Towards a centre for intergrated adaption research in the Australian mountains

In July 2015 an Expression of Interest for an Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for High Mountain Adaptation (ARC CoE) was submitted by a consortium of more than 20 universities, industry bodies, GOs and NGOs. Together they made a diverse, multidisciplinary team that included senior scientists in the field, as well as outstanding emerging researchers, international collaborators and world leaders in the field with long‑standing collaborators in Australian Mountain research. Roger Good was a key driver and architect of the bid and, in many ways, it represented a vision he held for many years that no doubt grew from his earliest efforts and experience with the New South Wales Soil Conservation Service.

Though the EOI was not successful in the 2017 round, the research network behind the bid for an ARC CoE for High Mountain Adaptation remains committed to bringing all stakeholders, including managers, regulators and the world’s best researchers, together to deliver adaptation pathways in the High Mountains. Here we describe why such an initiative is critically important in Australia, the legacy on which we have the good fortune to build and what our vision entails.