Stories of science from the Australian Rivers Institute
"Revegetating abandoned agricultural land is critical for maintaining sustainability and biodiversity within our farming landscapes. Our recent paper demonstrated the feasibility of a large-scale revegetation approach in one of Australia’s most iconic agricultural regions, the Murray-Darling Basin."
By Andria Ostrowski Read Time: 504 words, about 3 minutes. Vegetated coastal wetlands including saltmarshes, mangrove forests and seagrass meadows store large amounts of carbon, protect shorelines from storms and erosion, support enormous biodiversity and improve water quality by filtering nutrients, contaminants and sediments. Despite their ecological and economic importance, increasing human settlement and development [...]
Rivers, lakes, and wetlands support extraordinary diversity. Such bodies of water host more species per square kilometre than forests or oceans. Yet they are losing this biodiversity two to three times faster than forests and oceans. Populations of freshwater animals, including river dolphins, sturgeon, beavers, crocodiles, and giant turtles, have already plummeted by 88%.
Dr Ryan Pearson Read Time: 503 words about 3 minutes. The effects of COVID-19 on the world has been profound. We're now re-evaluating intergovernmental, trade and personal relationships, and rethinking our consumer needs. Environmental groups have been encouraging people to 'eat more fish' in response to this pandemic. Consumer surveys during the pandemic have also highlighted [...]
By Dr Chris Brown Reading Time: 557 words about 3 minutes. We usually think of nutrients moving down rivers to the ocean, not the other way around. But in many temperate rivers of the northern hemisphere migration of salmon brings nutrients from the ocean to rivers and surrounding vegetation. Male Pink Salmon, identifiable because of [...]
By Dr Viv Tulloch Read Time: 508 words about 3 mins. Marine ecosystems are increasingly threatened by climate change, human activities in the oceans and on the land, yet significant gaps still exist in managing the impacts of these pressures around the world. Marine Habitat Destruction. Photo Jeff Yonover. Efficient conservation investment requires linking dominant pressures [...]
There is an urgent need to understand what factors contribute to successful breeding and juvenile survival for Australia’s freshwater fishes, especially as many freshwater fish species are affected by events like those that led to the recent fish kills in the Murray-Darling Basin.
Australian Rivers Institute Director, Stuart Bunn. We welcome you back to another edition of the Australian RiversInstitute (ARI) Magazine. (Link). Over the past few months our staff have been active in strengthening research partnerships and establishing new connections across the globe. The importance of connections, not only with fellow researchers, industry and government but also [...]
By Professor Michele Burford Reading Time: 537 words, about 3 minutes. Algal blooms are a major issue for water security globally and in Australia. We have seen the damage algal blooms have had on Murray-Darling Basin and the issues Florida have had with the recent 'red tide' epidemic. As our climate changes, we can expect [...]
Michael Sievers, Griffith University; Rod Connolly, Griffith University, and Tom Rayner, Griffith University When we think of mangrove forests, seagrass meadows and saltmarshes, we don’t immediately think of shark habitats. But the first global review of links between large marine animals (megafauna) and coastal wetlands is challenging this view – and how we might respond [...]
Catchment to Coast 