EDITH COwaN UNIVERSITY School of Natural Sciences Centre for Ecosystem Management 2009 ANNUAL REPORT CONTENTS Overview 2009 3 Highlights 2009 4-7 CEM Members 8-9 Grants 10 Publications 11-13 Higher Degree Students 14 Visitors & Collaborations 15 Community Engagement Activities & Linkages 15 2 OVERVIEW 2009 The Centre for Ecosystem Management consists of 22 members from across ECU who have diverse research interests that fit into the broad themes of sustainability, biodiversity and health and ecology. In 2009 we welcomed a number of new members, mostly amongst the ranks of post doctoral and early career positions. Despite all the changes experienced with the rebirth of the CEM after the marine members split off in 2008, members had an outstanding research year. Some $0.91 million was spent on research during 2009. The magnitude of the research funding is a consequence of constructive engagement and research links between the researchers in boards or committees. The breadth and scope of the the CEM and State, National and International government contributions made by members of the CEM is remarkable organisations and research agencies. Members of the and reflects the strong research culture of the Centre and CEM also continued to produce high quality outputs in the its members. During the year 1 PhD student and 1 MSc form of refereed papers (32), reports (12) and conference student completed their studies under the supervision of proceedings (5). The breadth of research interests CEM members. in the CEM can be seen from the published outputs This report acknowledges the continued high quality and given later in this report. Centre members also made quantity research efforts of the members of the CEM and we significant contributions to professional and community look forward to the growth and evolution of CEM especially activities outside ECU. CEM members were invited to in terms of its ability to contribute to the research standing referee over 45 papers for national and international of ECU. journals, were editors of 2 journals, sat on 4 editorial boards and contributed to 26 professional or advisory Will Stock 3 HIGHLIGHTS 2009 UNDERstanding PIT laKE BIORemediation OF acid mine laKES RESOURCES within THE COLLIE Basin Depending on local mineralogy, pit lakes may form into acid Open-cut coal mining operations in the Collie Basin have mine lakes (AMLs), a phenomenon quite common in Australia. continued for several decades resulting in pit lakes, many The Australian mining industry is facing major challenges in of considerable size. Currently, 15 pit lakes occur with developing methods to remediate the adverse effects due of varying depth, shape, chemical and biological characteristics. acid mine lakes. Though there are some chemical and biological Whilst these lakes represent a potential water resource for based technologies available, none are fully developed for recreational uses they are also potential human health and ready application. Bioremediation technologies are most environmental risks. A project entitled ‘Understanding Pit attractive to industry because of the low implementation costs Lake resources within the Collie Basin’ was jointly funded and their ability to develop ecologically sustainable recycling by the Department of Water, WA and the Australian processes. Recent research in the CEM has focussed on ways Government under the ‘Water for the Future Plan’. This to remove acidity, sulphate and heavy metals from acid mine project supported water resource planning and management lakes to enable a self-sustaining and functioning aquatic in Collie mine region through 5 main tasks. These include, ecosystem to establish. A series of Australian Coal Association collating and summarising historical pit lake water quality Research Program (ACARP) funded projects from 2006-2010 and ecological information collected by government has been researching sulphate reducing bacterial (SRB) based agencies, industry and researchers; determining how bioremediation for AML treatment on a North Queensland local communities use the pit lakes and what potential mine site using locally-available sewage sludge and garden health effects these uses might pose, developing a pit lake waste. Research has explored the technology including aspects monitoring strategy, conceptual modelling of fundamental pit such as organic matter quality and quantity and the influence lake hydro-chemical and ecological processes and risks and of environmental factors like wind mixing, cyclonic events and the numerical prediction of water quality and volume under incoming acidity sources. A critical factor in the success of different scenarios of altered groundwater abstraction and such treatments is the selection of the “right” organic matter climate change. All project tasks have been completed and and then applying it at an optimum dose to initiate and then are available as CEM reports. sustain the bioremediation process. The planned outcome of this research is for the expansion of this technology to the remediation of other acid mine lakes across Australia and internationally. 4 AUSTRalian MateRnal EXPOSURE to TOXIC Substances The Australian Maternal Exposure to Toxic Substances (AMETS) study undertaken by Andrea Hinwood, Anna Callan Isotopes to deteRMINE and Caroline Barton recruited pregnant women in the South West of Western Australia in 2008/09. The study is examining wateR souRCES the extent to which pregnant women are exposed to a range During 2009 the CEM awarded a grant to Dimity Boggs of persistent toxic substances, including metals, brominated and Ray Froend to undertake an investigation into the use flame retardants, perfluorinated compounds and pesticides. of stable isotopes of water to investigate the water-use It is now recognised that persistent toxic substances, if requirements of groundwater dependent plant communities present at sufficiently high levels, have the potential to affect located in the south-west of WA. Isotope analysis allows a child’s health, with developing foetuses considered most for the determination of the dependence of ecosystems on vulnerable. The levels of toxic substances in maternal blood groundwater and can be used to complement qualitative and urine samples will provide an indication of the level to assessments of dependence. It allows us to distinguish how which foetuses and newborn infants are exposed. Participants much water is derived from deep groundwater versus surface complete a questionnaire and diet diary and provide samples soil-water. The patterns of water relations for four wetland of their blood, urine, drinking water, soil and dust in the last plant communities indicated that the plants investigated were weeks of their pregnancy. Following the birth of their child, all using groundwater to some extent during the monitoring participants are asked to provide details on the birth outcomes period. There was variability in groundwater use between of the infant including their gestational age, sex, birth weight species with Melaleuca preissiana consistently using a high to and length. This provides information as to whether the toxic exclusive proportion of groundwater. Shallow rooted shrubs substances under investigation are currently present in the accessed a combination of surface soil-water in late spring Australian environment at high enough levels to influence with increasing proportions of groundwater as the summer birth outcomes. To date it has proved extremely challenging to progressed. The success of the isotopic tracing method relies recruit pregnant women to participate in this study as although on a clear discrimination between the isotopic signatures of people are concerned about the presence of toxic substances different waters sources which were surprisingly good for in the environment many feel that they “would rather not this investigation considering the very shallow water tables know” the extent to which they are exposed. The aim was to and high rainfall of the region. An example of the results recruit 160 women however it became apparent that these derived from the technique are given in Fig x. The analyses for numbers would not be possible from the South West alone. this project were undertaken in the ECU School of Natural For this reason the study has recently expanded and will now Sciences Isotope Facility which has recently purchased a be seeking to recruit participants from across WA, with the Los Gatos Stable water Isotope Analyser through University study currently being promoted widely in areas including Perth and Faculty funds. The new equipment allows for rapid and metropolitan region, Kalgoorlie and Geraldton. Currently simultaneous analysis of both isotopes in water at a fraction 66 participants have been recruited and it is anticipated that of the cost of the separate determination of hydrogen and recruitment and sample collection will continue until the end oxygen isotopes on a mass spectrometer. of 2010. 5 Aquatic fauna and WateR QualitY at LAKE Chandala Found between Muchea and Gingin, on the Swan Coastal Plain north-east of Joondalup, Lake Chandala is listed on the Directory of Nationally Important Wetlands. Lake Chandala is an important site for several wetland bird species, and as one of a limited number of wetlands with darkly stained waters remaining on the Swan Coastal Plain (SCP), is of regional significance too. The wetland consists of a permanent lake, which over winter and spring expands to inundate the surrounding melaleuca and eucalypt woodlands. In spring