Australian Biological Resources Study

Australian Biological Resources Study
Name	Australian Biological Resources Study
Formation	1973
Type	Research program
Headquarters	Canberra
Parent organisation	Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
Region served	Australia

Contents

Australian Biological Resources Study

The Australian Biological Resources Study is a Commonwealth research program established in 1973 to document and synthesise knowledge of Australia's biota. It supports taxonomic research, national collections, and biodiversity information systems to inform policy for agencies such as the Department of the Environment and the CSIRO. The Study collaborates with museums, herbaria and universities including the Australian National University, University of Melbourne, University of Queensland and state institutions like the Australian Museum, Museum Victoria, Queensland Museum and Western Australian Museum.

History

The Study was created following recommendations from inquiries into natural science capacity including reports by the Australian Academy of Science and commissions chaired by figures such as Sir David Smith. Early implementation involved partnerships with landmark institutions like the Australian National Herbarium, National Herbarium of New South Wales and the National Herbarium of Victoria. During the 1970s and 1980s it funded monographs by taxonomists affiliated with the CSIRO Entomology and contributions to floras such as the Flora of Australia and faunal series like the Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Legislative and policy environments including the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and international obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity shaped its evolving priorities. Renowned systematists and curators from institutions like the Australian Museum Research Institute, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory and the South Australian Museum have been principal investigators on Study-funded projects.

The Study's mandate encompasses taxonomic description, nomenclatural stability and provision of authoritative species information to decision-makers including officials at the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. Functions include grant-making to researchers at the University of Tasmania, Griffith University, James Cook University and state botanical gardens, support for national checklists used by the Atlas of Living Australia, and publication of identification keys for agencies like the Australian Antarctic Division and the Bureau of Meteorology when relevant to biodiversity monitoring. It provides resources supporting compliance with treaties such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and informs conservation listings administered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

Programs funded by the Study have spanned major groups including vascular plants treated by taxonomists at the National Herbarium of Victoria, bryophytes studied by researchers at the Tasmanian Herbarium, fungi catalogued by specialists associated with the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, insects described by teams at the Queensland Museum Entomology and marine taxa researched at the Australian Institute of Marine Science. Projects have produced monographs, synthetic treatments and faunal checklists such as those used by the Australian Faunal Directory and the Flora of Australia Editorial Committee. Collaborators have included taxonomists from the Natural History Museum, London on comparative studies and curators at the Smithsonian Institution for type specimen exchanges. The Study has supported capacity-building through workshops hosted by the Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria and training programs linked with the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research.

Support for national and state collections has enabled growth in holdings at institutions such as the Australian National Insect Collection, National Herbarium of New South Wales, Museum Victoria Collections and the Australian Museum Collections Management. Funding has underpinned digitisation initiatives feeding into databases like the Atlas of Living Australia, the Australian Faunal Directory and the Australian Plant Census. The Study has facilitated integration with international repositories including the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and collaboration with the International Union for Conservation of Nature on Red List assessments, while assisting curatorial standards used by the International Barcode of Life community.

Grant schemes administered by the Study have supported individual principal investigators at universities such as the University of Adelaide and the University of Western Australia, institutional projects at the Queensland Herbarium and multi-institution consortia involving the Australian National Botanic Gardens. Funding priorities have targeted taxonomic revisions, development of identification tools used by agencies like the Australian Fisheries Management Authority, and training fellowships for early-career researchers affiliated with the Australian Research Council network. The Study has co-funded flagship outputs including volumes in the Flora of Australia and data mobilization projects that benefit the Atlas of Living Australia.

Partnerships extend across museums, herbaria, universities and non-government organisations such as the Australian Conservation Foundation and the WWF-Australia for public engagement and conservation science translation. Outreach activities include collaboration with citizen-science platforms like the Atlas of Living Australia portal and the Australian Citizen Science Association, exhibitions with the Museum Victoria and training with the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria. Internationally, the Study has engaged with Pacific research agencies and institutions including the University of the South Pacific and regional organisations tied to the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme for biodiversity assessment and capacity development.

Category:Australian government agencies Category:Biodiversity databases