Science and Information Division Triennial Report 1992/95 For the period July 1992 to June 1995 Department of Conservation and Land Management Contents Page THE NEXT TRIENNIUM ............................................................................................................................................................ 2 THE DIVISION ............................................................................................................................................................................ 4 ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE DIVISION .................................................................................................................................... 12 ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE BIG-RESOURCES GROUP ....................................................................................................... 14 ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE BIO-CONSERVATION GROUP ............................................................................................... 24 ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE SUSTAINABLE RESOURCES GROUP ................................................................................... 37 ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE SCIENCE SERVICES GROUP ................................................................................................... 53 CURRENT SCIENCE PROJECTS ............................................................................................................................................. 68 THE SCIENCE LIBRARY ...................................................................................................................................................... 130 FIELD RESEARCH SITES ..................................................................................: .................................................................. 132 FINANCE ............................................................................................................................................................................... 135 STAFFING .................................................................. ,........................................................................................................... 138 EXPERTISE OF CURRENT SCIENTIFIC AND OTHER SENIOR STAFF ...................................................................... 146 REPRESENTATION OF SCIENCE STAFF ON COMMITTEES ......................................................................................... 153 SEMINARS GIVEN IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA ............................................................................................................. 165 PRESENTATIONS AT SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS OUTSIDE OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA. ........................................... 169 PUBLICATIONS AND REPORTS ........................................................................................................................................ 172 LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS USED .................................................................................................... 206 1 The next triennium This publication documents the research carried out by the science staff of CALM's Science and Information Division over the past three years. In an operationally-based agency such as CALM, our Science Program focuses on the applied research needs of the Department and it is the Science Division's role to provide CALM with the scientifically-sound information it requires to conserve and man'!ge Western Australia's biotic resources. The past triennium has been a difficult time for the Division, faced as it was with major structural changes and a significant downsizing of its budget and its staff resources. Despite such difficulties, the productivity of the science staff has increased and the Division has achieved an enviable record of achievements. some of the highlights include: • success in the federal governments Co-operative Research Centres program. CALM is a partner in the CRC for Biological Control of Vertebrate Pest Populations and in the CRC for the sustainable Development of Tropical savannas. • Externally funded research projects exceeded $7.5 million in the past three years. • Production of over 400 scientific publications, mostly in externally refereed national and international journals. • The establishment of our new science journal CALMScience. This new journal was first published in December 1993 and has been produced to date as five issues in two volumes, together with four CALMScience supplements. CALMScience, together with our other well established science journal Nuytsia, documents the impressive scientific work of CALM's science staff. • A significant increase in collaborative research programs with kindred agencies. • A greater involvement in supervising the research projects of university students and assisting university departments in designing and implementing their research programs. • An increased international profile through active involvement in various United Nations programs such as the convention on International Trade in Endangered species (CITES), Botany 2000 and UNESCO; various IUCN's Species survival commission Specialists Groups; and with the International Foundation for Science. • Production of the Division's strategic Plan in 1995. This important science planning document will be reviewed again in 1999. • A computerized, interactive database of SID's Science Project Plans has been devised, making available the full and true cost of each project. • The concept of sustainable conservation, based on the idea that natural communities are best conserved by enlightened utilization of natural resources, has been actively promoted within CALM and to scientists outside CALM. 2 • A Research Consortium to progress research and development of the anti-HIV chemical conocurvone (derived from endemic Proteaceae) was established. Plans are in train to establish a Drug Discovery centre in western Australia. Ultimately this will result in rapid progress in discriminating, documenting, and naming the indigenous biota of the State. It is pleasing to note that CALM's science staff continued to provide most of the science­ based information presented in CALM's wildlife magazine LANDSCOPE and that the expertise of our staff is always sought when Regional and District management plans are being prepared or reviewed by the Department. Clearly, the achievements of the science staff detailed in this report set a firm foundation for the· Department's science program in the next triennium. The Science and Information Division looks forward to a future of great promise and sustained productivity. Dr J A Armstrong DIRECTOR 3 The Division CALM's Science and Information Division (SID) is one of seven Divisions in the Department. Our Mission is to provide up-to-date and scientifically-sound information to underpin and facilitate effective conservation and land management in Western Australia. CALM's mission is to conserve and manage Western Australia's wildlife and the lands, waters and resources entrusted to the Department for the benefit of present and future generations. CALM has the following major objectives: • Conservation: To conserve indigenous plants, animals and ecological processes in natural habitats throughout the state. • Value and Use of Resources: To optimise the value and economic return to the community of wildlife, lands, waters and resources entrusted to the Department without compromising conservation and other management objectives. • Tourism and Recreation: To identify, provide and maintain opportunities and services to the community which allow them to enjoy the wildlife, lands, waters and resources entrusted to the Department without compromising conservation and other management objectives. • Knowledge: To seek and provide an up-to-date and sound scientific and information basis for the Department's conservation and land management activities. • Community support: To promote community awareness and appreciation of the values of the wildlife, lands, waters and resources entrusted to the Department, and to develop community understanding and support for the Department's conservation and land management activities. VISION Apart from commercially valuable taxa (eg. jarrah, karri and sandalwood) and charismatic taxa (eg. birds, mammals, butterflies and flowering plants), the native biota of Western Australia remains poorly known. Science and Information Division's vision is to develop the operational framework to enable biota to be utilized sustainably. This will generate wealth for the Western Australian community and provide much of the finance to enable land to be managed more effectively and ensure that the State's biodiversity is conserved. The economic value conferred by this program on the remaining native vegetation will also act as a powerful incentive for the cessation of land clearing in western Australia. Commercial returns from sustainably utilized natural products will provide the substantial funding needed to conserve and manage the biodiversity of the State. Science and Information Division envisages a small proportion of these funds being used to improve science infrastructure so that the biota of Western Australia is fully discriminated and documented, threatening processes are overcome or mitigated, and the natural resources are used in an ecologically sustainable manner with the least possible disturbance to the environment. LOCATION The Division's activities are spread throughout seven Research Centres in Western Australia, with staff in metropolitan Perth, Dwellingup, Manjimup, Busselton, Harvey and Karratha.