MEMBER for Leichhardt Warren Entsch is calling on local research organisations to bid for a share of more than $25 million in annual funding as part of a new National Environmental Science Programme (NESP).

The Programme, managed by the Federal Government’s Department of Environment, builds on the world-class research carried out by the National Environment Research Program (NERP) and the Australian Climate Change Science Programme (ACCSP). It will establish six research hubs around the country to study:

• Threatened Species Recovery ($5.1 million funding);

• Tropical Water Quality ($5.4 million funding);

• Marine Biodiversity ($4.0 million funding);

• Northern Australia Environmental Resources ($4.0 million funding);

• Earth Systems ($5.1 million funding); and

• Clean Air and Urban Landscapes ($1.5 million funding).

Mr Entsch said: “We need to continually improve our understanding of how Australian ecosystems function and thrive. This Programme is about monitoring their health, maintaining and building their resilience, and using them in a sustainable way to protect biodiversity.

“The research hubs funded through the Programme will have a clear mission to develop solutions to some very specific environmental problems such as improving water quality around the Great Barrier Reef, researching the sustainable development of Northern Australia, and managing threatened species,” said Mr Entsch.

Data gathered through the Programme will help the Australian Government make better decisions around environmental management, policy and decision-making both in the short term and for the future.

“Here in Far North Queensland we already have the location, expertise and resources to host one of these hubs, and I’d strongly encourage any local private or public research institutions to apply for the funding,” said Mr Entsch.

Applications close Sunday 5 November 2014, with funding agreements to be signed in December and research projects expected to commence in April 2015.