The first two lead-in projects for our AFWI Centre for Sustainable Futures have been approved for funding.
- Tiwi Islands Community Forestry Pilot
Demonstrating sustainable native forestry business opportunities for remote Indigenous communities – led by Dr John Meadows. The objectives of this research project are to:
- Develop the interests, knowledge and skills/capacities of Tiwi Traditional Owners (from all 8 clan groups) to participate in an Indigenous-led commercial native forestry industry, including supporting community capacity to operate viable place-based native forestry and timber processing/manufacturing enterprises;
- Understand the Tiwi Islands native forest resource: distribution, productivity, potential timber (and non-timber) product mix, and what products have the best local applications and other commercial (including export) potential;
- Develop, install and market research prototype value-added timber products from locally-sourced logs (including Acacia mangium, Eucalyptus pellita, other select native hardwood species) to better understand product characteristics, specifications and processing protocols, and potential applications/markets/market expectations for these products.
2. Sustaining Sirex woodwasp management in the post-Lineage D era
Led by Dr Helen Nahrung. The objectives of this research project are to:
- Identify factors linked with parasitism by different nematode strains in Australia;
- Examine temporal and spatial trends in parasitism by biocontrol wasps;
- Investigate alternative methods for nematode inoculation to improve field safety;
- Use the data from objectives 1-3 to develop recommendations for sustainable and cost-effective management of Sirex in Australia.
We're excited to share updates and results from these two projects as they progress.
Want to learn more about our research projects? View our Project Snapshots for an overview.
