Research

Australian Research Council - Centres of Excellence

$35,000,000

Summary: ARC Centre of Excellence for Indigenous and Environmental Histories and Futures aims to generate a new direction in knowledge creation based on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander led approaches to managing Land and Sea Country. The Centre expects to make a legacy contribution by developing complementary Indigenous and Western knowledge frameworks for modelling environmental, cultural, and historical change in Australia over the last millennium and into the near future. Expected outcomes focus on sustainable Indigenous land and sea management planning for future decades. Benefits include improved forecasting of the trajectory of environmental change, an increase in the capacity of Indigenous research, creation of a pipeline for Indigenous students into research, and evidence-based policy-making.

TARL Investigators: Sean Ulm, Michael Bird

Lizard Island Research Station - Doctoral Fellowship

$6,400

Summary: This research investigates the distribution and construction of Indigenous stone arrangements in the Lizard Island Group, far North Queensland. Previous intensive pedestrian surveys of the islands have identified almost 1000 stone arrangements, with an additional 200 recorded during the recently completed 2021 season. Interpreting the distribution and construction of these stone arrangements will be undertaken on a cultural landscape scale to interpret the organisation of socio-religious activities on within the Lizard Island Group.

TARL Investigators: Joshua Connelly, Sean Ulm

Lizard Island Research Station - Sir John & Laurine Proud Research Fellowship

$15,000

Summary: This project aims to document Aboriginal Late Holocene use of Great Barrier Reef offshore islands through the re-excavation of Freshwater Bay Midden on Lizard Island. After extensive physical surveys and recording of cultural places across the Lizard Island Group over the past decade it has been determined that Freshwater Bay Midden is the only remaining site with significant sub-surface deposits intact that has not yet been excavated using modern archaeological techniques. Expected outcomes include a comprehensive framework from which to consider offshore island use in northeast Australia, as well as documenting the dynamic history of Lizard Island occupation.

TARL Investigators: Ariana Lambrides, Sean Ulm, Fiona Petchey

Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage - CABAH Future Leaders Fund Grant

$30,000

Summary: Fish remains are ubiquitous in the coastal and inland Australian and Pacific archaeological record. This project aims to (1) develop a best-practice methodology for fish CT scan segmentation to support taxonomic identifications of archaeological bone, (2) publish these outcomes open access to facilitate equitable reuse of the methodology and retention of these expertise into the future, and (3) establish an open access virtual fish bone reference collection, using the MorphoSource platform. The outcomes of this project with directly support ongoing archaeological and paleontological research and teaching efforts through the establishment of an open access virtual fish bone reference collection.

TARL Investigators: Ariana Lambrides

Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage - Legacy Grants Scheme

$90,000

Summary: The study of pollen to reconstruct landscapes of the past plays an important role across many environmental research and management goals. However, more is being asked of this data, in particular, the need to better understand past plant abundance and land-cover changes. To achieve this, we need a quantified understanding of the relationship between modern day pollen and vegetation, which requires large-scale data collection. Here, we propose developing a comprehensive modern pollen-matching vegetation records across major climate and biogeographic zones in Australia by combining expertise in paleoecology and citizen science with nationally funded infrastructure, TERN (Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network).

TARL Investigators: Cassandra Rowe

Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage - Legacy Grants Scheme

$85,000

Summary: The project will engage a full-time postdoctoral fellow for 12 months to compile fire proxy data for the new data collection SahulCHAR, to oversee the data collection of environmental radiocarbon ages for SahulSED, and to lead the development of resources for the maintenance and community-led updates of these collections. The postdoctoral fellow will lead the E&E activities and support the RT&E activities described below and will update existing collections as needed. Results will be included in a series of planned papers to coincide with the launch of the new collections.

TARL Investigators: Emma Rehn, Sean Ulm, Michael Bird, Fiona Petchey

Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage - CABAH Cadetship Scheme

$49,524

Summary: The cadetship will consist of working in the Environmental Radioactivity Measurement Centre at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) facility to gain experience in stable isotope analysis.

TARL Investigators: Lauren Linnenlucke, Sean Ulm

Australian Research Council - Discovery - Projects

$63,921

Summary: This project will redefine, deepen and reconcile divergent narratives of early cultural encounters between the Dutch, Macassans, British and Indigenous Australians and the responses of Traditional Owners to globalisation. Focussing international attention on the Tiwi Islands will contribute to the Northern Territory tourism economy. National heritage areas have significant potential to contribute to local Indigenous tourism enterprises. The project will create substantial international collaborations between Australia, the Netherlands, Indonesia and Indigenous Australians. It will contribute to capacity building for Traditional Owners to manage the nationally and internationally outstanding cultural heritage values of the Tiwi islands and provide many allied social, health and economic advantages for the Indigenous community to be on country.

TARL Investigators: Mirani Litster

Australian Research Council - Discovery - Projects

$284,390

Summary: This project aims to resolve a long-standing enigma about the geological formation of the Great Artesian Basin ? Australia’s most important onshore reservoir for groundwater and hydrocarbon resources. Specifically, the project will integrate sedimentological and geochemical studies to investigate the geodynamic configuration of Eastern Australia during the Jurassic Period of basin formation. The intended outcomes are an improved understanding of the evolution of the Australian continent and better knowledge of the formation of intercontinental sedimentary basins, which includes better assessment of their potential to contain hydrocarbon resources.

TARL Investigator: Eric Roberts

The Royal Society of Queensland

$2,300

Summary: Food security in the face of climate change is a challenge for remote Indigenous communities in Australia, especially for Torres Strait Islander communities. Key to meeting this challenge is developing environmentally/culturally sustainable horticultural initiatives that build on traditional gardening practices adapted to hilly granite terrains of western Torres Strait.

The Project thus brings together archaeological and palaeoenvironmental evidence with existing horticultural understandings of the Mualgal community to:

1. Understand how a western Torres Strait community developed and crafted their horticultural world over hundreds and perhaps thousands of years to accommodate the demands of wet and dry season climate extremes and hilly terrain; and,

2. Develop data and research into plant management in ways that are responsive to the contemporary aspirations and resources of a local Torres Strait Islander community.

TARL Investigators: Cassandra Rowe

AIMS@JCU - Scholarship

$20,000

Summary: Indigenous partnerships with government and industry have increased demand for Indigenous cultural mapping frameworks. Current approaches are a patchwork ranging from token inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge (IK) to collaborative participation. A framework developed through a project co-led with Traditional Owners/Indigenous Prescribed Body Corporation (PBC) can re-inscribe IK into maps of Sea Country.

While advancements in planning technologies have led to improved natural resource management practices across the globe, they continue to be deployed according to colonial models, perpetuating the erasure of IK. This results in IK continuing to be underrepresented in Sea Country planning, management practices, climate change adaption and mitigation planning, and economic decision making.

This project will work with Indigenous peoples using two-way sharing of knowledge and perceptions of risks to country, contributing to place-based risk reduction strategies. The results will provide a strong foundation to develop climate adaptation plans based on Indigenous cultural and environmental values. By establishing a leading practice framework for collaborative approaches to Indigenous cultural mapping of Sea Country, it will build capacity to empower Sea Country managers to move towards autonomous management of their country. This outcome will enable Sea Country managers to advocate and leverage their knowledge of country more effectively when engaging with state and corporate structures.

TARL Investigators: Redbird Ferguson, Christian Reepmeyer

Defence POW/MIA Accounting Agency - Grant

$201,001

Summary: DPAA is the US govt organisation tasked with the recovery of the remains of US service people in the post-conflict context. DPAA has a global remit. In PNG, DPAA created a partnership with the PNG National Museum, PNGDF and the led by the UPNG Archaeology Laboratory to undertake some of these investigations. MACR 15077 involves the loss of a B-25D #43-29701. On 5 Oct 1942, the aircraft failed to return from a patrol from Port Moresby to the Oro Bay area after the aircraft was attacked by enemy fighters. The subject aircraft was ?last seen in steep dive toward the water with six Zeros on his tail.? An administrative finding of death has been issued for all seven crewmembers. Investigators have visited and validated Site PP-00299 on several occasions starting in 1944 when an ID bracelet for the pilot of MACR 15077 was found near the wreckage at Soroputa. Subsequent visits to the location in 1986, 2010, 2014, and 2019 confirmed the location and association with MACR 15077.

Project Objectives:

1. Archaeological excavation focused on priority site locations identified during 19-3PG IT-P and reported in 2019 Archaeological Site Survey Report (ASSR).

2. Phase I/Phase II archaeological testing in areas already surveyed to confirm and expand current knowledge regarding site boundaries and density established during the 2019

TARL Investigators: Matthew Leavesley

Australian Research Council - Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities

$1,650,000

Summary: Microanalytical Facility Supporting Resources Development and Manufacturing. The project aims to establish a state-of-the-art electron probe microanalysis facility enabling accurate chemical analysis to be undertaken at the micro-scale. It is expected to provide new knowledge and support applied research on a range of natural, synthetic and processed materials that will deeply impact advancements in the fields of metals processing and recycling, Earth and environmental science, and the development of materials for a healthier society. It will support ARC funded and industry engaged research enhancing the minerals exploration, mining and metallurgical industries and inform sustainable practice. It will also provide the key research infrastructure to enhance Australia’s research leadership in these fields.

TARL Investigators: Paul Dirks, Michael Bird, Sean Ulm

Australian Research Council - Discovery Early Career Researcher Award

$432,953

Summary: The aim of this project is to examine isotopes in the teeth of individuals from three sites in prehistoric central Myanmar to examine diet, the movement and migration of people, and potential patterns in post-marital residence, which are all intricately linked. Built on a strong conceptual framework this project seeks to generate new information in the field of archaeological science. The research outcomes of this project will expand our current archaeological knowledge of this focal but under-researched area, which will be of particular benefit in understanding Myanmar in relation to surrounding regions and the wider Southeast Asian context, and in fostering continued collegiality and collaboration with Myanmar scholars and communities.

TARL Investigators: Dr Anna Willis

Rust Family Foundation - Archaeology Grants Program

$8680

Summary: This project aims to document Indigenous interactions with the fish resources of the northern Great Barrier Reef (Queensland, Australia) over the past 6,500 years. Using novel analyses of archaeological fish remains, this project expects to generate new knowledge on how people’s actions transformed marine systems and modified fish communities. Expected outcomes include a long-term cultural history of the sustainability of Indigenous fisheries practices in the region, and baseline ecological data for the period prior to European occupation.

TARL Investigators: Ariana Lambrides

Australian Research Council - Centres of Excellence

$33,750,000

Summary: This Centre will create a world-class interdisciplinary research programme to understand Australia's unique biodiversity and heritage. The Centre will track the changes to Australia's environment to examine the processes responsible for the changes and the lessons that can be used to continue to adapt to Australia's changing environment. The Centre will support connections between the sciences and humanities and train future generations of researchers to deal with future global challenges and inform policy in an interdisciplinary context.

TARL Investigators: Michael Bird, Sean Ulm, Christian Reepmeyer

Australian Research Council - Discovery Early Career Researcher Award

$444,281

Summary: This project aims to document the role of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in shaping the fish resources of the Great Barrier Reef over millennia. Using novel analyses of archaeological faunal remains, this project expects to generate new knowledge on how people's actions transformed marine systems and modified fish communities. Expected outcomes include establishing pre-European baseline data essential for managing contemporary fish populations, and a long-term perspective on human exploitation of a shifting Great Barrier Reef. Benefits include a framework for integrating Indigenous fisheries management into conservation agendas and foregrounding the deep human history of the Reef to support future social and ecological resilience.

TARL Investigators: Ariana Lambrides

Australian Research Council - Discovery - Projects

$445,850

Summary: This project uses an interdisciplinary approach to examine the biological, cultural and environmental underpinnings of the Polynesian people through a study of their ancient homeland in Tonga. Early Polynesian society developed 2650-2350 years ago, but little is known about the people, their culture and how sea-level fall impacted subsistence and settlement. The proposed study's goal is to fill this gap in human knowledge about our Pacific neighbours using a unique skeletal assemblage, excavated cultural remains and advanced mapping of palaeo-sea-level markers that will enhance the international visibility of Australian research in human-environment systems.

TARL Investigators: Christian Reepmeyer

Australian Research Council - Discovery - Projects

$597,000

Summary: This is a pioneering, multi-disciplinary study of submerged landscape archaeology in Australia designed to investigate the records of the now-submerged Pilbara coast (spanning 50,000 to 7000 years ago). Information from drowned contexts will help address critical debates in Australian prehistory relating to past sea-level rise, population resilience, mobility, and diet. The project integrates cultural and environmental studies and contributes a unique southern hemisphere insight into world prehistory through material analysis and an adaptation of method from the world's only confirmed submarine middens. A suite of cutting edge marine and aerial survey techniques will be developed to investigate physical and cultural submerged landscapes.

TARL Investigators: Sean Ulm

Australian Research Council - Discovery - Projects

$256,000

Summary: In August 2008 the remarkable Malapa fossil site was discovered with remains of the first and only fossils of Australopithecus sediba - a potential direct human ancestor. The fossils are in an exceptional state of preservation, and excavations will start in late 2013, creating a unique opportunity to develop a detailed understanding of the chemical, physical and biological factors that led to burial and fossilisation. This research will focus on the complex interplay between termites, sediment chemistry, landscape conditions and palaeo-climate as contributing factors to fossil preservation. Results will document the environment in which sediba lived and died, and assist future exploration for hominid fossils.

TARL Investigators: Paul Dirks, Eric Roberts

Leakey Foundation - Research Grant

$25,787

Summary: This project will use detrital zircon geochronology to date the Paranthropus boisei and Homo rudolfensis hominin fossils from the northern Malawi Rift. These fossils are remarkable, as they represent a co-occurrence of these two species in southwestern Africa, the meeting point for endemic faunas of both southern and eastern Africa. The location of the fossils in the volcanic East African Rift System is a perfect depositional setting in which to apply detrital zircon geochronology to precisely date P. boisei and H. rudolfensis, to test hypotheses about faunal exchange between the two 'cradles' of humankind, in south and east Africa.

TARL Investigator: Eric Roberts

Australian Research Council - Discovery - Australian Laureate Fellowships

$2,647,521

Summary: This project will produce the first long-term (100,000 year), replicated, high-resolution terrestrial records of environmental change before, during and after the arrival of humans in Australian savannas. These records will be the first in the world to extract, from the same material, independent, cutting-edge organic and isotope geochemical records of changes in water balance, vegetation type and fire activity.

This will enable natural and human drivers of change in northern Australia's climate and biodiversity to be disentangled on two timescales:

(i) millennial - before, during and after Aboriginal arrival in northern Australia and

(ii) centennial - before, during and after European arrival in northern Australia.

TARL Investigators: Michael Bird

Australian Research Council - Discovery - Projects

$472,222

Summary: The project aim is to investigate warfare in the ancient Tongan state through a study of earthwork fortifications. A conflict record for an Archaic state in Oceania that survived for 650 years contributes a new perspective to global research on warfare in complex societies. The effect of conflict is a prominent issue for Australia and long-term records of warfare in our region will improve our understanding of it. Intra-state conflict is the most pressing threat to political stability in Southwest Asia and the Pacific and the project will benefit Australia by showing how changes to political systems are associated with phases of conflict and peace.

TARL Investigators: Christian Reepmeyer

Australian Research Council - Linkage - Projects

$228,000

Summary: This project will document and integrate the natural and cultural values of the Nakanai Caves in East New Britain, Papua New Guinea, in preparation for a cultural landscape World Heritage nomination. Our novel methodology incorporates community knowledge with archaeological and anthropological evidence to link natural and cultural values and define the landscape from local perspectives. Local input into the research will be prioritised. By emphasizing local participation and management of World Heritage listing processes we address an identified gap in World Heritage methodologies. Our approach allows for a subtle, nuanced definition of cultural landscapes under the World Heritage Convention.

TARL Investigators: Susan McIntyre-Tamwoy, Matthew Leavesley

Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation - Access to Major Research Facilities Programme Application for Support

$30,800

Summary: Building on previous AINSE funding, this project aims to determine the contribution of indigenous charcoal carbon to CO2 respired from the charcoal after three years environmental exposure on a tropical rainforest soil surface at the Daintree Rainforest Observatory, Cape Tribulation. The results will unequivocally demonstrate the degree to which the microbial carbon pool contains carbon derived from radiocarbon dead charcoal.

TARL Investigators: Michael Bird

Lane Xang Minerals Limited - MMG - Contract Research

$249,700

Summary: This project is a continuation of an ongoing collaboration, under the terms of an MOU (that is in its 3rd iteration) between JCU, the Lao Dept. of National Heritage and MMG-LXML to conduct archaeological excavations on archaeological sites threatened by modern mining practices. These projects also include an element of training and capacity building with Government staff (at National, Provincial and District levels) and students from the National University of Laos. Finally, the offer an important opportunity for JCU students to gain experience in the industry environment.

TARL Investigators: Nigel Chang

Australian Research Council - Discovery - Future Fellowships

$699,593

Summary: Archaeological and quaternary science in tropical Australasia is heavily reliant on radiocarbon (14C) ages on marine materials. However, radiocarbon ages obtained on marine samples are not directly comparable to contemporaneous terrestrial samples owing to variability in the way 14C is distributed in marine environments (the 'marine reservoir effect'). Marine reservoir effects are highly variable and can introduce uncertainties of up to several hundred years into ages obtained on marine samples, creating a key obstacle for advancing archaeological, sea-level and climate change research. This project establishes a reliable model of marine reservoir effects across tropical Australasia that can

TARL Investigators: Sean Ulm