Research cooperation needed to overcome agricultural limits to Australian
lifestyle
23 October 2009
Projections of a 60 per cent increase in Australia’s population by 2050 will see an extra 13 million
Australians consuming resources, including agricultural resources, in a country with finite carrying
capacities.
An Australian Academy of Science Think Tank has found that a practical disconnect between the
work of social scientists and natural scientists is a major impediment to solving the challenges
posed by increased population.
Concern was expressed that today’s predictions of 35m people in Australia by 2050 will have
significant consequences for our ecosystems, biodiversity and quality of life unless crucial
planning and management actions are taken.
Australia’s agricultural research history demonstrates that we have the capacity to lead the way,
as evidenced in the advances made in dry-land farming which we have shared with the world
However, there was clear recognition that there are physical, chemical and biological limits to
maintaining the lifestyle we are accustomed to in circumstances of climate variability and
population growth.
‘By working more closely together we can improve our understanding of complex systems and
the accuracy of the models that are used to form the basis for our decision making, and inform
our actions, in regard to climate change, food security and population growth’, Academy
President Kurt Lambeck said.
‘A ‘big Australia’ will only be sustainable if natural and social scientists undertake collaborative
work hitherto unseen in Australia to anticipate and solve problems through research.’
The Think Tank brought together early- to mid-career researchers to examine the topic
Agricultural Productivity and Changing Climate and was convened by the Australian Academy of
Science with the support of the UK Royal Society’s Theo Murphy (Australia) Fund.
Participants from a diverse range of disciplines, including geographers, economists, social
scientists, soil ecologists, environmental scientists, agronomists, aquaculturalists, geneticists,
modellers and systems analysts, reviewed current research findings and identified a number of
gaps, as well as a need for better integration of data.
Media contact: Science Policy Manager, Martin Callinan 0417 209 425
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