Conservation

The letter-winged kite, or moon kite, is the enigmatic raptor of Australia’s arid zone which comes and goes with the boom and bust of this vast region. But lately, concerns have been raised about its future.

Corals and sea sponges on boat deck

He’s the new buzz word in binomial nomenclature with three species named after him. It’s a result of survey work being done in north-western Australia, and genetic testing, that’s revealing a wealth of new marine species.

Long distance photo of Lord Howe Island

More than 1000 islands and 1200 threatened species. Which feral animals do you decide to focus on to provide the greatest benefit to island species?

Small fish swimming over kelp beds

Kelp forests along hundreds of kilometres of Western Australia's coastline were wiped out in 2011 and have not recovered.

close up of white leatherwood flower against green folage.

Tasmania's bushfires have hurt not only the state's forests, but also the honey industry that depends on access to the region's unique trees.

A gecko with bright orange eyes

The Brigalow Belt in Queensland is a national hotspot for wildlife, including many species found nowhere else in the world. It is also one of the most transformed and contested areas in Australia. New research looks at the best way to conserve these species, attempting to balance competing uses of the region.

Three small fish orange coloured with white stripes

Amid growing demand for seafood, gas and other resources drawn from the world’s oceans, and growing stresses from climate change, we examine some of the challenges and solutions for developing “the blue economy” in smarter, more sustainable ways. For example, could the diving industry, long criticised as contributing to declines in coral reef health around the world, better contribute to reef conservation?

A close up of the head of a wallaby

Taking into account the rivers that drain into it and where they come from, the Lake Eyre Basin is one of largest inland draining systems in the world, the size of Germany, France and Italy combined.

We can extract a lot of information from core samples taken from trees, but we may risk the health of valuable trees doing so. How do we find a balance between research and conservation?