Charles Darwin University, in partnership with the World Wide Fund for Nature Australia and the Department of Economic and Regional Development, has been awarded around $500,000 by the Australian Government’s Natural Heritage Trust to explore future scenarios for the Top End.
The study will focus on the potential impacts of climate change on the Territory’s unique environment and way of life.
Project leader, Professor Stephen Garnett from the School for Environmental Research, said the research was a unique opportunity for the Northern Territory to create its own future.
“All the indications are that we have less time to adapt to climate change than we thought even a few months ago,” Professor Garnett said.
“But we cannot panic. With planning and ingenuity we can still create a sustainable world. We in the Territory should see climate change as an opportunity as well as a threat.”
The research will have close links with key stakeholders across the NT including the newly established regional councils, the Department of Primary Industries, Fisheries, and Mines and the Aboriginal Land Councils.
“The project is a tremendous opportunity to understand the visions of north Australians,” he said.
“We all share responsibility for our future in these tough environments. This project will give us greater understanding of the choices available to us and the potential consequences of our decisions.”
The project will start in 2008 and run for three years.