A target to reduce phosphorus (P) flows into the Gippsland Lakes in south-eastern Australia by 40% in order to improve water quality has previously been established by stakeholders. This target has been set mostly on the basis of environmental concerns, with limited consideration of issues such as technical feasibility, socio-economic constraints, political factors and associated costs and benefits. An integrated analysis […]
How different are insights based on cross-sectional (snap-shot) studies from those of longitudinal (over time) investigations? This analysis addressed this question using a detailed case study from the montane ash eucalypt forests of the Central Highlands of Victoria. It encompasses a rare suite of inter-connected cross-sectional and longitudinal investigations that have spanned the past two decades and included work on: (1) […]
In this paper we describe two aspects of the reproductive ecology of an invasive pine (Pinus nigra) in New Zealand – the distribution of fecundity within a population and the timing of seed release. By distribution of fecundity we mean how many cones each tree produced each year. Typically, plant populations have right skewed distributions of fecundity. This means […]
Modelling climate change impacts on koala food The koala is in decline across much of its stronghold range in Queensland and New South Wales. What is its likely future given current trends? We recently modelled the shifts in the distribution and potential future overlaps of the koala and five of its key eucalypt food trees under projected changes in […]
The Macquarie Island Rabbit and Rodent Eradication Project Macquarie Island offers a good example that effective island conservation makes for an excellent return on investment. Here Justine Shaw (NERP, Uni of Queensland) and Keith Springer (Eradication Project Manager, Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service) describe what’s being achieved. The largest effort to eradicate rabbits and rodents from an island […]
Why investment in island conservation yields big dividends Earlier this year three EDG researchers, Justine, Michael and Kate, attended the Island Arks II symposium in Canberra to discuss a wide variety of topics relating to conservation investment in Australia’s islands. Here are some notes on what was discussed. Justine and Kate are based at EDG’s University of Queensland’s node […]
A world-first assessment of Australian birds is ringing warning bells For the first time an authoritative analysis has been undertaken of the status of Australian birds and it shows they are in decline – in some groups, that decline is faster than elsewhere in the world. Led by Dr Judit Szabo from Charles Darwin University, the analysis reports on […]
Fishing limits and responding to climate change Managing fished species to ensure fisheries are sustainable in the long-term requires constant updating of catch limits. But there are often delays between receiving scientific advice to lower catch limits and the actual implementation of those limits. Of course, fishers want to keep short-term catches as high as possible to maximise profitability. But […]
What next for the Stock Route network? Eastern Australia stands to possibly lose one of its greatest environmental and heritage assets, and many of us are not even aware of it. Stock Routes and Reserves have been a feature of the Australian landscape since the mid-1800’s, and are now most prominent throughout New South Wales and Queensland. For those […]