DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE The Department of Environment and Conservation’s (DEC’s) policies and operations need to be underpinned by the incorporation of up-to-date knowledge. The Science Division is DEC’s prime source of new conservation biology knowledge and information based on scientific research. With about 166 scientific, technical and administration staff, (excluding Perth Observatory staff) the division is the largest and most scientifically diverse group of conservation scientists in Western Australia. The Perth Observatory (10 staff), a program within the Science Division, focuses on delivering astronomy services in the areas of research, information and education. The conservation and land management work of the division reflects a significant investment by the State Government, through DEC, in multi-disciplinary biodiversity conservation research, monitoring and biological survey, and this year we formed the Biodiversity and Climate Change Unit (see page 59) to address an important emerging issue. Science, operational research and active adaptive management The Science Division carries out activities that deliver on-ground conservation and land management outcomes as well as generating new knowledge. The pie chart below shows that ~33% of the division’s staff time (F.T.Es) is committed to biological survey, taxonomy and plant collections management. These activities are fundamental to the mission of a conservation and land management agency such as DEC – if we don’t know what we have, where it is, why it is where it is and what condition it’s in, we can’t begin to manage it. A further 29% of staff time is committed to understanding landscape-scale ecosystem processes such as fire, introduced/feral animals/plants, altered hydrology, genetics, climate change, pests and diseases and timber harvesting. DEC invests in this research in order to develop credible, safe and cost effective methods for managing threats to the state’s unique biodiversity. Theatened species work, which accounts for ~19% of staff time, is mostly carried out in an active adaptive management (AAM) framework - a systematic process of modelling, operational-scale experimentation, monitoring and reporting – or learning by doing. In fact most of the Science Project Plans (SPPs) reported here are AAM plans. These projects not only advance an understanding of the ecology and biology of threatened species, but they actually improve their conservation status. For example, research on Gilbert’s potoroo over the last 3-4 years has not only advanced our understanding of the species’ biology, but has resulted in an almost doubling of the population of the world’s rarest marsupial. Because these programs are implemented in an AAM framework, we are able to understand cause-and-effect pathways and measure, document and report on the effectiveness of our actions to improve the conservation status of threatened taxa. About 8% of divisional staff time is committed to monitoring ecosystem process and reporting on resource condition. This includes monitoring associated with timber harvesting, salinity and altered hydrology, fire and natural variation, and about 11% of staff time is committed to information management including Florabase, Naturemap, marine and terrestrial baselining projects and database management. The division generates a substantial amount of information each year and we need to continue to improve our ability to manage and add value to this information if it is to be efficiently utilised. Associated with the activities reported here, Science Division staff spend a significant amount of time (~30% on average) providing policy, planning and general advice, participating on committees, on technology transfer and uptake and on other science extension activities within and external to DEC. 1 Survey, Taxonomy, Collections Threatened Species AAM Ecosystem Processes Ecosystem Monitoring Information Management 11% 8% 33% 29% 19% A breakdown of Science Division staff time (% F.T.Es) allocated to five broad themes important to delivering conservation and land management outcomes. This includes a proportional allocation of administration and library support staff time. Ecosystem Processes/Monitoring includes; fire, feral/introduced plants/animals, salinity/altered hydrology, climate change, pests and diseases and timber harvesting. Information management includes; Florabase, Naturemap, marine and terrestrial baselining projects and other database management. AAM = active adaptive management. In addition, ~5% of divisional F.T.Es are engaged in astronomy research, education and information. Communicating science Communicating what we do and what we have discovered is crucial to making a difference and for the on-going support of those who invest in research and who use science-based knowledge as a basis for decision making and on-ground management. As scientists we need to be good communicators for at least the following reasons: • Institutional: We have an obligation to the department, the government and the broader Western Australian community to generate and communicate new knowledge and information; it’s primarily what we are funded to do. Policies, procedures and prescriptions supported by good science and an informed community, enable DEC to do its job well and give politicians and the broader community confidence in us. Political and community support for the department and for science is crucial if we are to be successful. • Professional: As a scientist, it is a professional obligation to communicate new findings to other scientists, fellow workers and key stakeholders. It is also an important part of the process of critical peer review of what we, both as an agency and as individuals, produce. • Recognition: Through awareness, scientific research can be properly valued both by colleagues and staff in the department and by those who influence its funding. The role of science in shaping policies and practices needs to be made immediately apparent if it is to be appreciated. We must actively promote the good work we do and the important role it plays in underpinning biodiversity conservation and natural resource management in Western Australia. • Personal: A scientist’s reputation (and that of scientific institutions) is largely built on the quality and quantity of published work and the impact of this work. Personal rewards (beyond salary and career) include a sense of pride and achievement, recognition and respect by peers, job satisfaction and a greater likelihood of ongoing management support. 2 Communicating to politicians, practitioners, planners and other decision makers, as well as colleagues and the broader community requires a range of communication techniques. Important information needs to be communicated to the right people using appropriate means – one size does not fit all. The Science Division has developed a plan that sets out ways to communicate the work of the division to a diversity of audiences. The plan recognises three main audience groups – the science community, influential stakeholders (other than the science community) and the general public – each further sub- divided into several sectors. The science community is primarily comprised of our peers and colleagues in tertiary (and other) organisations and collaborative research agencies such as CSIRO, and our fellow scientists in DEC. Influential stakeholders include but are not limited to senior State Government scientific staff, WA’s Chief Scientist, scientific political advisors, funding agencies, funding decision-makers (internal and external), politicians, DEC staff in other divisions, local governments and representatives from the private sector. The general public includes the general community, media representatives, opponents, proponents, students, educators, environmental groups, community action groups, volunteers, Indigenous people and others. Communicating to these people/groups requires a variety of methods – including scientific publications (e.g. peer reviewed papers etc.), conferences, workshops, media coverage, internet, reports, articles in conservation publications, professional liaison, meetings, newsletters, brochures, educational packages, advertising, interpretive displays, open/field days and detailed briefings. It involves telling the story and getting the message across in different ways; at a high level, a low level, to small organisations, to large ones, to other departments, to the general public, to the media, to local communities, to the young and the old. The World Wide Web via the Internet has become by far the most powerful and far reaching communication tool. The Science Division will make a concerted effort to increase internet presence over the next two years. For example, the award winning NatureMap, compiled in collaboration with the WA Museum, is an ideal platform for making information about the State’s biota readily available. Another recent communication initiative that has proven to be very popular within DEC, and externally, is the new series of ‘Science Information Sheets’ that are posted on our internet site at: http://www.dec.wa.gov.au/science-and-research/publications-and-resources/factsheets-posters.html With regard to written products, it is pleasing to note a significant increase in output over the period 2008/09. This report (page 11) lists 431 publications, popular articles and unpublished reports across a diversity of topics and disciplines. The division also publishes two journals, Conservation Science WA and Nuytsia. One