Media

September 2023

Professor Martine Maron has led a paper with co-authors Drs Megan Evans and Sophus zu Ermgassen and others in Nature Ecology and Evolution titled “’Nature positive’ must incorporate, not undermine, the mitigation hierarchy”.

The authors argue that for the hot topic of nature positive to succeed as the lodestar for international action on biodiversity conservation, it must build on lessons learned from the application of the mitigation hierarchy – or risk becoming mere greenwash.

Read the paper here, a UQ News story about the research here, and a Conversation piece here.

Image: DaYsO/Unsplash

September 2023

The world-leading work of Dr Tatsuya Amano has featured in an ABC News article about the cost to environmental science with English being the most common language for science publications, and the toll of the impact of language barriers for non-native English speakers.

The article references the paper Tatsuya led that was published in PLOS Biology in July 2023 (“The manifold costs of being a non-native English speaker in science”) and also links to Tatsuya’s ARC-funded project, translatE.

In the paper Tatsuya revealed the profound disadvantages for non-native English speakers in conducting science. In another recent paper Tatsuya showed that important evidence for conservation in biodiversity hotspots is often published in languages other than English, with grave implications for the protection of many species around the world. Read the ABC News article here, and also a Conversation article, and coverage by Nature and Science.

Image of Tatsuya by Mari Amano

September 2023

Dr Christina Zdenek has co-authored a paper with Rob Heinsohn and others in Proceedings of the Royal Society – Biological Sciences titled “Individual preferences for sound tool design in a parrot”.

Most cases of tool manufacture in parrots have been in captivity; in the wild, only palm cockatoos (Probosciger aterrimus) have been observed to use tools regularly. However, these native Queensland birds are unusual because they use tools to enhance their displays rather than for foraging or self-maintenance. Male palm cockatoos, the “Ringo Starrs” of the bird world, make tools that they tap rhythmically against trees during display.

Christina and her authors, in a project that stretched over 10 years, analysed 256 sound tools retrieved from 70 display trees. They found that individual males differed significantly in the design of their drumsticks, including the length, width and mass, but no evidence was found that neighbours copied each other.

Read the paper here, a Research Highlight piece in Nature here that includes a three-minute video, an ABC News piece here and a Guardian Australia article with pics by Christina here.

Image: A male palm cockatoo drumming during a territorial display. Image: CNZedenek

July 2023

Professor Jonathan Rhodes led a paper published in July 2023 in People and Nature along with Professor Martine Maron, Shantala Brisbane and others titled “Performance of habitat offsets for species conservation in dynamic human-modified landscapes”. The authors achieved huge coverage from the media for this work, which focuses on offsets for koalas in the fast-developing south-east Queensland region and a government scheme which allows developers to make financial payments to compensate for environmental consequences.

However, these financial payments made by land developers to offset their impacts on threatened species may fall short. When the availability of offsets is low (i.e., there aren’t many suitable sites available to locate offsets) this risks developer funds being insufficient to cover the cost of the required offsets. With suitable locations to locate offsets becoming increasingly difficult to find, this financial risk is likely to be very real.

The study mapped and modelled development in eight Local Government Areas (LGAs) within the South East Queensland Planning Region, applying ecological data and projecting anticipated development and offset outcomes.

While the researchers propose some solutions, they also call for consideration of immediate changes to the current offset policy.

The story was covered by ABC programs, ABC News across Queensland and other eastern states, InQueensland, 4BC News, numerous metro and regional Channel 10 stations, various print and online newspapers up and down the eastern seaboard, Sky News, in New Zealand in online news stories, and in online science mags Scienmag and ECO Magazine. As of late July, the potential reach of the story was an astounding 110,490,145 unique views, with an advertising value equivalency of $1,022,034.

You can read the paper here, a press release here, a UQ News piece here, and a Conversation article here, listen to an ABC Radio interview with Jonathan here and watch a 10 News video of Jonathan talking about this work here.

Image: Koala habitat being cleared in south-east Queensland. Image: Jonathan Rhodes

July 2023

CBCS PhD candidate Joshua Wilson led a paper published in July 2023 in the Journal of Applied Ecology along with co-authors Dr Tatsuya Amano and Professor Rich Fuller titled “Drone-induced flight initiation distances for shorebirds in mixed-species flocks”.

This research shows the alarming impact of drones on one Critically Endangered shorebird species, the eastern curlew, which became startled and flew off even when drones flew above them at the legal ceiling of 120 metres. This also had a domino effect on nearby less sensitive species, which would nevertheless also become startled in response to the eastern curlews’ reaction.

The authors conducted 240 drone approaches of mixed-species flocks containing roosting non-breeding shorebirds in Moreton Bay, enabling them to estimate the factors influencing disturbance as well as the distance of an approaching drone at which the flock is likely to take flight.

Josh and his co-authors determined the drone-induced flight initiation distance for a total of 12 species of waterbird, including seven shorebirds. They conclude that drone use needs to be carefully regulated to ensure roosting shorebird flocks are not approached within distances that will disturb the most sensitive species and that alternatives to drone surveys should be sought wherever disturbance data for species are unavailable.

Read the paper here, a UQ News piece here, an article in The Conversation here and an ABC News article here.

You can also view a video of a drone approaching shore birds here.

Image: Drones pose a threat to shorebirds. Image: Joshua Wilson

June 2023

Above: A family of long-tailed macaques. HIT1912/Adobe Stock

CBCS PhD candidate Zachary Amir and Dr Matthew Luskin contributed to a paper in June 2023 in Biological Reviews titled “The rise of hyperabundant native generalists threatens both humans and nature”.

In it, the authors use field data including camera trapping from 58 landscapes in Southeast Asia to document the hyperabundance and community dominance of wild pigs and macaques. These disturbance-tolerant species are adapted to forests altered by humans by logging and palm oil plantation farming, and have gregarious social structures and omnivorous diets. They both also reproduce rapidly and have a high tolerance for human proximity.

Population densities were found to be 148% and 87% higher in degraded than intact forests for wild boars and macaques, respectively, and, in landscapes with >60% oil palm coverage, populations were 337% and 447% higher than for landscapes with <1% oil palm coverage, respectively.

These elevated populations can drive numerous cascading impacts on food webs, biodiversity, vegetation structure and people – and also increase the risk of zoonotic disease transfer to humans and domestic animals.

Read the paper here, a UQ News story here, and coverage by Science in its News section here.

Above: A wild boar (Sus Scrofa) foraging in SE Asian forest. Ecological Cascades Lab