The Conversation

In Australia and around the world, failures in flood warnings can have devastating effects. But 'humanitarian engineering' may have the answer. Spyros Schismenos, PhD Fellow / Research Assistant, Western Sydney University Garry Stevens, Director of Academic Programs, Western Sydney University Nichole Georgeou, Associate Dean International, and Director Humanitarian and Development Research Initiative (HADRI), Western Sydney University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Australia needs to drop the deception that square kilometres say anything meaningful about conservation. Bob Pressey, Professor, Conservation Planning, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University Jorge G. Álvarez-Romero, Senior Research Fellow, James Cook University Rodolphe Devillers, Senior research scientist, Institut de recherche pour le développement (IRD) Trevor J Ward, Visiting Fellow, University of Technology Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Given climate change predictions of more extreme floods in New Zealand, it's time to change management practices to work with a river, allowing it room to move and its channels to adjust. Gary John Brierley, Professor, Chair of Physical Geography, University of Auckland Dan C H Hikuroa, Senior Lecturer, University of Auckland Heide Friedrich, Associate Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Auckland Ian Christopher Fuller, Professor in Physical Geography, Massey University James Brasington, University of Canterbury Jo Hoyle, River Geomorphologist, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Jon Tunnicliffe, Senior Lecturer in River Science, University of Auckland Kristiann Allen, Associate Director, Policy and International Relations at Koi Tū Centre for Informed Futures, University of Auckland Richard Measures, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Aung San Suu Kyi's government did not have a perfect environmental record. But at least things were starting to change. Narissa Bax, Marine Biologist, University of Tasmania SiuSue Mark, Independent Scholar-Practitioner, Columbia University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Given its environmental damage, tourism must seriously reconsider its purpose in a post-pandemic world. Susanne Becken, Professor of Sustainable Tourism and Director, Griffith Institute for Tourism, Griffith University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

With their prominent foreheads, low eye position and rounded body, koalas can seem almost baby-like. But is that enough to save them? Kevin Markwell, Adjunct Professor, Southern Cross University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Plus, researchers recommend four environmental citizen programs to join. It's never been easier. Claudia Santori, PhD candidate, University of Sydney Ricky Spencer, Associate Professor of Ecology, Western Sydney University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

I collected data about my neighbourhood sulphur-crested cockatoos while stuck home in Melbourne's lockdown. I learned that each bird can eat 200 onion grass plants per hour. Gregory Moore, Doctor of Botany, University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

First Nations people have almost no say in how water is used in Australia. The Productivity Commission's latest report does little to address that. Sue Jackson, Professor, Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University Francis Markham, Research Fellow, College of Arts and Social Sciences, Australian National University Fred Hooper, Indigenous knowledge holder, Indigenous Knowledge Grant Rigney, Indigenous knowledge holder, Indigenous Knowledge Lana D. Hartwig, Research Fellow, Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University Rene Woods, Indigenous Knowledge Holder, Indigenous Knowledge Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Increasing plastic pollution in southern hemisphere oceans adds a deadly threat to albatrosses, already among the world's most imperiled seabirds with 73% of species threatened with extinction. Richelle Butcher, Veterinary Resident at Wildbase, Massey University Britta Denise Hardesty, Principal Research Scientist, Oceans and Atmosphere Flagship, CSIRO Lauren Roman, Postdoctoral Researcher, Oceans and Atmosphere, CSIRO Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

New research fired laser beams on tiger snake scales, and found arsenic was 20-34 times higher in wild wetland snakes than in captive snakes. Damian Lettoof, PhD Candidate, Curtin University Kai Rankenburg, Researcher, Curtin University Monique Gagnon, Researcher, Curtin University Noreen Evans, Professor, Curtin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The real target is China. Australia will be collateral damage. John Quiggin, Professor, School of Economics, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

We discovered 11 (and probably more) new species of stygofauna living in water underground. These animals are usually blind, beautifully translucent and long-limbed. Jenny Davis, Professor, Research Institute for Environment & Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Charles Darwin University Daryl Nielsen, Principal Research Scientist, CSIRO Gavin Rees, Principal Research Scientist, CSIRO Stefanie Oberprieler, Research associate, Charles Darwin University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Research measuring how water flows between living kauri trees and a leafless stump adds evidence that trees use their underground root systems to support each other. Sebastian Leuzinger, Professor, Auckland University of Technology Martin Karl-Friedrich Bader, Senior Lecturer in Ecology, Auckland University of Technology Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

If you're doing something (even if you know you probably shouldn't), you're more likely to think lots of other people do it too. You also likely overestimate how much other people think it's OK. Brock Bergseth, Postdoctoral research fellow, James Cook University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

When disaster strikes, not everyone is affected the same way. Research shows the experiences of sexually and gender diverse people are frequently very different to those of heterosexual people. Dale Dominey-Howes, Professor of Hazards and Disaster Risk Sciences, University of Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

As recent political history shows, emissions reduction targets must be legally binding if we're to have any hope of reaching them. Tim Stephens, Professor of International Law, University of Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

A major new report from the Productivity Commission calls for an overhaul of Australia’s 17-year-old policy on water. Quentin Grafton, Director of the Centre for Water Economics, Environment and Policy, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Over six months, 73,991 tourists visited the continent. The potential to spread coronavirus to penguins, whales and other wildlife is enormous. Michelle Power, Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University Meagan Dewar, Lecturer, Federation University Australia Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Cats kill a staggering 1.7 billion native animals each year, and threaten at least 120 species with extinction. Five experts analyse a parliamentary report on the problem. Sarah Legge, Professor, Australian National University Chris Dickman, Professor in Terrestrial Ecology, University of Sydney Jaana Dielenberg, University Fellow, Charles Darwin University John Woinarski, Professor (conservation biology), Charles Darwin University Tida Nou, Project officer, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.