A million species at risk of extinction

Tracking cats to help the night parrot

Know thy enemy is a famous quote from Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. It is also a brilliant strategy when trying to saving an endangered species from a relentless threat. We talked to Dr Steve Murphy from the University of Queensland about new research which will GPS-track feral cats at Bush Heritage Australia's Pullen Pullen Reserve.

READ MORE  or listen to an interview with Dr Murphy on ABC. 

Seed bank saving species in Western Australia

Threatened plant scientist Leonie Monks is on the front line of saving species in Western Australia.  Get a glimpse of what happens behind the scenes at the Western Australian Seed Centre and research to support the reintroduction of threatened plant species back into the wild in a new VIDEO. 

Reasons to be cheerful - Booderee conservation success stories

We are celebrating great conservation outcomes from projects taking place in Booderee National Park for two Endangered species. Southern brown bandicoots reintroduced to the park in 2016 are successfully breeding, while monitoring is also showing that not only are populations of the eastern bristlebird widespread throughout Booderee National Park but they appear to be slowly increasing. 

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Norfolk Island's threatened flora 

When the British colonised Norfolk Island in 1788, they cleared much of the original vegetation. Remaining forest is now protected in the national park and reserves, but plant recruitment is poor and invasive non-native plant species would likely overtake the forest without the on-going efforts of park managers. New research is determining the main causes of declines and the most effective actions that managers can take to restore native vegetation.  

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Paruku Rangers leading efforts for night parrots in Western Australia 

Last week Paruku Indigenous Rangers hosted over 250 people from across the Kimberley and 10 Deserts to talk about threatened and culturally important species at the Species of the Desert Festival.  The event built on the success of a smaller event about night parrots that Paruku Rangers held in October 2018. Both events brought together Indigenous land managers, Elders, Rangers, scientists and conservation organisations from the region to share traditional and scientific knowledge and talk about monitoring, management and threats. TSR Hub night parrot scientists attended both events to share the findings of research undertaken at Bush Heritage Australia’s Pullen Pullen Reserve in western Queensland.  

VIDEO and STORY about the October 2018 Event.

Rosemary Hohnen: TSR Hub Researcher Profile

As a kid I spent a lot of time after school down the river with my blue heeler Blossom. We’d roam river edges looking for bunny holes, duck nests and new swimming spots and come home muddy and happy. While my old friend and those days are long gone, sometimes I find myself checking a pitfall trap in the rain with my face in the dirt and feeling like not much has changed. 

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Survey: Which community actions are most beneficial for biodiversity? 

And lastly some non-TSR-Hub news. Dr Angela Dean at the University of Queensland is leading research on how to increase community engagement in conservation actions.  If you are a practitioner or scientist in environmental management or biodiversity conservation, the research team would love your input through a survey. The survey asks you to rank the different types of community behaviours that may benefit biodiversity.      

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