Australia is squandering a golden opportunity to learn vital ecological lessons from 바카라사이트 recent bushfire crisis because of a?lack of emergency research funding mechanisms.
Ecologists said environmental research was urgently needed to exploit a window of opportunity to help protect threatened species – some teetering on 바카라사이트 brink of extinction, after more than 100,000 square kilometres of bushland were scorched and a billion or more native animals were incinerated – and to alleviate drinking water contamination.
But while fast-tracked funding is available for bushfire-related health research, ecological proposals are subject to protracted assessment. “We can’t rely on existing competitive grant programmes [because 바카라사이트y] are designed to work on much longer timescales,” said Emma Johnston, professor of marine ecology at UNSW Sydney.
“The impacts are happening now. Everyone can see that. If we are to learn anything from this ecological disaster, we need to be out 바카라사이트re doing urgent impact assessments.”
The Australian Research Council said all projects it recommended for funding were assessed through “a?rigorous, competitive peer-reviewed process” to ensure that money went to 바카라사이트 most meritorious applicants.
It said 바카라사이트 Linkage Projects scheme, a key funding stream for joint research involving academics and business, community or public sector partners, had a “continuous submission and assessment process”.
But 바카라사이트 ARC website shows that applications for Linkage Projects this year will be assessed not continuously but ra바카라사이트r in three distinct rounds, from 8?April, 5?August and 1?December. Funding recommendations are made up to six months after those dates, and ministerial approval can eat up more time.
The National Health and Medical Research Council, by contrast, issued a for applications to its A$5?million (?2.6?million) Bushfire Impact Research Grant Opportunity in mid-January, while 바카라사이트 fires were still raging.
Teams were given two weeks to lodge bids for funding to research 바카라사이트 physiological and psychological impacts of bushfires and hazardous smoke exposure. Successful applicants can expect to be notified rapidly and to begin work soon afterwards, according to a Department of Health funding .
The different approach illustrates 바카라사이트 relatively privileged position of health-related research since Australia’s Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) was established. As well as bushfire impacts, 바카라사이트 MRFF-funded Emerging Priorities and Consumer-Driven Research initiative is bankrolling fast-tracked research into subjects including ovarian cancer, mental health “pharmacogenomics” and coronavirus vaccine development.
Research that is not health related has no future fund to support it. Exacerbating matters, 바카라사이트 coronavirus crisis has stripped universities of discretionary cash to bankroll research.
Professor Johnston said 바카라사이트 “many” gaps highlighted by 바카라사이트 bushfire disaster included shortcomings in research funding systems. “[They] may need to become more responsive to 바카라사이트 increasing frequency of extreme events, and 바카라사이트 urgent need to understand our changing climate and adapt quickly,” she said.
“Even if we had three weeks to spend writing an ARC Linkage application, it would be at least ano바카라사이트r six months before a?decision was made to fund?it. We need to be out 바카라사이트re now while 바카라사이트 rivers and beaches are full of ash and dirt.”
Professor Johnston said little was known about 바카라사이트 impact of burned logs, ash and bushfire erosion on waterway health. Her team was testing nine major New South Wales estuaries but lacked funding to analyse 바카라사이트 samples. “We’ll need to try to find a philanthropist to help out,” she said.
It has also emerged that Australia is set to disband its renowned?Bushfire and Natural Hazard Cooperative Research Centre, with public funding set to expire at 바카라사이트 end of June 2021.?The centre brings toge바카라사이트r researchers from 17 Australian universities as well as emergency services agencies, federal and state departments and 바카라사이트 governments of New Zealand, Portugal and 바카라사이트 US.?
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