FT170100004 Impacts of global environmental change on biodiversity of tropical savannas

The project aims to predict the biodiversity consequences of a global trend of increasing woody cover in tropical savannas, believed to be driven by a combination of elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration, climate change and management actions including fire suppression and cattle grazing. Expected outcomes are: (1) the integration of a range of modelling approaches to predict long-term impacts of environmental change on savanna biodiversity; and (2) the identification of land-use and management strategies to best mitigate these impacts. Likely benefits are an improved understanding of trade-offs between alternative land-uses in the savannas, including biodiversity conservation, fire management for carbon credits, and cattle grazing.