The Conversation

Indigenous fire management holds the key to a safer, more sustainable future on our flammable continent. Michela Mariani, Assistant Professor in Physical Geography, University of Nottingham Michael-Shawn Fletcher, Associate Professor in Biogeography, The University of Melbourne Simon Connor, Fellow in Natural History, Australian National University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Artificial habitats are becoming more advanced, but they’re not a silver bullet. Darcy Watchorn, PhD Candidate, Deakin University Mitchell Cowan, PhD Candidate, Charles Sturt University Tim Doherty, ARC DECRA Fellow, University of Sydney Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

We took a closer look at the government data, and found at worst, the number of jobs foregone is around 10 times fewer than the minister claims. Alison Reeve, Deputy Program Director, Energy and Climate Change, Grattan Institute Tony Wood, Program Director, Energy, Grattan Institute Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Disaster-affected communities form the backbone of any disaster response. But survivors are often underutilised in shaping plans for their community’s longer-term recovery and preparedness efforts. Lara Werbeloff, Program Director, Fire to Flourish, Monash University David Johnston, Professor of Health Economics, Monash University Jane Fisher, Finkel Professor of Global Health, Monash University Rebecca Wickes, Associate Professor in Criminology and Director of the Monash Migration and Inclusion Centre, Monash University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Tiny seashells draw carbon to the ocean floor when they die. This is the most significant geological process of carbon storage today, and it might increase in a warmer world, as it did in the past. Rupert Sutherland, Professor of tectonics and geophysics, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Laia Alegret, Professor in Paleontology, Universidad de Zaragoza Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The painful bites of female march flies can ruin your day at the beach. When we’re not there, they bite wallabies, birds, and even reptiles. David Yeates, Director of the Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO Keith M. Bayless, CSIRO Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Researchers have surveyed an Antarctic under-ice river for the first time directly, and their observations support the idea that such sub-glacial rivers form estuaries as they flow into the ocean. Huw Joseph Horgan, Associate Professor of Geophysical Glaciology, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Craig Stevens, Professor in Ocean Physics, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Threatened species don’t just live in national parks. Almost half of their distributions are on private land. Stephen Kearney, PhD student, The University of Queensland April Reside, Lecturer, The University of Queensland James Watson, Professor, The University of Queensland Rebecca Louise Nelson, Associate Professor in Law, The University of Melbourne Rebecca Spindler, Adjunct Professor, UNSW Sydney Vanessa Adams, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of Geography and Spatial Sciences, University of Tasmania Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Conservation efforts can result in conflict between different interest groups, but outcomes could improve if we allowed a greater degree of public participation, beyond mere consultation. Giles Dodson, Senior Lecturer, Humanities and Social Sciences, Massey University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

It’s hard to play cricket in sweltering conditions or amid bushfire smoke. Is it time for Cricket Australia to cut ties with fossil fuel sponsors? Brett Hutchins, Professor of Media and Communications, Monash University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

For over 40 years, a coal mine on the outskirts of the Blue Mountains World Heritage area dumped poorly treated wastewater into the Wollangambe River. Finally, it’s on the road to recovery. Ian Wright, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Science, Western Sydney University Jason Reynolds, Senior Lecturer, Western Sydney University Leo Robba, Lecturer, Visual Communications / Social Design, Western Sydney University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

It’s only fair to expect results from vast sums of public money spent on koala conservation. But continued land clearing badly undermines the investment. Lachlan G. Howell, Research Fellow | Centre for Integrative Ecology, Deakin University Ryan R. Witt, Postdoctoral Researcher and Honorary Lecturer | School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle Shelby A. Ryan, PhD Candidate | School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Australia is one of the world’s top exporters of grain. Producing it at lower emissions is crucial for global climate action. Maartje Sevenster, Research Scientist Climate Smart Agriculture, CSIRO Aaron Simmons, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, University of New England Lindsay Bell, Research scientist, CSIRO Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Without these older Australians, my research wouldn’t be where it is today. So let’s meet a few of them. Rachael Fowler, Post doctoral research fellow plant evolution, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

New research finds the last 250 years has seen more than 100 million hectares of bird habitat destroyed on mainland Australia – that’s 15% of Australia’s landmass. Michelle Ward, PhD Candidate, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

All nations must ramp up efforts to preserve and restore their coastal regions – and the time to start is right now. Brooke Williams, Postdoctoral research fellow, The University of Queensland Amelia Wenger, Research Associate in Coral Reef Ecology, James Cook University James Watson, Professor, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Over 150 types of venomous snake live in Australia. But deaths from snakebite are vanishingly rare. From snake behaviour to human innovation, here are the reasons why. Christina N. Zdenek, Lab Manager/Post-doc at the Venom Evolution Lab, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

It may not be extinct, but our research suggests the buff-breasted button-quail may only be hanging on by a thread, at best. Patrick Webster, PhD candidate, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Some trees explode into bits when lightning strikes. Some seem fine and die later. But others are unaffected. Gregory Moore, Doctor of Botany, The University of Melbourne Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

The proposal is likely to mean economic and diplomatic costs for Australia, and should ring alarm bells in Canberra. Wesley Morgan, Research Fellow, Griffith Asia Institute, Griffith University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.