Research Thesis Topic
Tracking animal welfare in rangeland grazing systems under climate variability: smart ear tags and managing for resilience
Climate extremes (heatwaves, flash drought, intense rainfall, flooding, windchill and combinations of these) represent significant risks to rangeland grazing enterprises and, critically, the welfare of the animals on which these depend, as highlighted by the significant stock losses in Queensland’s southern Gulf region in February 2019. Building climate risk resilience in northern Australian grazing lands requires significant improvement in the ability to monitor the welfare of animals, remotely (given large property sizes) and in real time; the integration of these data into adaptive and agile decision-making systems based on risk; and enhanced adoption of better management approaches in the face of increasing climate variability and extremes. The Ceres smart ear tag is a ‘direct to satellite livestock information platform’ that enables the health and welfare as well as GPS location of individual animals to be remotely monitored. This project will work with data from case study properties implementing this cutting-edge technology to explore its potential to improve animal welfare and enterprise resilience.
The successful student will work with a team of researchers under the industry funded Northern Australian Climate Program. There is also potential for a part/full stipend funded through the program.
Potential research students interested in developing a project proposal in this field are invited to contact us to discuss their ideas.
- Institute for Agriculture and the Environment
- International Centre for Applied Climate Sciences
- Agriculture, Land and Farm Management
- Environmental Science and Management
- Doctor of Philosophy (DPHD)
- Master of Research (MRES)
Please review the admission requirements for the academic program associated with this Thesis Topic