One of the balancing acts faced by conservation agencies is how to conserve and protect as many species as possible from extinction with limited funding and finite resources. In the U.S., conservation agencies are supported and guided by the Endangered Species Act, the seminal wildlife conservation tool signed by President Nixon in 1973, but which is currently being reviewed by Congress.
But a new study from CEED has found sites chosen at random would be more effective than the current MPAs managed by the Commonwealth Government for protecting one of Australia’s most iconic, threatened seabirds - the endemic Shy Albatross.
Read more: Do MPAs work for this iconic, threatened seabird?
Agricultural expansion is the most well-known driver of deforestation and it is estimated to account for roughly 80% of global deforestation.
Despite a wealth of case studies, few general conclusions can be made regarding the causes of deforestation as the drivers often occur in complex feedbacks and operate at different scales.
A lack of accurate and consistent estimates of the cost of conservation interventions has been hindering conservation decisions, both at local and international scales.
A team of leading researchers has taken action towards resolving this problem to improve conservation practice and help save species.
To overcome global sustainability challenges, social and ecological sciences need to be integrated into research to provide a better understanding of systems involving people and natural resources as a whole, rather than looking at it as a one-way model.
Read more: Better addressing global sustainability challenges
What do you do if you have a question? You probably ‘Google it’.
Now a team of researchers at The University of Queensland is using the big data produced from Google search histories to gauge how ready countries are for the impacts of climate change.
PhD candidate Carla Archibald, from the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, said the researchers used the information to assess general awareness of climate change.
Read more: Who’s ready for climate change? You can Google that…
Many studies have shown roads have severe impacts on local animal populations, but what about local insects?
Magdelena Lenda and a team of researchers find out.
Three University of Queensland researchers are among a group of 100 female scientists from around the world taking part in a year-long leadership scheme culminating in an Antarctic voyage.
They are part of the fourth group selected for the prestigious Homeward Bound program, which aims to create a global network of women in science who can influence policy and decision making.
To reduce or reverse these declines, conservation plans need to allocate management actions across multiple threats and prioritise actions for the threats causing the biggest declines.
Read more: Making good decisions in multi-species, multi-threat systems
Climate change can alter the distribution of species and ecosystems, but the exact variations are difficult to predict. Ignoring uncertainty can easily lead to conservation plans failing in the long-term, yet uncertainty is still not commonly incorporated in planning.
Read more: Reducing risk in conservation reserves using economic theory
Join CEED PhD students Carla Archibald and Rachel Friedman as they explore and share the most up-to-date thinking in conservation science and environmental problem-solving.
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