Keynote Address 4: Waste hotspots, transport mechanisms and policy responses
| Thursday, May 4, 2017 |
| 8:50 AM - 9:10 AM |
| Ballroom |
Overview
Chris Wilcox, Principal Research Scientist, CSIRO
Details
The CSIRO Marine Debris team has recently completed two major projects investigating large scale patterns of litter and marine debris. We utilized Keep Australia Beautiful, Clean Up Australia, and the CSIRO Australian Marine Debris Database data to investigate patterns in Australia, and the NOAA Marine Debris Database and the International Coastal Cleanup data for the United States. Across these two major analysis efforts we attempted to answer 3 questions: 1) are there hotspots for plastic waste in the environment and can we identify key drivers, 2) what is the importance of the different transport mechanisms (runoff, wind, human deposition) moving this waste into the ocean, 3) is there evidence that policy options like CDS affect the debris load in the environment? The team was able to use statistical and physical models to answer all three of these questions, concluding that waste accumulates in predictable locations, there are clear transport routes, and policy responses can result in major reductions in pollution. Dr. Wilcox will present the outcomes and conclusions from these two efforts, and discuss future directions for monitoring and evaluation in Australia.
Speaker
Dr Chris Wilcox
Principal Research Scientist
CSIRO
Waste hotspots, transport mechanisms and policy responses – conclusions from analysis of continental scale data in Australia and the United States
8:50 AM - 9:10 AMBiography
Chris Wilcox is a research scientist with CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, stationed in Hobart, Tasmania. His research covers a wide range of topics in population management including control of invasive species, conservation of threatened biodiversity, and management of commercial and recreational harvesting. His work integrates field data, statistical analysis and predictive models to synthesize information to support decision-making. He has worked with NGOs, government and private enterprise over a 23-year career as a professional biologist to develop cost effective solutions to natural resource management problems. Originally from the USA, he has a Masters degree and a Ph.D. in ecology and conservation biology. He has been in Australia for 10 years, first working in the Great Artesian Basin on effects of groundwater withdrawal by mining on wetlands. Since coming to CSIRO in 2005, his research has included biodiversity offsets, population estimation, analysis of satellite tracking data, optimization of feral eradication, management of fisheries, reserve design and management. He currently co-leads two large research programs, focused on the ecological impacts of marine debris and the development of analytical tools for tackling illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.
Chairperson
Gayle Sloan
CEO
Waste Management & Resource Recovery Association Australia
