The Centre has continued to build collaborative links between Reef science,
management, industry and community groups in the Great Barrier Reef region.
In-Centre Cooperation
A number of internal working groups and advisory committees involve
Centre partner organisations, including the Users Advisory Group, the
PR/Media Advisory Group, the Seminar Advisory Group and the Effects of
Fishing Steering Committee. These groups contribute to many aspects of
the Centre's research, training and education programs in a collaborative
arrangement. Internal communications between Centre Parties and associates
are described in Section 6.
 |
Experienced professional line fishermen, observed
by researchers on dories, played a vital role in the successful completion
of baseline surveys into reef fish populations, conducted on 24 reefs
between November 95 and February 96 as part of the Effects of Line
Fishing Project.
Photo by Campbell Davies. |
Centre Parties continue to closely collaborate in providing researcher
task teams with databases and facilities including logistics, laboratories,
field stations and support services and equipment. The Monkman Research
Station on Green Island, provided as a Centre facility by DPI, is used
across the three research programs. In this year, the Australian Museum's
Lizard Island Research Station has been the site of additional research
dealing with the outbreak populations of Crown-of-thorns starfish.
The tourism industry, through more than 25 operators, provided vessel
and reef pontoon support logistics and facilities to all research programs.
This commitment is nearly 3 times that originally envisaged and represents
the equivalent value of about $1 million if the resources were to be obtained
elsewhere. More than 30 tourism operators are collaboratively involved
in extensive reef monitoring projects and social surveys of tourist characteristics.
The commercial line fishing industry on the Reef has played a vital
collaborative role in the establishment and implementation of key fisheries
tasks, as have the spearfishing interests. Strong support is being provided
from several marine engineering groups and marine surveyors/consultants
to all aspects of the engineering program. Various research instrument
and equipment companies, for example Kodak (Australia) Pty Ltd, have made
valued in-kind contributions to several research tasks.
The involvement of the Centre's Board Members, the Director and Program
Leaders in various scientific and management advisory committees has also
expanded the Centre's influence with client groups. Members encourage
linkages and provide advice in a variety of policy areas to regional,
state, Commonwealth and international government and non-government organisations.
External Collaboration
- Nationally, the Centre was associated with more than 40 organisations,
including:
-
seven universities and four TAFE colleges (James Cook University;
University of Queensland; University of Central Queensland; Australian
National University; University of Western Australia; University of
Southern Cross; Griffith University; TAFE Townsville; TAFE Cairns;
TAFE Whitsundays; and TAFE Rockhampton)
-
five CSIRO Divisions and four marine research agencies (CSIRO
Fisheries; CSIRO Water Resources; CSIRO INRE Project Office - Coastal
Zone Program; CSIRO Soils; CSIRO Tropical Crops; Australian Institute
of Marine Science; Queensland Museum - Museum of Tropical Queensland;
Lizard Island Research Station; and Bureau of Meteorology - Melbourne,
Brisbane)
-
eight State Government Departments and three State fisheries
agencies (Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries; Queensland
Fisheries Management Authority; Queensland Commercial Fishermen's
Organisation; Queensland Department of Transport; Queensland Department
of Environment; Queensland Travel & Tourism Corporation; Sunfish;
Dive Queensland; Ports Corporation of Queensland; Conservation &
Land Management, Western Australia and Queensland Wildlife & Parks
Service)
-
ten Commonwealth Departments and agencies (Department of
Industry Science & Tourism; Bureau of Tourism Research; Department
of Environment Sport & Territories; CRC for Sustainable Sugar
Production; Australian Marine Science & Technology Ltd; INTROMARC;
Australian Petroleum Exploration Association Limited/Energy Research
& Development Corporation; Australian Navy; Australian Underwater
Federation; Pacific & Asia Travel Association; and Australian
Research Council)
-
ten private companies and associations (Pacific Marine Group;
Offshore Scientific Pty Ltd; Kodak (Australia); Tilera Pty Ltd; Whitsundays;
P & O Resorts Pty Ltd; Australian Resorts Pty Ltd; Daikyo (North
Queensland) Pty Ltd; Lindeman; G.A. Glanville & Co; Reef Tourism
2005).
-
Internationally, the Centre was closely associated with:
-
four universities (USA Universities of Wisconsin; Texas A&M;
North Carolina and Purdue)
-
four research institutions (Florida Oceanographic Institute;
Mississippi Centre for Air-Sea Technology; Israel Marine Research
Station and Danish Hydraulic Institute).
The Centre continued to implement an international strategy comprising
two approaches. First, the Centre has focussed on strengthening its alliance
with the Australian Marine Science and Technology (AMSAT) consortium and
INTROMARC for delivery of research and skills and training into the international
arena. Contracted research, project design and implementation, and development
of training materials have been Centre products with the alliance during
this year. UN agencies, IUCN, Yemen, Malaysia and Indonesia have been
recipients of this work. The second approach is to facilitate the opportunity
for Centre partners to build dialogue and contracted work opportunities
based on Centre skills. Researchers have maintained substantial collaborative
links with various institutions and are represented on a number of international
working groups. In addition, Centre researchers maintain a wide network
of informal global collaboration; an indication of these links is contained
in the publication and presentation information in Sections 8 and 9.
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