About

Dr Norman Duke (MSc, PhD) is a mangrove ecologist of more than 40 years standing, a specialist in global mangrove floristics, biogeography, climate change adaptation, vegetation mapping, pollution and coastal habitat condition assessment.  Before coming to JCU, he gained experience at the University of Queensland, the Australian Institute of Marine Science, and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama.

Norm currently leads an active research group on marine tidal wetlands at JCU's TropWATER Centre. He conducts research projects and advises on effective management and mitigation of disturbed and damaged tidal wetland ecosystems. He has published more than 200 articles and technical reports, including his authoritative book, ‘Australia’s Mangroves’ published in 2006 and apps from 2013 onwards.

Norm heads the JCU Mangrove Hub, and MangroveWatch Ltd, a not-for-profit company with a community science partnership program, delivering exciting outreach initiatives for effective monitoring and assessment of healthy mangroves and saltmarsh tidal wetlands.    

PHONE NUMBER (late 2017): 04 3919 1952

Interests
Research
  • mangrove floristics
  • biogeography
  • climate change adaptation
  • vegetation mapping
  • wetland pollution
  • coastal habitats
Research Disciplines
Publications

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU. Hover over Altmetrics badges to see social impact.

Journal Articles
Book Chapters
Current Funding

Current and recent Research Funding to JCU is shown by funding source and project.

Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources - Business Research and Innovation Initiative

Carbon capture and dissemination amongst mangrove forests.

Indicative Funding
$64,799
Summary
The aim of this project is to provide the Department, including its specified experts and consultants, with key unpublished and published field data collected by Dr Duke and MangroveWatch - based on broadly defined parameters for carbon capture and dissemination amongst mangrove forests. These data have been gathered over three decades and relate to the significant mangrove ecosystem.
Investigators
Norman Duke (TropWATER)
Keywords
Mangrove forests; Carbon capture; Carbon dissemination

Department of the Environment and Energy - National Environmental Science Programme (NESP) - Northern Australia Environmental Resources Hub

Mangrove Dieback in the Gulf of Carpentaria

Indicative Funding
$200,000 over 4 years
Summary
Landsat and on-ground analysis showed that 7,400 hectares of mangrove forest along a 1,000km long front of the southern Gulf of Carpentaria coastline (from Karumba in the east to Limmen River in the west) suffered dieback over a relatively short and synchronous time period around November 2015. This is the largest event of natural dieback of mangroves ever recorded in the world. This project will provide a survey, description and analysis of the extent and patterns of the dieback across its range. The assessment will include mangrove assessment and monitoring methods, as well as providing recommendations for recovery, potential intervention, future monitoring and further studies.
Investigators
Norman Duke, Damien Burrows and Jock Mackenzie (TropWATER)
Keywords
Mangrove; Climate Change; Dieback; Sea Level; Gulf of Carpentaria; El Nino

Gladstone Ports Corporation Ltd - Contract Research

Monitoring Survival and Recovery of Shorelines

Indicative Funding
$450,000 over 6 years
Summary
This project is to assess and monitor the health of tidal wetlands (mangroves, salt marsh and saltpans) in the Port Curtis and Port Alma areas. These Port locations have been subject to dredging and other activities associated with intensive port infrastructure development. The project will provide a baseline against which future changes can be referenced. It will include high resolution and NDVI mapping of tidal wetlands, shoreline condition assessment using oblique aerial image acquisition and boast-based horizontal image acq1uisition as well the establishment of public entry data and image access portals to display the results of this mapping. The use of community and in particular indigenous Australian rangers will also be incorporated into the field components of this project.
Investigators
Norman Duke in collaboration with Damien Burrows and Jock McKenzie (TropWATER)
Keywords
Mangroves; Port Curtis; Port Alma; Shoreline Mapping; Gladstone Port; Salt Pans

Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment - National Environment Science Program (NESP) - Total Water Quality (TWQ)

Influencing agriculture practice behaviour change and trust frameworks.

Indicative Funding
$13,500 over 1 year (administered by Reef & Rainforest Research Centre)
Summary
The ecologically-determined water quality improvement targets for the Great Barrier Reef can only be met with significant improvement in farm management practices. Numerous programs over many years, utilising a variety of approaches, have worked with land managers and representative farmer groups, seeking to achieve high levels of uptake of recommended farming practices. However, these have only met with low-moderate success. There has been significant work encouraging and facilitating behaviour and practice change in recent years, including through, but certainly not limited to, the NESP TWQ Hub. Programs encouraging behaviour and practice change are set to remain a feature of contemporary reef funding programs. Thus it is timely to coordinate a synthesis of learnings in this domain. Increasing understanding of, and improving trust frameworks and behaviour change of land managers will lead to improved water quality to the Great Barrier Reef. Understanding the impetus, benefits and barriers of behaviour change for agricultural practice is a large step in improving water quality to the Great Barrier Reef.
Investigators
Suzanne Long, Rachel Hay, Aaron Davis, Allan Dale, Norman Duke, Bruce Taylor, Marie Vitelli and Julie Carmody in collaboration with Damien Burrows, Peter Thorburn and Jim Smart (Reef and Rainforest Research Centre, College of Business, Law & Governance, TropWATER, Cairns Institute, Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organisation, College of Science & Engineering and Griffith University)
Keywords
Farming; Agriculture; Behaviour Change; Best practice; Culture

Department of the Environment and Energy - National Environmental Science Program (NESP) - Tropical Water Quality Hub (TWQ Hub)

Assessing the Gulf of Carpentaria mangrove dieback

Indicative Funding
$200,000 over 2 years
Summary
In early 2016, extensive dieback of mangrove forests was recorded along the southern and western Gulf of Carpentaria coastline. Landsat analysis suggests that 7,400 hectares of mangrove forest suffered dieback over a relatively short and synchronous time period around November, 2015, along a >1,000km wide front from Karumba in the east to Limmen River in the west. Recent field visits to a limited range of affected sites suggest that a relatively low percentage of trees have recovered and most are dying/dead. This is the largest event of natural dieback of mangroves ever recorded in the world. This project will provide a survey, description and analysis of the extent of the dieback across its range, as well as examining patterns of dieback. The assessment will include training and participation of local Indigenous ranger groups in mangrove assessment and monitoring methods, as well as providing recommendations for recovery, potential intervention, future monitoring and further studies. A synthesis workshop will also be held to present the findings of the assessment to a wide audience.
Investigators
Norman Duke in collaboration with Jock Mackenzie (TropWATER)
Keywords
mangroves; Monitoring; Dieback; Northern Territory; Gulf of Carpentaria; remote shorelines

Fitzroy Basin Association - Contract Research

Scoring mangrove indicators for the 2019 Gladstone Harbour Report Card

Indicative Funding
$30,182
Summary
This 2019 program extends from that in 2018. As before, a wide range of expertise will be used in this environmental management project in the PCPA TUMRA Indigenous Protected Area. This evaluates the multiple threatened marine coastal ecosystems of this Central Queensland region, specifically for each of the 13 zone sub-area zones of the GHHP study area. The program engages JCU tidal wetland science specialists for the better management of shoreline environmental values by reporting of 3 mangrove condition indicators for the 2019 GHHP report card.;
Investigators
Norman Duke in collaboration with Jock Mackenzie (TropWATER)
Keywords
Gladstone Harbour; environmental impacts; mangrove monitoring; Ecosystem Health

Department of the Environment and Energy - National Environmental Science Program (NESP) - Tropical Water Quality Hub (TWQ Hub)

Working with traditional owners and local citizens to better manage GBR estuarine wetlands

Indicative Funding
$450,000 over 3 years
Summary
Traditional Owner rangers and local citizens of the Port Curtis Coral Coast (PCCC) TUMRA will be engaged in developing a Mangrove Management Plan (MMP) that provides a strategic basis for estuarine repair activity and maximises water quality outcomes in the southern GBR. Development of this MMP will build capacity within the Gidarjil Development Corporation (GCD) and local community to undertake scientifically-rigorous, ecological monitoring and assessment. These management and rehabilitation strategies will protect sea country resources through partnerships between community, scientists and NRM agencies. The MMP will enable rangers and citizen scientists to conduct scientifically valid surveys of estuarine monitoring, management and rehabilitation within the PCCC TUMRA area.
Investigators
Norman Duke and John MacKenzie in collaboration with John Kovacs, Jock Brockhurst, Sue Sargent and Shannon Van Nunen (TropWATER, Nipissing University, Gidarjil Development Corporation, Burnett Mary Regional Group for Natural Resource Management Ltd and Fitzroy Basin Association)
Keywords
Indigenous Ranger training; ecosystems reponding to climate change; estuarine environment monitoring; rehabilitation implementation; mangrove management guidelines; natural resource cultural values

Fitzroy Basin Association - Contract Research

Mangrove Indicators Report Card

Indicative Funding
$57,744
Summary
Our program will engage tidal wetland scientist specialists, for the better management of shoreline environmental values in the Port Curtis region of Central Queensland. This will be achieved through the implementation of an integrated monitoring and archiving program, bringing together the research remote sensing, and teaching skills of highly specialized mangrove tidal wetland scientists from James Cook University. The integrated project will help identify indicator and reporting options based on the thorough and current assessments of estuarine and coastal shorelines, for future on-ground assessments of habitat condition, biodiversity conservation and landscape scale connectivity of shoreline vegetation communities based on the GHHp tender document. Future planned consultation with GHHP and other stakeholders will ensure a robust and lasting outcome.
Investigators
Norman Duke in collaboration with John MacKenzie (TropWATER)
Keywords
Gladstone Harbour; Environmental Impact; Mangrove monitoring; Port Curtis

Earthwatch Institute Australia - Contract Research

The Daintree's Hidden Coastline

Indicative Funding
$11,755 over 1 year
Summary
This project involves community engagement in the monitoring and assessments of shoreline condition in the Daintree River estuary in North Queensland. The participants will work with JCU scientists to conduct shoreline evaluations and field surveys of forest mangrove forest biomass. These measures will identify the condition of tidal wetland habitat, the factors causing change, and the health of this major Wet Tropics river.
Investigators
Norman Duke and Jock Mackenzie (TropWATER)
Keywords
Mangrove habitat; Ecology; Community Science; Biomass; Education

QLD Department of Environment and Science - Advance Queensland Engaging Science Grants

Carbon sequestration value of mangroves

Indicative Funding
$3,600 over 1 year (administered by Mackay Christian College)
Summary
This project involves a field and laboratory investigation by Mackay Christian College Grade 11 students of the carbon storage potential of mangrove environments in the Pioneer River and Mackay region. Based on field sites established by Dr Duke around 15 years ago associated with an incident of severe mangrove dieback, the Senior Biology class students will collect and assess data from water sampling, field quadrates and laboratory samples. The sampling design will focus on carbon acquisition and changes over time. Some focus will also include a review of the current status of previously damaged mangrove strands. During the project, community stakeholders from local and state government plus educational and environmental conservation groups will be involved and informed as the project develops.
Investigators
Norman Duke (TropWATER)
Keywords
Mangrove habitat; carbon; ecology; Community science; education; biomass

Territory Natural Resource Management - Contract Research

Mangrove Watch NT Pilot Project

Indicative Funding
$31,600 over 1 year
Summary
The li-Anthawirriyarra, Numbulwar and Yugul Mangi Rangers will participate in the pilot MangroveWatch project in the Northern Territory (Gulf of Carpentaria), in Collaboration with James Cook University and the Territory Natural Resource Management group (TNRM). The Rangers will undertake 2 days of training in the MangroveWatch monitoring methodology and another 2 days of supervised shoreline monitoring assessment in the Gulf of Carpentaria region in early Sept 2017. After this, the Rangers will conduct independent surveys using this training until June 2018. Data collected by the Rangers with be assessed and reported on by the TropWATER scientist partners who will give appropriate feedback to the TNRM and the Ranger groups on the health and condition of shoreline ecosystems in the south-western Gulf region. It is of note that this region was heavily impacted with extensive mangrove dieback in late 2015 as a result of extreme climatic conditions.
Investigators
Norman Duke and Jock Mackenzie in collaboration with Tida Nou (TropWATER and Territory Natural Resource Management)
Keywords
Mangroves; Estuaries; Shorelines; Health monitoring surveys; Traditional owner rangers; Gulf of Carpentaria

Department of the Environment and Energy - Contract Research

2017 Eastern Cape York Shoreline Environmental Surveys

Indicative Funding
$100,000 over 1 year
Summary
The aim of this project is to conduct shoreline surveys along Australia's east coast from Cairns to Cape York during 2017. These works will involve a number of activities focused on monitoring the character and condition of shoreline habitats and estuaries, as well as partnering with local indigenous custodians, filming in aerial surveys plus field investigations and mapping. This work compliments extent mapping undertaken by the Qld Herbarium in that both extent and condition are required to assess the status of mangrove ecosystems. This project will evaluate and combine spatial and condition monitoring coupled with identification of drivers of change for all key instances of change.
Investigators
Norman Duke and John MacKenzie in collaboration with Damien Burrows (TropWATER)
Keywords
Shorelines; Estuaries; Titdal Wetlands; Mangroves; Coastline; Evaluation
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These Higher Degree Research projects are either current or by students who have completed their studies within the past 5 years at JCU. Linked titles show theses available within ResearchOnline@JCU.

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The map shows research collaborations by institution from the past 7 years.
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  • 5+ collaborations
  • 4 collaborations
  • 3 collaborations
  • 2 collaborations
  • 1 collaboration
  • Indicates the Tropics (Torrid Zone)

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