Biodiversity

What treasures did we find at Ashmore Reef Marine Park?

At the edge of Australia’s continental shelf, in the Timor Sea, you’ll find Ashmore Reef Marine Park. 630 km north of Broome in Western Australia, it’s one of our most remote marine parks. We were part of the area's most comprehensive 'health checks'.

A black and white bird with yellow wings feeding on a white grevillea flower.

The sweet hum of songbirds

The origin of the world’s songbirds is a story that began close to home. Their special ability to detect the sweet taste of sugary food is a similar tale.

A large storm depicted by rolling grey clouds looms in the sky above Sydney Harbour. Image Richard Hirst.

Experts unite to help cities solve unprecedented climate challenges

With extreme events impacting our cities more than ever before, twenty-two experts from around the globe have the technological, environmental and social answers.

A person pulling bark aside from a tree.

Linking Indigenous ecological knowledge and Western science

Language is powerful. It is one way that we, as humans, share knowledge, stories and what matters to us. In partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA) has been linking language and ancestral, Indigenous ecological knowledge to Western science in its biodiversity data infrastructure.

Deep sea delights: this coral species, Victorgorgia eminens, and its snake star symbiont, was discovered living in the seamounts off the coast of Tasmania

Coral finds in the unknown: welcome to the ocean benthic zone

CSIRO scientists are finding life in Australia’s cold-water ocean depths that few humans ever see.

Caring for algae, big and small

Both giant kelp and Synechococcus are being cultured in CSIRO’s Australian National Algae Culture Collection in Hobart, where scientists study impacts on algae in our warming world.

Pictured are dive staff from a Townsville tourism operator sitting on the front of a boat. They are pictured visiting John Brewer Reef. Image by Matt Curnock, CSIRO.

Sun shines on the Great Barrier Reef over summer

Get a glimpse into how the Great Barrier Reef has fared over the summer and the actions being taken to protect it.

Close-up shot of a Loggerhead turtle with barnacles on its shell swimming over coral reefs.

A complete DNA barcode library to manage Australia’s environment

eDNA is poised to revolutionise the way we monitor Australia’s natural environment but it relies on a complete reference library of DNA barcodes. That's where we step in. CSIRO is working with partners to create this library for Australia’s most important species.

Lush green forest and mountains surrounding a lake at Cradle Mountain, Tasmania

Saving the world’s ecosystems one A at a time

Scientists examine 19 ecosystems under pressure, from the beautiful to the rare.

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