Bring living waters back to our planet

Bring living waters back to our planet

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%.

Director’s Welcome to ARI Magazine Edition 3

Director’s Welcome to ARI Magazine Edition 3

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 [...]

EFFECTIVE ACTION NEEDS ACCESSIBLE SCIENCE

EFFECTIVE ACTION NEEDS ACCESSIBLE SCIENCE

  By Dr Chris Brown Coastal wetlands are globally threatened. However, the plight of these habitats, like mangrove forests, seagrass meadows and saltmarshes, is not well recognised relative to other coastal ecosystems, such as coral reefs. This translates into funding shortfalls both for the science needed to address coastal wetland decline and for the protection and [...]

Turtley sick moves: rescuing weak sea turtles and the science aimed at helping their equally weak populations

Turtley sick moves: rescuing weak sea turtles and the science aimed at helping their equally weak populations

  Author: Dr Ryan Pearson Sea turtles are threatened. Literal boatloads of things affect their already low survival rates, most attributable to humans. Plastics, fishing entanglements, temperature increases, habitat degradation and actual boat strikes are killing turtles and affecting their populations in many other ways. Ultimately threatening their very existence. Knowing this, when my buddy [...]

From the comfort of warm water to the freezing fjords of Denmark – collaborating in international waters as a PhD student

From the comfort of warm water to the freezing fjords of Denmark – collaborating in international waters as a PhD student

    Author: Kristin Jinks “I had no idea whether I was going to live up to the expectations of my collaborators, but it was too good an opportunity to let my doubts stop me,” explains Kristin Jinks. - Working in the environmental sciences has its perks. Including the opportunities to visit and work at [...]

 Iranian researcher helps bridge the gap between industry and the environment

 Iranian researcher helps bridge the gap between industry and the environment

    Author: Laura Griffiths Emergent is a five-part blog series that takes a fresh look at ARI’s early career researchers – a group of driven, passionate people with a shared sense of responsibility about our changing world. These emerging scholars are developing skills and applying them to real world issues. Some are even taking [...]

Fulfilling dreams – helping to protect Australia’s sea turtles

Fulfilling dreams – helping to protect Australia’s sea turtles

  Author: Laura Griffiths Emergent is a five-part blog series that takes a fresh look at ARI’s early career researchers – a group of driven, passionate people with a shared sense of responsibility about our changing world. These emerging scholars are developing skills and applying them to real world issues.  Some are even taking opportunities [...]

For the love of learning – a fisheries scientist is born. 

For the love of learning – a fisheries scientist is born. 

   “I used to read fish ID books for fun… Now I get to do that stuff for work”   Author: Laura Griffiths Emergent is a five-part blog series that takes a fresh look at ARI’s early career researchers – a group of driven, passionate people with a shared sense of responsibility about our changing [...]

How robust is the evidence that human activities cause jellyfish blooms?

How robust is the evidence that human activities cause jellyfish blooms?

By Professor Kylie Pitt (Originally Published at: Griffith Sea Jellies Research Lab) Pitt KA, Lucas CH, Condon RH, Duarte CM, Stewart-Koster B (2018) Claims that anthropogenic stressors facilitate jellyfish blooms have been amplified beyond the available evidence: A systematic review.  Frontiers in Marine Science doi: 10.3389/fmars.2018.00451 Sea jellies have bloomed in the oceans for more than 500 million [...]

Prawn chemical “fingerprints” identify human influences in urban coastal habitats

Prawn chemical “fingerprints” identify human influences in urban coastal habitats

"We found that prawns collected closer to shore had higher concentrations of potential pollutants" says Dr Munroe