Synopsis
After more than 120 years as a sheep station in arid western NSW, Fowlers Gap is set to become a conservation property, with the removal of large domestic herbivores (sheep and goats) in 2021. This will be a large-scale regeneration project, and it is rare for researchers to have access to such a project throughout its development, implementation and subsequent lifespan. Initially, research will focus on establishing a baseline of data for the station. Over subsequent years, research will look at the restoration of the station and the responses of trophic communities to a restored habitat.
Aims
This project aims to:
- Investigate natural regeneration in populations of flora and fauna over time
- Investigate changes in trophic levels
- Investigate changes in soil chemistry and microbiological communities
- Examine the resilience of an arid zone to climate change
Establish monitoring and research sites
Student Benefits
During this project, you’ll have the chance to:
- assist in a major large scale ecosystem regeneration project, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
- Study a rapidly changing and evolving ecosystem
- Do fieldwork in the arid zone that has widespread applications; no project is too large or too small
- Learn practical skills that will be transferable to other research projects, and that have “real world” applications
Supervisors (list of potential supervisors): Dr Keith Leggett, Prof. Mike Letnic, A/Prof. Lisa Schwanz, Prof. Angela Moles, A/Prof. Will Cornwell, Dr Adrian Fisher, A/Prof. Daniel Falster