NATURE CONSERVATION

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (15:05): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Environment and Conservation a question about nature conservation.

Leave granted.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: As you are undoubtedly aware, Mr President, South Australia is home to some of the most interesting plants, animals and invertebrates and some of the most fetching fungi in the world. Each is (or used to be) a valuable part of a carefully balanced ecosystem that has evolved over millions of years.

In the past 200 years, this very closely interrelated environment has been changed at perhaps a greater rate than ever before. Will the minister inform the council of recent efforts to improve our understanding of the South Australian environment for better management in the future?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Environment and Conservation, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister Assisting the Minister for Health) (15:08): I am pleased to inform the council that this government recently invested $150,000 in important wildlife conservation projects. We have put a lot in place to help us preserve South Australia's biodiversity, so it was with great pleasure that recently I was able to announce the $150,000 in annual grants for local researchers to carry out vital studies into how we can achieve these goals. More than half the money from these annual grants will go to local universities and the SA Museum to help fund projects including studies on the reproductive habits of the threatened pelagic sharks in southern Australia. As the old saying goes, knowledge is power, and in these cases better understanding of the natural environment will give us the power to act responsibly and to conserve these fragile ecosystems.

I am pleased to announce that the Nature Foundation of SA is actively involved in these grants, topping up several of the projects to the tune of almost $9,000, and we can all appreciate the value of this contribution not only to research projects but in terms of building valuable partnerships between this government and the Nature Foundation. Some of the successful recipients include: Dr Simon Goldsworthy, awarded $10,000 to study pup production by the Australian sea lion at Dangerous Reef; Pamela Catcheside, awarded just over $4,600 to study the larger fungi in Flinders Chase National Park; Dr Dan Harley and Chris Davey to share $7,800 to study the recovery of the bush stone-curlew population in South Eastern SA; Dr Peter McQuillan received $5,720 to study the needs of South Australia's geometrid moths; Dr Daniel Rogers and Dr David Paton, recipients of nearly $5,600 to study the foraging ecology of the breeding fairy tern in the Coorong; and Dr Terry Bertozzi and Michael Hammer, awarded just over $6,000 to study the diversity and distribution of gobies in South Australia and the identification of exotic, endemic and translocated species. The last project is an excellent example of the work being carried out.

For the benefit of members of the council, gobies are an excellent example of a hardy local species. They are one of the largest families of fish and include mudskippers. They have adapted to surviving for extended periods on land through a combination of behavioural and physiological adaptions, including pectoral fins that act as simple legs. Many have the ability to breathe through their skin, as do frogs, and they can live in damp burrows to avoid drying out.

Understanding a survivor like the goby could be a key to many other ecological questions we face today. These are vital research projects that help contribute to South Australia's long-term sustainability. By understanding the world around us we can work in harmony with nature and help preserve the unique and fragile ecosystems that make South Australia such a diverse and beautiful state.