Podcast: South Australia’s plant biodiversity hot spots

The spread of invasive weeds and climate change are threatening South Australia’s plant biodiversity. Researchers from the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) at the University of Adelaide’s Environment Institute, in partnership with the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources embarked on a comprehensive study into South Australia’s plant species, identifying six ‘hot spots’ of […]

Media Release: Plant biodiversity and key threats mapped for South Australia

  Conservation biologists have published a landmark analysis of plant diversity across South Australia, identifying areas of exceptionally high diversity (biodiversity ‘hotspots’) and their key threats. Published in the journal PLOS ONE, the University of Adelaide research, in partnership with the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR) and the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network, […]

Media release: University of Adelaide launches joint Australia-China centre

The University of Adelaide has launched a joint Australia-China centre for agriculture and health at its Waite campus with leading ‘China 9’ university, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. The two universities are working together to contribute to the national food, water and health targets of their respective countries under four themes: agriculture and wine; land and […]

Podcast: The impact of feast and famine

University of Adelaide PhD candidate Grace Hodder recently spoke with Sarah Martin from Radio Adelaide about her research project on the ecology of the diamond firetail, a threatened bird species of the Mt Lofty Ranges. Grace’s research under the supervision of Associate Professor David Paton is focused on determining whether their declining numbers is due […]

New paper: Constraints to and conservation implications for climate change adaption in plants

PhD candidate Mr Matthew Christmas, Dr Martin Breed and Professor Andrew Lowe from the University of Adelaide’s Environment Institute recently had a new research paper published in Conservation Genetics, entitled “Constraints to and conservation implications for climate change adaption in plants“. Climate change is having a widespread impact on plant and tree populations. This study focuses […]

Protecting bees from climate change and varroa mites

A recent ABC news story has reported on a project to map bee activity and gain a better understanding of the habitat and food sources needed for their continued survival. The South Australian government and the University of Adelaide have both contributed $300,000 each to the program. “We want to prevent bees dying in the future, […]

Media release: Ensuring healthy bees for farms and trees

The University of Adelaide and State Government today announced a $600,000 pilot program to help build South Australia’s bee populations to help protect native plants and production from orchards and crops that rely on bee pollination. The project aims to retain and restore native vegetation that bees need to thrive, and to future-proof bee-dependent primary […]

New tarantula species discovered in Northern Territory

Adelaide University PhD student, Sophie Harrison has made an exciting new discovery of a previously unrecorded species of tarantula in the Northern Territory’s Judbarra/Gregory National Park. She said the tarantula ‘is so different they’ll make a new genus for it.’ Sophie is part of the SPECIES discovery program Bush Blitz, that has recently uncovered seven […]

Podcast: Human health is dependent on the health of our environment

Professor Philip Weinstein, Head of the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Adelaide, was interviewed by Sarah Martin from Radio Adelaide’s Sound of Science program. The loss of biodiversity not only has implications for animals and plants in the wild, but can also have negative effects on human health. Changes to our environment that have caused […]

Conservation Science Technology group to speak at Pint of Science festival

Professor Andy Lowe, Associate Professor Lian Pin Koh and Associate Professor Phillip Cassey will be speaking at the Pint of Science festival about practical solutions to the biodiversity crisis. Professor Andy Lowe will be talking on illegal logging and timber tracking techniques. Associate Professor Lian Pin Koh will be discussing drone technology for conservation management. Associate […]

New Conservation Science and Technology website

Take some time to view the amazing research highlighted in the new Conservation Science and Technology (CST) website. The Conservation Science and Technology Program is directed by a team of experienced researchers from the Environment Institute and the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Adelaide. Professor Andy Lowe, Associate Professor Phill Cassey and Associate […]

DNA barcoding: a better way to discover species

Written by Mr Stefan Caddy-Retalic and Professor Andrew Lowe It might surprise you to learn that the idea of a “species” is one of the more ambiguous concepts in science. Originally, “species” (meaning “kind” or “sort” in Latin) was used to refer to organisms that looked different and, for more than 250 years, physical differences were used […]