A vision for biodiverse, multifunction landscapes in Australia
Building a shared vision, research agenda and implementation roadmap for landscapes that genuinely support, and are enhanced by, biodiversity.
Research Cluster
Research partners
First Nations and community representatives, local government, state and federal government departments and agencies, and key industry players
Project team
Dr Kylie Soanes (SAFES), Professor Pete Vesk (SAFES), Associate Professor John Morrongiello (BioSciences), Dr Tina Parkhurst (SAFES), Sarah Hunter (Melbourne School of Design)
Contact
Project summary
Addressing the extinction crisis requires us to look beyond protected areas. This project will build a shared vision, research agenda and implementation roadmap for landscapes that genuinely support, and are enhanced by, biodiversity. While research in this area grows, there remains significant ambiguity about what 'multifunction' means, and the absence of interdisciplinary frameworks leaves little practical guidance for policy and decision makers. Drawing on the interdisciplinary perspectives of the MBI Multifunction Landscapes Cluster, this project will develop practical pathways forward.
What are we interested in?
What does it look like for Australian landscapes to support, and actually be enhanced by, biodiversity? How do we retrofit biodiversity to existing modified landscapes? What are the key barriers and opportunities facing the incorporation of biodiversity into regional planning and landscape management across different sectors?
The goals of our project
To foster collaboration across the interdisciplinary Multifunction Landscapes Cluster, build a shared vision and research agenda, and develop an implementation roadmap for biodiverse multifunction landscapes in Australia, grounded in at least one case study region.
Outcomes / activities
Facilitated workshops and a scoping review to develop a shared vision and research framework, resulting in a journal article. A half-day knowledge-exchange forum with stakeholders from Victoria's multifunction landscapes to sense-check the roadmap and build a network.