BRAYSHER MANAGEMENT FUND

Many wildlife management issues are identified as ‘Wicked Problems’ – problems that are difficult or impossible to solve because of social complexity, or contradictory and changing requirements that mean there is no determinable stopping point.  Often, due to complex interdependencies, efforts to solve one aspect of a problem can reveal or create other problems. 

This fund aims to support studies and other initiatives that address practical (rather than theoretical) wildlife management problems where community involvement is fundamental to the success of the programme.  The funding will support projects where community consultation and action are clearly articulated and integral to the outcomes of the project. Examples of suitable projects are listed below.  The Guidelines and principles listed at the bottom of this page will be used to guide the decision of the selection committee.

Award Value

Up to a maximum of $10,000 over two years, with the successful applicant receiving half at the time of receiving the award and the remaining half upon the submission of a suitable 12 month report.

Selection Criteria

The applicant:

1. Must be associated with an institution or organisation involved with wildlife management;
   
2. Must be a financial member of AWMS at the time the application for the grant is submitted;
   
3. Must agree to submit an interim report at 12 months and a final report of no less than 1000 words at 24 months summarising their research project outcomes to the AWMS Committee and for publication in the AWMS newsletter; and
   
4. Must give a presentation on their project outcomes at the AWMS annual conference immediately following the completion of their project.
   

Selection Process

Applicants must complete the online application form and provide a summary of the following (no more than 200 words each):

1. Problem definition - describing the issue, when and how often it occurs, who is involved etc.
   
2. Community integration - how is community engagement and consultation integral to the outcomes of the project and how community stakeholders will be actively involved in achieving  the outcomes of the project
   
3. Evaluation criteria – a plan explaining how outcomes of the project will be evaluated
   
4. A budget – detailing what funding is currently available to the project, how will these additional funds be used to enhance community consultation and action)
   

Applicants will be assessed according to the quality of their applications (written communication, clear goals for the proposed project, and provision of evidence that the project is feasible), and the benefit the program will provide for development of practical solutions for wildlife management through community consultation and action.

Selection Committee

Will be comprised of at least 3 members:

• President of AWMS
  
• At least one, and up to two, experts in the field of community engagement and wildlife management nominated by the President of AWMS
  

The selection committee’s decision will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Conditions of entry

AWMS reserves the right not to award a grant (or grants) in any year if the entries are judged not to reach a minimum standard of quality of application.

Applications open between 1 June - 31 August each year  

Examples of suitable projects/initiatives

• Support for workshops (venue costs, travel) that bring stakeholders together to discuss wildlife management issues.
• Publication costs for collaborative initiatives that address community-led wildlife management issues.
• Travel to enable engagement opportunities with or by community participants.
• Education initiatives.
• Research projects addressing community-led wildlife management issues.

Principles and guidelines for selection of suitable projects/initiatives

The following principles will be used to guide the selection of successful recipients:

The nature of the Wildlife Management (WM) or Natural Resource Management (NRM) issue and the management required will vary with the assessor and their perspective.

Most WD/NRM needs to be planned and undertaken at a landscape-scale, almost always involving several land tenures and different land managers. 

Due to the above two principles:

• All key stakeholders need to be actively engaged and consulted. 
  
• Rarely can the WM/NRM issue be addressed with a single or a relatively simple action. Invariably several factors need to considered and managed in concert.
  
• WM/NRM needs to focus on the desired outcome, in the case of pests, the reduction in damage, not just killing pests.
  
• A whole of system approach is required.
  
• Most WM/NRM occurs in ecosystems in which our knowledge is imperfect; hence an effective monitoring and evaluation strategy is essential for all management interventions.