Sea level rise is expected to impact on the habitats of many shore birds. A new analysis is suggesting the impacts may be worse than previously expected for migratory shore species. Habitat loss is widely used as a measurement of the risk of extinction, but because many coastal species are migratory, the impact of habitat loss to sea level […]
When planting forests to offset carbon emissions, is it best to go with monocultures or a mix of species? Kris Hulvey and colleagues compiled and analysed data from existing forest studies to compare carbon storage in mixed tree plantings to carbon storage in monoculture plantings. They found that mixtures of tree species stored at least as much carbon as monoculture […]
Introducing species to areas outside their historical range to secure their future under climate change is a controversial strategy for preventing extinction. While the debate over the wisdom of this strategy continues, such introductions are already taking place. Previous frameworks for analysing the decision to introduce have lacked a quantifiable management objective and mathematically rigorous problem formulation. Tracy Rout and colleagues […]
Koala genetic connectivity is driven by the ghost of landscapes past. Koala genetic connectivity is driven by the ghost of landscapes past (see page 10,11). Isn’t it amazing what researchers can reveal with a little data, a few good questions and a bit of maths? Koalas have been the feature of many past issues of Decision Point. In Decision […]
2-6 September 2013, St Lucia Campus, University of Queensland Every couple of years the ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions (CEED) brings together in one place its far flung network of people for a biennial conference. Unlike most conferences, these CEED get togethers are not about running from session to session to seek out the best talks. […]
Incorporating feasibility of conservation action into planning Some of us (including me) have spent the last few years talking about how social data should be integrated into conservation decisions. It makes sense, right? Effective conservation requires people to make choices about how they interact with the environment. It’s about choices on the amount of resources they extract and how […]
Of ghosts, fragmentation and scale-mismatches Imagine being a koala trying to move about in southeast Queensland. You are faced with double-lane highways, urban sprawl and vast amounts of cleared land; not to mention a limited supply of nutritious eucalyptus leaves. What are the relative costs of these different obstacles for a koala on the move? How do these costs influence […]
Priority threat management of invasive plants in the Lake Eyre Basin Australia’s ‘heart’ and the river systems that feed it are under pressure from multiple sources. Something needs to be done quickly but, as is often the case, environmental managers are operating under severe time and resource limitations, and are attempting to make decisions surrounded by enormous uncertainty. In […]
Cost-effective conservation in a time of climate change What is ‘climate smart’ when it comes to conservation planning in a time of climate change? Part of the answer is to take into account how climate change will impact areas where conservation activities are planned. For example, you don’t want to invest your limited budget in a wetland reserve when […]
Mixing a little theory, logic and common sense leads to better outcomes Around the world, thousands of different systems have been used to rank environmental projects for funding. Unfortunately, judging from the many examples I have examined, most of the systems in use are very poor. Indeed, the performance of many of them is not much better than […]
The world’s large global conservation organisations have, for many years, been devising ways of spatially prioritizing their efforts around the planet.