Overview

Current activities

The Climate Adaptation Flagship brings together experts from across CSIRO and builds partnerships with research and industry groups around Australia and overseas to tackle the complex challenges involved in adapting to life in a changing climate.

As Flagship Director, Dr Andrew Ash is responsible for deciding research priorities, overseeing a large portfolio of research projects and managing many partnerships and collaborations.

Dr Ash gives regular talks and presentations to raise awareness of the need to adapt to unavoidable climate change among government agencies, businesses and communities.

As part of his role, he seeks to inform stakeholders about the methods, options and approaches available to reduce the negative impacts of climate change and identify any emerging opportunities.

Dr Andrew Ash – Director, CSIRO Climate Adaptation Flagship
2012 Climate Adaptation conference [transcript].

Background

Dr Ash has over 20 years' experience in understanding how climate, grazing and fire influence the productivity and health of agriculture and ecosystems in northern Australia.

His research on sustainable grazing practices in the highly variable climate of the Australian rangelands prompted an interest in the techniques of seasonal climate forecasting. This led him to develop and apply ocean-based seasonal forecasting methods for both agricultural and natural resource management.

With concerns increasing about the impacts of climate change on ecosystems, Dr Ash worked with colleagues at James Cook University to establish Australia's first Free Air Carbon Dioxide Enrichment experiment (OZFACE) to test the response of tropical savanna ecosystems to elevated levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

His most recent work has been on developing ways to more explicitly integrate our understanding of climate science with decision-making in broader contexts. To achieve this outcome Dr Ash has been driving a research approach that integrates biophysical, social and economic sciences and works in partnership with end users.

Before taking on the current role of Flagship Director, Dr Ash was Deputy Chief for CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems (now Ecosystem Sciences). 

Academic qualifications

Dr Ash has been awarded a:

• Bachelor of Agricultural Science with Honours from the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia in 1980
• Doctor of Philosophy also from University of Queensland in 1986
• Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors in 2003.

Achievements

Dr Ash has been invited as a keynote speaker at numerous national and international conferences. He is the author of about 100 scientific papers.

He is currently:

• Member of the Australian Rangeland Society
• Associate Editor of The Rangeland Journal
• Member of the Ecological Society of Australia
• Member of Churchill Fellows Association
• Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors
• Board Member for GreenCross Australia
• Chair of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation Solutions and Adaptations Working Group
• Board Member of Greening Australia (Qld)
• Member of GBRMPA Environment Advisory Committee
• Member, Advisory Board, Victorian Centre for Climate Change Adaptation Research
• Member, Board for the WA Indian Ocean Climate Initiative 
• Member, Climate Futures Report Expert Group (appointed by the Commonwealth Minister for Climate Change)
• Member of the Continuing Committee of the International Rangeland Congress.

Dr Ash has received a number of awards including the:

• Churchill Fellowship in 1995
• Edwin Tooth PhD Scholarship, 1983–86
• AF Bell Memorial Medal from the Australian Institute of Agricultural Science in 1980.

Read more about CSIRO's Climate Adaptation Flagship.

---

Video transcript:
Dr Andrew Ash, Director, CSIRO Climate Adaptation Flagship
2012 Climate Adaptation Conference

‘My name’s Andrew Ash. I’ve got the great pleasure and privilege of being the Director of CSIRO’S Climate Adaptation Flagship. So that brings me into contact with a whole range of issues associated with adaptation, whether it be with local government and the challenges they’ve got, or with people on the land and in agriculture, or even some of the fundamental issues of how we get climate information out to different communities and industries.

So I try to bring together and put together a strategic program in climate adaptation research that hopefully will deliver benefits to Australia -and not just Australia – we’re working with people in our region. Our program’s been going for about four years now and we’re starting to deliver some good stuff.’