In 2006 a $8 million Commonwealth Environment Research Facilities grant was awarded over four years to establish a Tropical Rivers and Coastal Knowledge Research Hub with Griffith University, through the Australian Rivers Institute, being a leading partner. Land and Water Australia will contribute $2.9 million in funding, with other partners providing a further $0.4 million.
The TRACK research hub will bring together over 50 leading tropical river and coastal researchers and managers from 10 agencies across Australia to focus on the sustainability of rivers and catchments from Cape York to Broome.
TRACK will be led by researchers from
- Griffith University
- Charles Darwin University
- University of Western Australia
- Land and Water Australia
- CSIRO
- North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance
- CRC for Tropical Savannas Management.
The aim of the research hub is to increase the understanding of how rivers and coastal areas sustain important natural assets and ecosystems. The hub will also assess the social, economic and environmental impacts of proposed developments and identify opportunities to develop genuinely sustainable activities in the region. It provides a unique opportunity in northern Australia to avoid the environmental degradation that has occurred in the south of our country.