Take a tour – ten years of CSIRO’s GISERA research 

The CSIRO’s Gas Industry Social and Environmental Research Alliance (GISERA) has conducted socio-economic and environmental research on the impacts of onshore gas development across Australia for the past 10 years. 

To recognise this achievement, GISERA has launched the new interactive Take a Tour web-based experience, which takes visitors on a research journey across Australia.  

Take a Tour highlights the variety of research focus areas and locations, for example, the discovery of a new stygofauna species in Northern Territory groundwater, and using surface water flow maps for improved land use management.  

Take a Tour also includes an introduction from Queensland Chief Scientist Professor Hugh Possingham, and CSIRO’s Dr Peter Mayfield, Executive Director for Environment, Energy and Resources.  

This innovative interactive resource and communication tool provides an engaging experience, and aims to raise awareness of the types of research CSIRO scientists have been conducting on the impacts of gas development across Australia.  

To date, CSIRO scientists have embarked on 79 research projects across Queensland, New South Wales, the Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia. These projects address local communities’ concerns and provide science-based information about issues relating to exploration and development of onshore gas. 

Dr Mayfield said Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, has investigated many potential social, economic and environmental issues that impacted communities have about natural gas extraction in Australia.  

 “Through CSIRO’s Gas Industry Social and Environmental Research Alliance, our researchers have been able to tackle big questions like: What is the impact of gas extraction on groundwater quality and quantity? What is the carbon footprint of coal seam gas extraction? And what are the economic pros and cons of gas extraction activities to local communities.” 

“The purpose of GISERA is to provide high-quality, independent, scientific research and information to communities living in gas development regions. All this public-good research is made available on the GISERA website to everyone with an interest in these matters.” 

Take a Tour is an engaging way to explain some of the social, economic and environmental research that has taken place over the past 10 years. Please take a tour of our world class research and share it with your colleagues and friends.