Conservation practice

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Evidence-based policy and management are important to help in the complex challenge of influencing decisions about the environment that is often changing. Increasingly, there is broad understanding that people are integrally part of the environment, directly or indirectly influencing it many different ways. The notion of socio-ecological systems is becoming increasingly important with the realisation that institutional and stakeholder involvement need to be incorporated into management and policies about the environment. There are many different types of conservation practice which can assist in managing our environments for long-term sustainability with science providing the underpinning evidence.

Projects

Water information system for the environment (WISE)

The WISE (Water Information System for the Environment) product provides access to water related information for an entire catchment.

Red list of ecosystems

Governments and NGOs worldwide need credible methods to assess risks to biodiversity that are consistent, transparent and theoretically sound to support conservation policy and management.

Shrub encroachment as a legacy of native mammal decline

Invasive native scrub cover in arid Australia has increased dramatically over the past century coincident with declines of native mammal species in the critical weight range.

Foraging and habitat ecology of the yellow-tailed black-cockatoo

There are six species of Black-Cockatoo endemic to Australia. The Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo is one of the largest species and found from Central/South Eastern Queensland down to the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia.

Tackling prey naïveté in Australia’s threatened mammals

Predation from introduced cats and foxes is the major factor responsible for the extinction of wild native mammal populations and the failure of reintroductions of endangered mammals in Australia.

Biodiversity sampling in Strzelecki Regional Reserve

Every year since 2007, the Centre for Ecosystem Science has been running field trips to Sturt National Park, Strzelecki Regional Reserve and nearby properties under the directive of Professor Mike Letnic.

The reintroduction of locally extinct mammals

The Centre for Ecosystem Science at UNSW, along with Ecological Horizons, will partner with the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage to reintroduce extinct mammals back into western New South Wales.

The persistence of common wombats in road impacted environments

There is growing global concern over the influence of road development on the conservation of biodiversity and the functioning of ecosystems.

Temperate highland peat swamps on sandstone

Upland swamps are dynamic and diverse ecosystems that support mosaics of shrub and sedge-dominated plant communities, often within a forested matrix.

Cumberland plain woodland restoration

South-eastern Australia's grassy woodland ecosystems support a unique and diverse flora and fauna. Millions of hectares of these woodlands were converted into productive agricultural land.

Strategic adaptive management

One of the more effective means of conserving biodiversity is to establish reserves where many threatening activities are not permitted.

Limit to climate change adaption in floodplain wetlands - Macquarie Marshes

The management of water resources and dependent ecosystems remains one of the most critical issues for Australia

Managing for ecosystem change in the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage

This project is a three year research project headed by Prof. Richard Kingsford and involving eight other chief investigators from three universities and two government departments.

Adaptive management of Ramsar Wetlands

The Macquarie Marshes are one of Australia’s iconic wetlands, recognised for their international importance, providing habitat for some of the continent’s more important waterbird breeding sites as well as complex and extensive flood-dependent vegetation communities.

Managing for biodiversity in boom and bust cycle environments

Thanks to a scholarship from our partners in ecosystem science, Bush Heritage Australia, Justin McCann from the Centre of Ecosystem Science will be conducting research at the Bush Heritage property, Naree Station Reserve.

Submission on Biodiversity Act Review

This UNSW Centre for Ecosystem Science submission highlights nine major areas of biodiversity concern, where the current legislation is not achieving its stated objectives and suggest how to improve biodiversity conservation across NSW.

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