Understanding faunal responses to climate change and environmental perturbations through the Quaternary in northeastern Australia (2012-2016)

At a time of widespread apprehension over human and climate change impacts on Australian fauna, it has become increasingly important to consider the history of past climatic and environmental fluctuations. This project will use a multidisciplinary approach to produce a reliable geochronological and palaeoecological framework for Quaternary fossil faunal records in northeastern Australia. It will yield objective data required for understanding how prehistoric events shaped the modern biota and for distinguishing climate and human forced impacts on the environment. The data may assist in the development of conservation strategies for our endemic faunas in an era of increased climatic and environmental variability and vulnerability.