James Cook University Subject Handbook - 2000

SCHOOL OF TROPICAL ENVIRONMENT STUDIES AND GEOGRAPHY

These can be grouped into the following 11 major programs and their subsets.

1. Ecology and Management of Dugongs, Dolphins, Sea Turtles, Sea Birds and Seagrasses
   Distribution and habitat use of dugongs;
   Status of dugong populations;
   Indigenous hunting;
   Environmental impacts on seagrass;
   Causes, recovery and rehabilitation;
   Anthropogenic impacts on sea birds.
   Seagrass genetics and reproduction.
2. Human Geography
   International migration;
   Socio-economic impact of mining in developing countries;
   The historical geography of the Australian sugar industry.
3. Spatial Analysis, Geographic Information Systems and Modelling in the Tropical Environment
   Application of spatial modelling in natural resource management;
   Landuse;
   Natural hazards;
   Representing the marine environment with remotely sensed information and GIS;
   Landscape ecology.
4. Palaeoenvironmental Change and Contemporary Geomorphic Processes
   Glacial ice fluctuations in the Prince Charles Mountains, Antarctica;
   Palynological evidence of environmental change;
   The geomorphology and management of North Queensland rivers;
   Sclerochronological evidence of environmental (sea-level and climate) change;
   Contemporary geomorphic processes in the tropics.
   Tsunamis.
5. Urban Planning Issues
   Regional and community planning and urban design;
   Queensland population analysis;
   Small towns of Northern Australia;
   Power supply to remote communities;
   Urban sustainable energy use;
   Urbanisation and urban policy in the South Pacific island states;
   Integrated catchment management.
6. Physical and Biological Processes in Rainforests
   Environmental parameters influencing vertebrate biodiversity;
   Effects of linear barriers and corridors;
   Synoptic and meso-scale rainfall climatology of Queensland’s wet tropical coast;
   Effects of reforestation on runoff hydrology;
   Transfer of water-borne nutrients by stormflow processes in a tropical rainforest catchment.;
   Micrometeorology of tropical rainforests;
   Micrometeorology of dry rainforests.
   History and ecology of dry rainforests.
   Lateral shading effects and rainforest canopy dynamics;
   Environmental gradients across rainforest — wet sclerophyll forest boundaries.
7. Effects of Fishing on the Environment
   Effect of trawling on bycatch;
   Impact of line-fishing in Great Barrier Reef;
   Recreational fishing in Great Barrier Reef.
   Effect of fishing on non-target species.
   Socio-economic impact of management on commercial fishing.
8. Socially and Ecologically Acceptable Tourism
   Acceptable tourist use of the Great Barrier Reef;
   Acceptable tourist use of Wet Tropics Rain Forests.
9. Wildlife Management
   Autecology of rainforest mammals;
   Population biology of rock-wallabies.
   Impact of tourism on wildlife.
10. Sustainable Landuse in the Tropics
    Community and regional scale management in northern Australia;
    Land and natural resource informations systems in developing countries.
11. Indigenous Resource Management and Social Issues
    Traditional hunting — social and ecological issues;
    Environmental planning for Indigenous communities;
    Community ranger program;
    Recognition of Indigenous interests in resource management.
    Collaborative research of rainforest cultural heritage and management.