Renato Schibeci

In Western Australia there are a number of substantial declines and deaths across a number of forest and woodland tree species. These include Eucalyptus marginata, E. gomphocephela (tuart), E. wandoo (wandoo), E. rudis (swamp gum), Agonis flexuosa (peppermint) and Corymbia calophylla (marri). There are many theories put forward as to the reasons for these declines including: (i) global climate change; (ii) habitat loss and fragmentation; (iii) changes in land management, e.g. the absence of planned fire, damage from wildfires, and past timber harvesting and grazing; (iv) weeds, pests and diseases; (v) salinity; (vi) changes in hydrology; (vii) poorly developed links between research and management; and (viii) sub‐optimal management policies and strategies at Local and State Government levels. The Centre is made up of three core research organisations, 27 collaborating industry partners and seven collaborating international and national institutions. An overview of these declines, the possible causes, their implications to ecosystem function and health and the different research and adaptive management approaches that are in place to understand and mitigate these declines will be discussed.

Forest, woodland and shrubland declines are widespread and in many cases severe in Western Australia and elsewhere in temperate Australia. The causes are often complex, poorly understood and include: declining rainfall, changes in groundwater levels and quality, pathogens and pests, excess nutrients, salinity, changing fire regimes, and weed competition to name a few. This presentation reviews current projects by members of the State Centre of Excellence on Climate Change Woodland and Forest Health and other researchers based at Murdoch University. The Centre, a co-operative venture with the University of Western Australia, the Department of Environment and Conservation and approximately 26 other partners, has four key Research Programs: Climate Change, forest and woodland declines; Decline Ecology; Restoring Biodiversity Values, and Education, Training, Communication and Policy. The aim of the Centre is to bring together multi-disciplinary teams of research scientists to (a) determine the factors that contribute to declines, (b) determine how they interact with climate change, (c) develop adaptive management strategies to mitigate the declines and to restore ecosystem function and health, and (d) work with agencies, industry and the wider community to ensure research findings are rapidly and effectively implemented through policy, legislation and community engagement. Keywords: Climate Change; Remote Sensing, Restoration, Fauna, Flora

Murdoch University was awarded a two year leadership grant by the Carrick Institute in July 2006 to establish 9 sub-projects in developing curriculum leaders among staff who do not hold a formal leadership position at the university. The sub-project leaders (known as Curriculum Improvement Leaders) were provided with formal development in a range of leadership areas and funded for a day a week over the two years to generate an improvement project within each of their schools. The sub-projects are varied in terms of focus, process and outcomes, and are at different stages of completion. The overall project has identified a number of issues related to non-positional leadership, institutional sustainability and organisational change. The presentation will be a panel comprising the project leaders giving an overview of the entire project including its aims, structure and outcomes, and the Curriculum Improvement Leaders each providing a brief overview of their sub-project with particular emphasis on leadership development and outcomes.