and ecosystem)Remote sensingSatellite communications Sedimentology Species and climate changeSociology Soil SciencesStatistics/MathematicsVegetation scienceZoology

Relevant discipline areas (2)

Advantages of a Plan (1)

A long-term coordinated plan is essential for us to improve collaboration, coordinate efforts, make the most of the limited resources we have, and position ourselves to leverage greater resourcing in future. ‘Formation of a cohesive and inclusive group to facilitate effective decision

making.’

‘A unified voice that can represent this broad discipline.’

‘A coordinated approach to our needs has political influence and is cost effective to implement.’

‘An ability to act collectively and obtain substantive and enduring recognition and support for ecosystem science.’

‘It would build a more coherent research community.’

‘Achieve more and better outcomes with limited resources’

Advantages of a Plan (2)

Ecosystem science address questions at long time scales, therefore we should have long-term plans in place to support our work. ‘Continuing ecological measurements over many decades so that

people in (say) 2100 can look back objectively over what has changed and what has not.’

‘Ecology suffers from short term research and short term thinking. We need experiments and studies that span the 50 to 100 year timeframe.’

‘A long-term coordinated plan is essential for understanding the influence of temporal and spatial variability.’

‘Much of the most important ecological dynamics operate over long time scales, hence ecosystems can only be understood and managed with long-term strategic planning.’

Advantages of a Plan (3)

Taking the long view, ensuring continuity of ecosystem science in Australia. ‘Allow us to build up enough background knowledge to be able to make

sensible decisions about allocation of resources.’

‘Having a long view is always the best way to start.’

‘Flow-on benefits for continuity of increased resources over the long haul.’

‘Identifies the needs for maintaining the science to ensure future.’

‘The management of Australian environments needs far more coherence and long-term vision than that now operating.’

‘If you do not have a strategy you have no basis for prioritisation of investment or any basis for seeking long term support for this area of science.’

Advantages of a Plan (4)

Raising the profile of ecosystem science.

‘increased respect and public engagement with the discipline nationally’

‘Raise the profile of ecosystem science within the research community and the public’

Impediments - themes

1. Lack of coordination, cooperation and collaboration across silo-ed disciplines, organisations and jurisdictions

2. Lack of awareness/understanding/engagement in wider community and political leaders about what ecosystem science is, what we do, and why it’s critical for the nation’s future

3. Short term focus – in funding schemes, our approach to education/training, employment contracts, approach to research. Lack of capability to build a ‘baseline’ of data and human capital.

4. Lack of funding

5. Lack of long-term data available and easily accessible

6. Lack of necessary human resources in Government agencies and management bodies

7. Lack of strong questions underpinning science which undermines strong outcomes and potential for links to policy/management.

8. Training – not matched with future needs

1. Lack of coordination, cooperation and collaboration

‘Compartmentalisation of knowledge into disciplines that do not talk to each other well.’

‘The inability to link seamlessly with other groups.’

‘Multiple overlapping but independent disciplines competing for diminishing resources has held us back, but increased funds won’t bring about better solutions unless we have agreement on what these should be.’

‘Lack of recognition of the need for demonstrated cooperation across ecosystem science disciplines to deliver long term support to science and research.’

2. Lack of community and political awareness and engagement

‘A major division between what ecological researchers know and what the broader public (and politicians) understand about ecological issues.’

‘We have not successfully articulated, nor communicated, the importance of a long term plan for ecosystem science to politicians and the broader community.’

‘Limited awareness from key decision makers in government and private industry of their reliance on ecosystem services.’

‘Lack of dialogue across Australian society about what sort of future we actually would like.’

3. Short term focus. Lack of capability to build a ‘baseline’ of data and human capital.

‘Having a short-term focus for resources, training, employment, and monitoring of environmental changes is an impediment to delivering better outcomes.’

‘Infrastructure and human capital for ecosystem science remains too reliant on short-term terminating funding schemes.’

‘Short-term funding and research environments that favour short-term outcomes.’

‘Government which are hopeless in thinking beyond the next 3 years.’

‘Ecosystem science is commonly a long term proposition – with long term commitments of investment and that is hard to achieve.’

4. Lack of funding

‘Key obstacle to long-term ecological monitoring is that there is not commitment for continuing funding, such as exists for monitoring rainfall or river flows.’

‘Money. Simple. Ecology is driven much more by person power than by expensive gadgets. The granting bodies think it important to spend lots on gadgets and little on people.’

‘Lack of long term funding for research that requires longer time frames.’

‘A science research and funding scheme that is dysfunctional and wasteful in relation to available personnel and expertise across ecosystem sciences.’

5. Lack of long-term data available and easily accessible

‘Lack of long term data available.’

‘Stochasticity of the environment (meaning that we may need to sit through many years of nothing much happening before an ecologically pivotal event will occur).’

‘Insufficient focus on the importance of long-term data.’

‘Lack of accessibility and/or re-use of hard won research and survey data.’

6. Lack of necessary human resources in Government agencies &management bodies ‘Decreasing number of staff in land management

organisations and institutions who can deliver research and monitoring needed for sustainable management of Australia’s ecosystems.’

7. Lack of strong questions underpinning science & links to policy/management

‘We have not posed succinct and defensible research questions that will provide the basis for developing and running a long term ecosystem science program.’

‘We haven’t identified the links between the ecosystem questions we want to answer and the data we want to collect, archive and analyse to do this.’

8. Training – not matched with future needs

‘Narrowness of training programs.’

‘Science education at secondary schools; are we losing training in the 'hard' sciences? Also lack of training in data management skills, bioinformatics, new technologies.’

‘Skill bases need to be supported and sustained over multiple decadal time scales.’

Impediments

1. Lack of coordination, cooperation and collaboration across silo-ed disciplines, organisations and jurisdictions

2. Lack of awareness/understanding/engagement in wider community and political leaders about what ecosystem science is, what we do, and why it’s critical for the nation’s future

3. Short term focus – in funding schemes, our approach to education/training, employment contracts, approach to research. Lack of capability to build a ‘baseline’ of data and human capital.

4. Lack of funding

5. Lack of long-term data available and easily accessible

6. Lack of necessary human resources in Government agencies and management bodies

7. Lack of strong questions underpinning science which undermines strong outcomes and potential for links to policy/management.

8. Training – not matched with future needs

Opportunities - themes

1. Improving coordination, cooperation and collaboration.

2. Influencing funding system to get greater funds specifically for ecosystem science, and to simplify processes for accessing funding.

3. Establishing a cohesive long-term view/approach to ecosystem science.

4. Environmental changes / natural disasters / big challenges / big issues (e.g. GBR) as leverage to: (1) improve community awareness; (2) ‘galvanise’ ecosystem science community; (3) demonstrate importance of multidisciplinary ecosystem science.

5. Technical and technological advances that are helping our fields to progress.

6. Australia’s strong economic base (resources boom).

7. Concept of sustainability is now more widely understood in community – gives leveraging for arguing in support of ecosystem science.

8. Improving general awareness in wider community and political leaders about importance of ecosystem science.

9. Leveraging/building upon our existing success and excellence in our science.

1. Improving coordination, cooperation and collaboration.

‘Make sure that agencies work together to have a good interface.’

‘Collective actions from a grass roots approach can mobilise good will and avoid wasting energy unnecessarily competing across the broad discipline area.’

‘Demonstration of clear national cooperation across ecosystem science disciplines to identify points of support required to deliver long term support to science and research.’

‘Developing inclusive research centres with focused goals, and opportunities to interact and collaborate.’

‘Centralised data storage facilities.’

2. Influencing system to get greater funds for ecosystem science& simplify processes.

‘Development of well funded networks of scientists that can be free to focus on research that provides knowledge, solutions and benefits. e.g. Big scale ARC funding. Simplified ARC system. Small pots of money distributed to ecosystem science can go a long way to facilitating scientific contributions to ecosystem management.’

A completely revised science research and funding scheme that makes full use of the range of ecosystem scientists working in government, university and private industry.’

3. Establishing a cohesive long-term view/approach to ecosystem science.

‘Identify the key goals and stick to them.’

‘We are in a position to establish long-term sustained observations for detection and attribution of change, coupled with historical and/or paleoecological benchmarks.’

‘Long-term funding with multi-disciplinary teams.’

‘Well conceptualised but substantial research questions.’

‘Coordinated programs focusing on long-term monitoring of ecosystems.’

‘Nationally organised community with aligned goals.’

4. Environmental changes / natural disasters / big challenges / big issues (e.g. GBR) as leverage

‘Put up a big question that can be carried forward easily.’

‘Focus on major challenges – the Great Barrier Reef is the most urgent one now. It has it all – iconic ecosystem, strong stewardship argument, strong economic argument, and it is being threatened by proximate causes (agriculture, fishing, coal ports) and by ultimate ones (warming SSTs, increasing ocean acidity etc.)’

‘A big mob of natural disasters that serve to concentrate the mind of the nation.’

‘The likely negative impacts that climate change will have on natural environments and production ecosystems provides greater impetus than ever to understand the interactions between climate, hydrology and ecosystems.’

5. Technical and technological advances that are helping our fields to progress. ‘Rapid advances in technical capability and data

streams.’

‘The rapid improvements in technology for collecting, storing and communicating data.’

6. Australia’s strong economic base (resources boom). ‘Tapping into the relatively strong economic base we

enjoy, in part because of the resource-extraction driven economy, could be used to secure a sustainable future for the benefit of all Australians.’

‘The wealth provided by ongoing mineral and energy development.’

7. Concept of sustainability is now more widely understood in community – gives leverage. ‘Well-functioning ecosystems as the basis for well-

functioning societies and economics (a nested hierarchy instead of a triple bottom line).’

‘Concept of sustainability provides an opportunity to promote ecosystem science.’

8. Improving general awareness about importance of ecosystem science. ‘High level of general awareness from key decision

makers in government and private industry of their reliance on ecosystem services and the development of a knowledge retention and growth strategy.’

‘Training and jobs for ecological communicators.’

9. Leveraging/building upon our existing success and excellence in our science.

‘Excellence of science being done already within the relevant disciplines.’

‘Embracing the success of the NCRIS facilities can be used to transform the support for this vital infrastructure into the future.’

Opportunities - themes

1. Improving coordination, cooperation and collaboration.

2. Influencing funding system to get greater funds specifically for ecosystem science, and to simplify processes for accessing funding.

3. Establishing a cohesive long-term view/approach to ecosystem science.

4. Environmental changes / natural disasters / big challenges / big issues (e.g. GBR) as leverage to: (1) improve community awareness; (2) ‘galvanise’ ecosystem science community; (3) demonstrate importance of multidisciplinary ecosystem science.

5. Technical and technological advances that are helping our fields to progress.

6. Australia’s strong economic base (resources boom).

7. Concept of sustainability is now more widely understood in community – gives leveraging for arguing in support of ecosystem science.

8. Improving general awareness in wider community and political leaders about importance of ecosystem science.

9. Leveraging/building upon our existing success and excellence in our science.