DoctorLizzie Wandrag

Project Total: $9,960; This project will test whether simple hydrological restorations can mitigate the impacts of artificial drainage on Tasmanias highland meadows. The capacity for highland meadows to sustain their remarkable diversity and ecological function is utterly dependent on moist peaty soils, maintained by cold wet conditions that slow decomposition. Concerningly, the historical land management practice of artificial drainage causes rapid drying and degradation of peaty soils, with the potential to drive ecosystem collapse. Through an experimental approach, this project will investigate the capacity for minimal-impact interventions to restore the natural hydrology of highland meadows. The project will integrate measurements of hydrology, plant communities and carbon cycling to understand whether hydrological changes can enhance the health and vitality of highland meadow ecosystems and the species they support. Our recent research in highland meadows shows the impacts of experimental warming and drought are buffered by moist soils. Thus, increasing the soil moisture through hydrological restoration has the potential to enhance ecosystem resilience under climate change. Funded by: Mountain Air Foundation - Research Grant Program ($9,960); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $4,787; Funding provided by Bush Heritage to Camille Eckel's PhD as part of G223838 Managing exotic perennial grasses encroachment in critically endangered grasslands. Funded by: Bush Heritage Australia; University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $1,074,497; Native forests, including production forests, face an existential threat from climate change, which will affect production, forest health and biodiversity. Forest trees are particularly vulnerable to large scale mortality under climate extremes due to their limited dispersal abilities and long lifespans which inhibit their capacity to migrate to track climate or adapt in situ. Proactive interventions will be essential to maintain resilience and productivity in Australias managed forests. Global restoration research advocates for active provenance translocation in the direction required for future climate adaptation, and increasing genetic diversity generally, to enable forests to maintain productivity and respond to the plethora of new abiotic and biotic stressors they will encounter over the next century. However, such translocation strategies have not been widely adopted in Australias managed forests. We will deliver an evidence base for why, when and how to revise seed sourcing guidelines to increase the resilience and future climate adaptation of Australias forests to protect forest health, function and productivity. It takes previous work in this space further, by focusing on practical applications that will facilitate on-ground action. Our approach combines cutting-edge genomic data with performance data obtained through traditional measures and innovative remote sensing methods. We will also establish new experiments in wet forests to field test novel seed sourcing strategies that exploit fine scale genetic variation through accelerated natural selection. We will develop practical, easy-to-use climate-adapted seed deployment and risk assessment tools to allow managers to implement evidence-backed climate adaptation decisions. This project is transformative because it moves the forestry sector from managing for historic conditions to future-focused, genomics- and climate-informed decision-making and provides innovative tools for production forest land managers, who currently have limited options in this space. Short-term benefits include decision-support tools and guidelines for managers; long-term benefits include safeguarding native forest health and function, timber supply, biodiversity, and maintaining a viable native forest industry under climate change. This project builds research capability in the forest industry by employing an outstanding early-career researcher, re-engaging an experienced mid-career scientist in academic research, and providing leadership development for the lead CI under expert mentorship. It also strengthens industry capacity through active knowledge transferembedding genomic insights into practical seed sourcing tools and guidelines, and fostering partnerships that give private forest managers access to innovations typically unavailable to them. Funded by: Australian Forest and Wood Innovations (AFWI) - Grant Research; Sustainable Timber Tasmania ($35,000); Forest Practices Authority ($5,000); University of Tasmania ($1,149,281).

Project Total: $8,495; Highland meadows support exceptional levels of floristic diversity, including many locally endemic species with highly restricted distributions. These plant communities are entirely dependent on peaty soils maintained by cold, wet conditions that retard decomposition and allow peat to accumulate. Throughout the Australian highlands, meadows have been extensively altered by artificial drains, historically installed to improve pasture quality. These drains cause rapid water loss and degrade the peaty soils, potentially converting meadows into woodlandimpacts which are exacerbated by climate change as temperatures rise and precipitation declines. Whilst drainage impacts have been investigated in similar systems overseas their consequences for these unique, incredibly diverse meadows of Australias highlands remain unknown. This knowledge gap is becoming increasingly critical under climate change and limits our ability to implement effective restoration techniques. Therefore, concentrating on Tasmanian highland meadows, this project will investigate: How drainage intensity and extent influences plant community composition.The mechanisms eroding plant community integrity through drainage-induced loss of soil moisture and peatiness.Test whether hydrological restoration can preserve peaty soils and hence maintain plant community integrity. During the funded year, I will establish a replicated manipulative experiment comparing relationships between soil, hydrology and plant communities across intact, drained and restored (drains removed) meadows. This will enable me to ascertain how drainage alters plant communities and associated soil properties. On completion, my PhD will identify the mechanisms degrading meadow communities and the peaty soils they depend on, evaluate restoration efficacy and provide the framework required to preserve these ecosystems. Findings will directly inform the management of the Australian highlands through collaboration with our industry partner, the Tasmanian Land Conservancy, and contribute to global efforts to conserve highland meadows under climate change. Funded by: Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment - Grant-Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment ($8,495); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $1,188,459; This is a resubmission of DP25 full application. The peaty soils of Australia's high country are vital to ensuring future water security but are under threat frommultiple factors. This project aims to produce the knowledge required to safeguard peaty soils in Australia's highcountry by using a multi-disciplinary approach combining vegetation function with the measurement of fluxes andstorage pools of carbon and water, enhancing outputs from new infrastructure. Importantly, this project will assesshow well subalpine peaty soils can be protected through relatively simple interventions. Expected outcomesinclude an enhanced ability to predict the resilience of the vital water-storage and filtration services provided bythese systems as well as intervention options for improving these. Funded by: Australian Research Council - Discovery Project - EOI ($1,188,459); University of Tasmania ($90,609).

Project Total: $49,516; Fieldwork is a cornerstone of undergraduate education in biology, geography, and environmental science. It builds scientific understanding, fosters identity, and cultivates transferable skills such as teamwork, resilience, and critical thinking. Strong international evidence shows that field experiences improve academic outcomes, increase retention in science, and support the success of underrepresented students. Yet access to fieldwork is not equitable. Many students encounter hidden or intersecting barriers to participation, including financial constraints, cultural disconnection, caring responsibilities, physical accessibility, and neurodiversity. Even where participation occurs, fieldwork can be a stressful or exclusionary experienceparticularly for those who do not identify with dominant fieldwork norms. Rigid structures, unaccommodating environments, and assumptions about who belongs outdoors can limit learning, confidence, and career progression. Despite the centrality of field education in many Australian degrees, the sector has been slower than the US or Europe to acknowledge and address these structural issues. This project will build a national network of educators and outdoor practitioners committed to inclusive field education, using research based at the University of Tasmania (UTAS) to identify practical and scalable solutions. Through student surveys, curriculum audits, and peer review of field-based units, we will identify patterns of participation and exclusion. Co-design workshops with students and staff will inform inclusive practice guidelines and promote institutional change. Outputs will include an evidence-based report on barriers and enablers, inclusive fieldwork design principles, and practical tools to support uptake across the higher education and outdoor education sectors. A national community of practice will ensure the long-term impact of the work and support systemic change. By addressing barriers to participation, this project aims to improve student wellbeing, support graduate employability, and ensure that fieldwork remains a transformative and accessible experience for allregardless of background, identity, or cognitive profile. Funded by: Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success - ACSES Small Grant ($49,516); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $5,899; The project aims at investigating global biodiversity patterns and wood decomposition rates in managed and natural forest across global climate gradients including approximately 40 site pairs to gain insights how climate change and land use interactively shape forest biodiversity and carbon cycling. Provider has been selected as being a research partner for this Project which involves Provider to collect biodiversity samples and measure wood decomposition and participates in scientific analyses, as further details in clause 5 of this Agreement (hereinafter referred to as the Purpose). Collected biodiversity samples are analyzed by using DNA-metabarcoding solely for the identification of species and for studying patterns of biodiversity. This Agreement is concluded to specify the terms for accessing Material, their use in accordance with the Purpose, their possible transfer to third parties and for sharing the benefits resulting from the use of the Material. Funded by: Ulm University ($5,899); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $75,000; The project would be delivered in partnership with the the Tasmanian Land Conservancy and Bush Heritage and would support a PhD research project to understand the processes leading to encroachment of exotic perennial grasses in critically endangered lowland native grasslands, which in turn decreases the biodiversity and conservation value of these grasslands and carry the risks that they would no-longer meet the EPBC-listing condition threshold so could be legally cleared and converted. Once the drivers are identified, on-ground trials of different treatment for the management of these grasses will be implemented and the most effective control methods identified and communicated with landholders. Project goals: Understand the drivers leading to exotic perennial grasses encroachment within native grasslands. Identify effective control methods to reduce their cover or prevent further cover increase. We hope that, equipped with this knowledge, landholders will be more knowledgeable and confident to manage this key threat to the native grasslands. Funded by: LANDCARE - Grant; Tasmanian Land Conservancy; Bush Heritage Australia; University of Tasmania ($75,270).

Project Total: $580,000; The project aims to experimentally test whether targeted removal of rabbit warrens will allow vegetation to recover and reduce cat presence, expanding and connecting habitat for entire communities of wildlife at large landscape scale. High rabbit densities support high cat densities causing broad-scale environmental degradation and species declines. Project outcomes include the delivery of evidence-based guidelines for implementing an efficient and low technology method for ecosystem restoration at large scale, well-suited to a broad range of land managers. The method offers a significant advance in effective methods for restoration and conservation in unfenced landscapes Funded by: Australian Research Council - Grant-Linkage Projects ($581,202); Foundation for Rabbit Free Australia ($54,545); Department for Environment and Water South Australia ($50,000); SA Arid Lands Landscape Board ($39,900); Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary ($15,000); Arkaba Conservancy ($10,000); University of Tasmania ($100,219).