DoctorVishnu Prahalad

Project Total: $6,818; Funded by: Derwent Estuary Program ($6,818); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $50,000; In this collaborative project, scientists from across Australia will work together to bring their collective expertise in terrestrial, aquatic, marine, and restoration ecology and utilise the science generated from projects measuring and accounting for the restoration benefits from blue carbon ecosystem restoration projects - including Blue Heart in Queensland, Pitt Water-Orielton Lagoon in Tasmania, Upper Gulf St Vincent in South Australia, and Gippsland Lakes in Victoria, among others. In consultation with stakeholders, Indigenous groups, and Traditional Owners, we will develop a Nature Repair Method and associated technical guidance to generate biodiversity certificates from the ecological restoration or rehabilitation of coastal wetlands that is achieved via tidal reinstatement or other restoration activities. Standardised metrics for measuring biodiversity gain in different ecosystems and across the landscape/seascape will be developed and verified with existing biodiversity data for the blue carbon ecosystem restoration projects, using a multi-diversity approach within a Before-After Control-Reference-Impact framework. The method will be developed considering national policy for a Nature Positive Australia and emerging biodiversity assessment instruments, such as an Ecological Knowledge System, and global policy for countries to achieve Target 2 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and revise National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans, specifically related to aquatic restoration. Funded by: University of Queensland ($50,104); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $8,385; Melaleuca ericifolia swamp forest (MESF) is a threatened vegetation community that inhabits the northern Tasmanian coastline. It has been extensively cleared for agriculture, but where it is intact, it is often occupying the transition zone between saline-adapted vegetation (saltmarsh) and terrestrial communities such as Eucalyptus forests. In many places in north-west Tasmania, the remnant MESF community fringes highly productive pasture systems and is managed by private landholders. This PhD will accurately map the current and historical extents of the MESF community, and study the fine-scale ecological differences in the community in different locations around Tasmania. These differences are hypothesised to be related to environmental variables, such as soil salinity and waterlogging, underlying geology and position in the landscape, and the age/maturity, condition and time since last disturbance of the forest patch. The planned research will also assess the ecosystem services that this vegetation community provides, particularly its carbon storage capacity. In quantifying the carbon pools (storage) and flux in MESF, as well as biodiversity values, we will start to understand some of the ways that native vegetation in Tasmania can be valued, leading to improved conservation of the MESF community. Because of increasing interest in coastal wetland management and blue carbon ecosystem management and restoration, the first year of Holsworth funding will be focused on field and lab work that will gather data about organic matter accumulation and decomposition, from which carbon and nitrogen sequestration can be calculated. Subsequent chapters will detail the extent of this ecological community so that its total carbon sequestration potential can be enumerated, so that various types of Australian supratidal forests can be compared, and so that private landholders might consider the value that MESF provides in terms of ecosystem services (and also potentially financially) if they were to undertake conservation and restoration activities. Funded by: Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment - Grant ($8,385); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $38,000; NRM South and UTAS, along with other partner organisations, have been involved in efforts to restore, enhance and protect wetlands of international significance at Moulting Lagoon, Tasmania. As part of these ongoing efforts, additional saltmarsh restoration activities involving habitat augmentation and revegetation are being conducted at two locations in Moulting Lagoon. This work is combined with monitoring to evaluate ecosystem restoration benefits in supporting these significant wetlands. Funded by: Southern Regional Natural Resource Management Association Inc (NRM South) ($38,000); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $47,627; As part of the Blue Carbon Ecosystem Restoration Grants, the Australian Government has supported Tasmanias largest saltmarsh restoration project in Richmond Park. As part of this project, Blue Carbon Services, NRM South and University of Tasmania have partnered in collecting and synthesising baseline data including vegetation, fauna (fish, birds, mammals) and hydrology, in order to quantity blue carbon ecosystem restoration benefits and support the development of Environmental Economic Accounts (EEA). This project builds on an ongoing collaboration in this landmark coastal saltmarsh conservation project, and supports place-based research investigating restoration in practice. Funded by: Blue Carbon Services ($47,627); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $721,014; Scaling up marine and coastal restoration and nature-based solutions (NbS) (nature repair) in Australia is necessary to achieve national and international commitments to biodiversity and climate change mitigation and adaptation. The goal of this project is to guide coastal marine nature repair in Australia at scales relevant to help meet national targets. The project has three aims: Aim 1 update a stocktake of the coastal and marine restoration and NbS activities which have occurred in Australia. Aim 2 Develop the evidence-base to de-risk coastal and marine nature repair. Aim 3 scope a forward-looking coordinated framework to support continued implementation of investments in nature repair of Australias coastal and marine ecosystems. The research will be conducted using primarily desktop methods supplemented with new empirical research. Addressing these aims is required to move forward beyond uncoordinated efforts to achieve effective seascape-scale interventions that support the Nature Positive Plan and international targets. Funded by: Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water - Grant; CSIRO-Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organisation; James Cook University; University of Melbourne; University of Adelaide; University of Queensland; University of Western Australia; OzFish Unlimited Limited; University of New South Wales; Macquarie University; University of Tasmania ($26,000).

Project Total: $70,000; This project seeks to compile a Tasmanian State of the Environment Report on Coasts & Marine habitats and associated key species groups. The report is compiled by independent experts, by combining information from extensive studies, and drawing on elicited experts views on the contemporary pressures on, and state of the Tasmanian coasts. The synthesis is presented under three broad headings: (a) threats and pressures, (b) coastal governance, and (c) a series of five case studies as exemplars of status and trends, to conform to national and other reports and syntheses, allowing for our work to be integrated in future efforts. Funded by: Tasmanian Planning Commission - Tender ($70,000); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $68,006; NRM South has received a Blue Carbon Ecosystem Restoration Grant from the Australian Government to support what will be Tasmanias largest saltmarsh restoration project. As part of this project, NRM South has engaged the services of UTAS in collecting and synthesising baseline data including vegetation, fauna (invertebrates, fish), hydrology, water quality and microclimate. This project builds on ongoing collaboration between UTAS and NRM South in coastal saltmarsh conservation and supports place-based research investigating restoration in practice. Funded by: Southern Regional Natural Resource Management Association Inc (NRM South) ($68,006); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $20,275; As part of the new kanamaluka / Tamar estuary Biological Monitoring Program, this project seeks to map: 1) the historical extent of tidal wetlands derived from 1940 aerial imagery, old surveyor maps, combined with present day storm tide modelling; 2) current extent of tidal wetlands derived from aerial and satellite imagery available from LISTmap; 3) dominant hydrological structures, land tenure, land use within current tidal wetland extent. Funded by: The Northern Tasmanian Natural Resource Management Assoc Inc. ($40,550); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $905,000; NESP 2 is the second round of the National Environmental Science Program, a $149 M, 7 year, program funded by the federal Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, to: o Conserve, protect and sustainably manage Australia's biodiversity, ecosystems, environment and heritage through research, information management, supporting natural resource management, establishing and managing Commonwealth protected areas, and reducing and regulating the use of pollutants and hazardous substances. * The Sustainable Communities and Waste hub is a new hub, that will be funded with $20M over 7 years to deliver research that supports: o targeted information and management tools to reduce the impact of plastic and other material on the environment o applied scenario modelling to support sustainable people-environment interactions in communities including urban heat island impacts and liveability analysis o effective and efficient management options for hazardous waste, substances and pollutants throughout their lifecycle to minimise environmental and human health impacts o maintained and improved air quality * Two key aspects of the new hub structure particularly relevant to UTas are: o A focus on research on, and delivery to, urban and regional communities o Indigenous leadership is embedded throughout the program, and the hub must establish and maintain long-term, two-way partnerships with traditional owners and Indigenous communities. * The proposed consortia will be led by UNSW, and includes CSIRO and Monash, Swinburne and Curtin universities, in addition to UTas. * UTas is leading or co-leading 2 of the 4 themes (IP1 people-nature interactions and IP4 air quality) and has one of the three strategic lead positions (knowledge broker) * There final allocation of funds is determined annually Funded by: Department of Agriculture Water and the Environment - Grant-National Environmental Science Prgm (NESP) ($15,000); University of New South Wales ($905,000); University of Tasmania ($60,566).

Project Total: $37,000; NRM South has received a grant from the Australian Government to restore and rehabilitate coastal saltmarsh at Pitt Water-Orielton Lagoon Ramsar Site, close to the Hobart Airport. UTAS (via Dr Vishnu Prahalad) was instrumental in helping NRM South apply for this grant by providing background information and assisting with the application process. As part of this project, NRM South has engaged the services of UTAS to aid in the planning and monitoring of this restoration project over its 3-year timeframe (2021-2023). This project builds on the rich collaboration between UTAS and NRM South in coastal saltmarsh conservation and supports place-based research investigating restoration in practice. Funded by: Southern Regional Natural Resource Management Association Inc (NRM South) ($37,000); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $20,000,000; * NESP 2 is the second round of the National Environmental Science Program, a $149 M program funded by the federal Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, to: o Conserve, protect and sustainably manage Australia's biodiversity, ecosystems, environment and heritage through research, information management, supporting natural resource management, establishing and managing Commonwealth protected areas, and reducing and regulating the use of pollutants and hazardous substances. * The Sustainable Communities and Waste hub is a new hub, that will be funded with $20M over 7 years to deliver research that supports: o targeted information and management tools to reduce the impact of plastic and other material on the environment o applied scenario modelling to support sustainable people-environment interactions in communities including urban heat island impacts and liveability analysis o effective and efficient management options for hazardous waste, substances and pollutants throughout their lifecycle to minimise environmental and human health impacts o maintained and improved air quality * Two key aspects of the new hub structure particularly relevant to UTas are: o A focus on research on, and delivery to, urban and regional communities o Indigenous leadership is embedded throughout the program, and the hub must establish and maintain long-term, two-way partnerships with traditional owners and Indigenous communities. * The proposed consortia will be led by UNSW, and includes CSIRO and Monash, Swinburne and Curtin universities, in addition to UTas. * UTas is leading or co-leading 2 of the 4 themes (people-nature interactions and air quality) Funded by: Department of Agriculture Water and the Environment - Grant-National Environmental Science Prgm (NESP); University of New South Wales; University of Tasmania ($456,150).

Project Total: $12,000; Cradle Coast NRM has received a grant from the Australian Government to control and eradicate rice grass (Spartina anglica) from the Duck and Rubicon rivers of north-west Tasmania. As part of this project, Cradle Coast NRM has engaged the services of UTAS to aid in the planning and monitoring of this eradication project over its 4-year timeframe (2020-2023). This project fits builds on past datasets developed together by UTAS and Cradle Coast NRM and supports current PhD research investigating the effects of rice grass on fish usage. Funded by: Cradle Coast NRM ($12,000); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $25,800; NRM South has received a grant from the Australian Government to restore and rehabilitate coastal saltmarsh at Moulting Lagoon Ramsar Site, east coast of Tasmania. As part of this project, NRM South has engaged the services of UTAS to aid in the planning and monitoring of this restoration project over its 4-year timeframe (2020-2023). This project builds on past work between UTAS and NRM South in coastal saltmarsh conservation and supports place-based research investigating restoration in practice. Funded by: Southern Regional Natural Resource Management Association Inc (NRM South) ($25,800); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $12,675; Saltmarsh wetlands are increasingly being recognised for their roles in providing nursery habitats and trophic transfer for fish and fisheries. There is an important need to extend our understanding of these functional relationships in novel spatial-temporal contexts such as in Tasmania, where studies could potentially positively affect community perceptions and enable policy changes favouring saltmarsh conservation. Funded by: Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment - Grant ($12,675); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $4,095; Marion Bay Coastcare group have been undertaking baseline monitoring of the biological values of the Marchweil Marsh with the assistance of University of Tasmania (through V. Prahalad). This project is aimed at investigating opportunities and consequences of restoring the natural function and ecosystem services of this large area of saltmarsh (about 100 ha). Through this funding, we seek to develop a management plan that documents key baseline information and explores opportunities to enhance the ecosystem health and function of this important natural system. Funded by: Marion Bay Coastcare Incorporated ($4,095); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $10,000; Fish use of Tasmanian saltmarshes has never been studied. Enhanced knowledge of fish use of saltmarsh can be a proxy for likely marine biodiversity productivity benefits resulting from saltmarsh repair. Knowledge of fish use will also help us understand the marine biodiversity food chain better. With this enhanced knowledge a case can be made for saltmarsh repair opportunities in Tasmania and elsewhere. Funded by: James Cook University ($10,000); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $24,344; Funded by: Cradle Coast NRM ($24,344); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $55,332; The project aims to increase understanding of temperate saltmarsh communities in Northern Tasmania, for planning and management, and to enable community-based monitoring of Tasmanian saltmarshes through the provision of monitoring and information materials. Funded by: The Northern Tasmanian Natural Resource Management Assoc Inc. ($55,332); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $2,685; Funded by: Cradle Coast Authority ($2,685); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $83,000; Funded by: Cradle Coast NRM ($83,000); University of Tasmania.