Adaptive Management (AM) is widely advocated as an approach to dealing with uncertainty in natural resource management as it provides an explicit framework for motivating, designing and interpreting the results of monitoring. One of the major factors impeding implementation is the failure to use appropriate process models; a core element of AM. Process models represent beliefs about the properties and […]
The researchers in this study examined the conservation value of different kinds of revegetation through a comparative study of birds in 193 sites surveyed over ten years in four growth types located in semi-cleared agricultural areas of south-eastern Australia. These growth types were resprout regrowth, seedling regrowth, plantings, and old growth. Their investigation produced several key findings: (1) Marked differences in […]
The outcome of human-mediated introductions is affected by the invasiveness of species and invasibility of ecosystems. Research has primarily focused on invasive species; ecosystem invasibility has received much less attention. A prerequisite for characterizing invasibility is the ability to compare levels of invasion across ecosystems. In this paper, the researchers aim to identify the best way to quantify the level […]
You’ve seen the CERF, now read the book There once was a CERF (Commonwealth Environment Research Facility) called Landscape Logic. It was a close cousin of AEDA (Applied Environmental Decision Analysis, another CERF Hub and the group that preceded the EDG). And AEDA and Landscape Logic had much in common, sharing some researchers and the overarching goal of better environmental […]
Good data and effective decisions on cassowary conservation Having survived eons of environmental change, the southern cassowary of northern Queensland (Casuarius casuarius johnsonii) is now in crisis. What’s more, everyone is at odds on how to fix the problem. New research involving satellite tracking and conservation planning, however, is suggesting a way forward. The problem for the southern cassowary […]
A shark in the water is worth (way) more than two fins in a soup In 2009 the government of Palau created a shark sanctuary in its surrounding waters. This was in recognition of the perceived importance of the shark diving industry to the economy of the small Indo-Pacific nation. But just how much value comes from diving with […]
Using environmental economics to justify conservation action in the Kimberley The need to prioritise conservation action is now widely acknowledged. Defensible and rigorous frameworks are being called upon to direct conservation investment. Many of these frameworks consider the costs of conservation projects, so that costs can be weighed up against environmental outcomes, and competing projects can be prioritised. This is a […]
The parrot hangs on but we’ve lost the bat Failure to act quickly on evidence of rapid population decline has led to the first mammal extinction in Australia in the last 50 years, the Christmas Island pipistrelle (Pipistrellus murrayi). The fate of another iconic species, the migratory orange-bellied parrot (Neophema chrysogaster), monitored intensively for over 20 years, hangs in the […]
Reflections on the TEEB Conference Earlier this year, three researchers from the EDG node at The University of Queensland – Megan Evans, Liz Law and Azusa Makino – attended The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) Conference, held at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Leipzig, Germany. Here are Megan’s reflections on the experience. Many people working in […]