Ecological Monitoring

Photos: new growth breaking through

Photos: new growth breaking through

Fire has sent some of Australia’s most popular national parks into an eerie slumber, but new growth is breaking through the blackness in other areas. While the bushfire season is far from over, in the Blue Mountains National Park of NSW, nature’s recovery is already underway.

Feral horses are wiping out rare species in the Australian Alps.

Feral horses are wiping out rare species in the Australian Alps.

Kosciuszko National Park provides habitat for many endangered and vulnerable native species. The bushfires have decimated a lot of what was left. Feral horses now threaten to destroy the remainder, and an urgent culling program is needed.

Protected species in bushfire affected areas

Protected species in bushfire affected areas

The Australian Department of the Environment and Energy has released an initial list of threatened and migratory species which have more than 10% of their known or predicted distribution in areas affected by bushfires in southern and eastern Australia from 1 Aug 2019 - 13 Jan 2020.

Assessing Australia's ecological disaster

Assessing Australia's ecological disaster

A Reuters analysis of more than 1,400 species affected by the Australian fires highlights the areas, habitats and species hit the hardest. The analysis of fires since September 1st 2019 shows the habitats of hundreds of Australia’s land mammals, amphibians and reptiles have suffered from the fires.

Yes, native plants can flourish after bushfire.

Yes, native plants can flourish after bushfire.

But there’s only so much hardship they can take. Much Australian flora has evolved to cope with fire, recovering by re-sprouting or setting seed. However, some plants are sensitive to fire, especially when fires are frequent or intense, and these species need our help to recover.

How predators respond during fires

How predators respond during fires

As climate change continues, large, intense, and severe fires will become more common. But what does this mean for animals living in fire-prone environments? New research published in the Journal of Animal Ecology looked at studies from around the world to identify how predators respond to fire.

Citizen science: monitoring tree deaths

Citizen science: monitoring tree deaths

The Dead Tree Detective is a citizen science project run by researchers from the Western Sydney University to collect observations of dead or dying trees around Australia. It was set-up to help better understand the physiology of tree mortality and is open to all members of the public who notice dead or dying trees.

Tricks animals use to survive bushfires

Tricks animals use to survive bushfires

How do our native wildlife manage to stay alive while an inferno is ripping through their homes, and afterwards when there is little to eat and nowhere to hide? The answer is adaptation and old-fashioned ingenuity. This article explores how animals survive and overcome challenges after a fire.

Fires push 20 species closer to extinction

Fires push 20 species closer to extinction

These fires have significantly increased the extinction risk for many threatened species. It has been estimated that up to a billion animals have perished and scientists estimate that most of the range and population of between 20 and 100 threatened species will have been burnt.