WABSI starts with the issue, not the research.
We work with the people making decisions about Western Australia’s terrestrial biodiversity to understand what knowledge they need, where critical gaps exist and where better evidence could make a difference.
From there, we develop, coordinate and enable prioritised research programs that connect independent science with policy, industry and investment.
Turning biodiversity knowledge needs into research that supports decisions.
WABSI is an independent collaboration mechanism. We bring together the people who need knowledge with the expertise and capability needed to generate it.
Our role is to identify and prioritise strategic biodiversity knowledge gaps, coordinate research across our partners and enable collaboration that might not otherwise happen.
This means WABSI is not primarily about presenting what research exists. It is about understanding why research is needed, who needs the knowledge, what should be prioritised and how the resulting evidence can be used.
The outcome is a more connected and targeted approach to biodiversity science – strengthening Western Australia’s capability to manage environmental change and impacts while supporting sustainable economic growth.
Why WABSI exists.
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Our vision
To bring together diverse knowledge to protect and conserve Western Australia’s unique biodiversity.
We want Western Australia to have the knowledge, capability and connections needed to make confident decisions about its unique terrestrial biodiversity.
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Our purpose
To facilitate collaboration for identifying and addressing strategic biodiversity knowledge priorities for a sustainable future
WABSI works with industry, government, regulators, researchers and the community to understand the challenges they face and the knowledge needed to address them. We then help turn those needs into prioritised research programs, bringing together the right expertise, partnerships and investment to address critical gaps.
From issue to evidence to impact.
WABSI's approach connects the different stages of the research-to-impact pathway.
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Identify the issue
We work with the people making decisions about biodiversity to understand the challenges they face and where better evidence is needed.
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Identify the knowledge gap
We examine what is already known, what remains uncertain and where additional knowledge could make a meaningful difference.
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Prioritise the research
We help turn knowledge gaps into clear research priorities, directing effort and investment towards the issues that matter most.
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Bring the right people together
We connect research expertise across our partners and networks, enabling multidisciplinary and multi-institutional collaboration around shared priorities.
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Enable research and translation
We coordinate and enable research programs while working with end users to ensure findings can be translated into the evidence, tools, standards, data and guidance they need.
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Support better decisions
The goal is knowledge that can be used to strengthen evidence-based decision-making and contribute to measurable environmental, economic and social outcomes.
We focus on why research is needed, not simply what research exists.
WABSI's role is different from a conventional research organisation. We do not start with a portfolio of research and look for where it might be applied. We start with the issue facing the people making decisions about biodiversity, identify the knowledge needed, and build the research response around that need. Our independence allows us to work across research institutions, government, industry and other stakeholders. Our coordination role brings expertise and investment together around shared priorities. And our focus on translation keeps the pathway to application in view from the outset.
Issue-led
We start with the issue, not the research. Research priorities are grounded in the challenges and decisions facing Western Australia’s biodiversity end users.
Independent
We connect expertise across organisational boundaries. WABSI can bring together research capability, government, industry and other stakeholders around shared priorities.
Prioritised
We focus research effort where it can make a difference. We identify where critical knowledge gaps exist and help direct research and investment towards the priorities that matter most.
Collaborative
We enable the right people to work together. Our model connects disciplines, institutions and end users to tackle complex biodiversity issues that cannot be addressed by one organisation alone.
Translation-focused
We consider how knowledge will be used. Research is connected to the decisions, policies, practices, tools and investments it is intended to inform.
Connecting independent science with the decisions that shape our future.
Western Australia has significant biodiversity science capability. WABSI’s role is to help connect that capability to the issues where it is needed most.
By linking knowledge needs with independent science, policy, industry and investment, WABSI helps create a stronger pathway from research to evidence-based decision-making, economic opportunity and measurable environmental outcomes.
This strengthens the state’s capability to respond to environmental change and impacts while supporting sustainable economic growth.
Explore our programs to understand:
The issue
What challenge or decision created the need for better knowledge.
The knowledge gap
What is not yet known or understood.
The research response
What WABSI and its partners are doing to address it.
The approach
How research is being coordinated and delivered.
The outputs
What the research is producing.
The pathway to impact
How knowledge is being translated into decisions, practice and outcomes.
Every WABSI program starts with a knowledge need.
Each follows a different path to impact.