Ecology Matters

"Nobody has looked at whether [fenced reserves] could potentially be a conservation measure for bats."

Bats are the second most-diverse order of mammals, in Australia and around the world, and provide vital ecosystem services like pest control and pollination. However, more than 30 percent of bat species are threatened, largely due to habitat alteration and introduced predators.

In this episode, UNSW Sydney PhD student Oli Aylen joins us to discuss this fascinating group of animals and to outline his research on the role of fenced conservation reserves on bat communities in arid zones.

The Ecological Society of Australia acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. Oli works on the lands of the Wangkumara and Kokatha people.

Help the ESA support ecology in Australia by donating (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.ecolsoc.org.au/get-involved/donate/donation-form⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) or by becoming a member (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.ecolsoc.org.au/get-involved/become-a-member⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠).

The music in this podcast is ‘Glow’ by Scott Buckley - www.scottbuckley.com.au.

Episode image credit: Oli Aylen.

"We know so little about the variety of species that exist on these spectacular islands."

Dr Jenn Lavers and ranger Hayleigh Graham work with the Tjaltjraak Native Title Aboriginal Corporation to understand and protect the delicate ecosystems of the Esperance region along the south coast of Western Australia.

They joined Ecology Matters to talk about their efforts to restore seabird colonies on some of their offshore islands, and the importance of cultural burning to these species. 

The Ecological Society of Australia acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. Hayleigh and Jenn work on the lands of the Wudjari people.

Help the ESA support ecology in Australia by donating (⁠⁠⁠⁠www.ecolsoc.org.au/get-involved/donate/donation-form⁠⁠⁠⁠) or by becoming a member (⁠⁠⁠⁠www.ecolsoc.org.au/get-involved/become-a-member⁠⁠⁠⁠).

The music in this podcast is ‘Glow’ by Scott Buckley - www.scottbuckley.com.au.

Episode image credit: Jenn Lavers.

"A lot of people just don’t realise what we have in our blue backyard on the Southern shores of Australia, and how precious that is."

Dr Elodie Camprasse is a Research Fellow at Deakin University and citizen science project lead with 'Spider Crab Watch'.

Every winter, spider crabs gather in huge underwater piles along Australia’s southern shores. The spectacular gatherings attract considerable attention, even featuring in a BBC documentary, but scientists know very little about the species. How many spider crabs are there? Where do they go after they disperse? What signals to the crabs that it is time to come together? Why do the crabs congregate in one location for several consecutive years then not return?

Listen as Elodie discusses these mysterious creatures and the importance of the Great Southern Reef. 

The Ecological Society of Australia acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. Elodie works on the lands of the Wurundjeri, Wadawurrung and Bunurong peoples of the Eastern Kulin.

Help the ESA support ecology in Australia by donating (⁠⁠⁠www.ecolsoc.org.au/get-involved/donate/donation-form⁠⁠⁠) or by becoming a member (⁠⁠⁠www.ecolsoc.org.au/get-involved/become-a-member⁠⁠⁠).

The music in this podcast is ‘Glow’ by Scott Buckley - www.scottbuckley.com.au.

Episode image credit: Elodie Camprasse.

"I got interested in plants as ways of regenerating landscapes."

Associate Professor John Morgan is a plant ecologist with the Research Centre for Applied Alpine Ecology and the Research Centre for Future Landscapes, at La Trobe University. He is a leading authority on the ecology of native grasslands in Australia, specialising in understanding how disturbances like fire and grazing determine the long-term dynamics of plant communities.

We caught up with John at the 2022 ESA conference in Wollongong where he received the Australian Ecology Research Award.

The Ecological Society of Australia acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. John works across the continent, including on the lands of the Gunaikurnai, Jaithmathang, Taungurung,  Dhudhuroa, Dja Dja Wurrung, Baraba Baraba, Gunditjmara, Jardwadjali, Wadawurrung, Wurundjeri and Larrakia people.

Help the ESA support ecology in Australia by donating (⁠⁠www.ecolsoc.org.au/get-involved/donate/donation-form⁠⁠) or by becoming a member (⁠⁠www.ecolsoc.org.au/get-involved/become-a-member⁠⁠).

The music in this podcast is ‘Glow’ by Scott Buckley - www.scottbuckley.com.au.

Episode image credit: John Morgan.

"I can see myself definitely advocating for Antarctic protection and climate action for the rest of my life."

When you think of Antarctica, do you imagine patches of verdant green? Moss beds so dense they support their own microecosystems? Georgia Watson joined Ecology Matters to share her work on these important, and largely unknown, sentinels of Antarctica. And she also came to explain why actually talking about them, and about Antarctica more generally, is so important.

Hear how she moved through projects in forest ecology with Prof Kris French and Dr Luke Collins, to her work as research officer within the ARC SRI Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future at the University of Wollongong.

Georgia has been named as part of the 2023 Homeward Bound cohort. Sponsor her journey here: https://chuffed.org/project/gwdoeshb8

The Ecological Society of Australia acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. Georgia works on the lands of the Dharawal people.

Help the ESA support ecology in Australia by donating (⁠www.ecolsoc.org.au/get-involved/donate/donation-form⁠) or by becoming a member (⁠www.ecolsoc.org.au/get-involved/become-a-member⁠).

The music in this podcast is ‘Glow’ by Scott Buckley - www.scottbuckley.com.au.

Episode image credit: Georgia Watson

What do ecologists do? What happens when they reach those inevitable bumps and twists in their career path? How do they end up studying sometimes strange and obscure species? And why are partnerships and communication more than just trendy buzzwords when it comes to ecology?

Welcome to Ecology Matters, a podcast from the Ecological Society of Australia, where we explore these questions and more. 

Learn more about the ESA - www.ecolsoc.org.au

The music in this podcast is ‘Glow’ by Scott Buckley - www.scottbuckley.com.au

"It’s important not to just conserve the skinks because of their ecological significance but also importance to people and culture."

Dr Holly Bradley is a Research Fellow at Curtin University. As part of her PhD, Holly worked in partnership with the Badimia people of Western Australia to study the Western Spiny-tailed Skink.

As a result of that work, Holly and her Badimia colleagues are writing a dual language picture book, that will act as a teaching resource and a way of conserving the critically endangered Badimia language.

Holly was awarded the 2022 Next Generation Ecologist Award to support this project.

The Ecological Society of Australia acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. Holly works on the lands of the Badimia and Whadjuk people.

Help the ESA support ecology in Australia by donating (⁠www.ecolsoc.org.au/get-involved/donate/donation-form⁠) or by becoming a member (⁠www.ecolsoc.org.au/get-involved/become-a-member⁠).

The music in this podcast is ‘Glow’ by Scott Buckley - www.scottbuckley.com.au.

Episode image credit: Holly Bradley

“It's important to think about how you get the broader public to understand why what you've done is important.”

We’re pleased to bring you this special bonus episode of Ecology Matters, all about why communicating ecological science is important.

Professor Richard Kingsford is a well-known and well-respected river ecologist who is regularly sought by media to comment on water and wetland-related issues.

In this episode, Professor Kingsford explains why communicating to the broader public should be an essential consideration for every scientist and why the outcomes of speaking truth to power can be much greater than potential short term costs.

Professor Kingsford has been awarded Fellowships of both the Royal Society of NSW and the Australian Zoological Society. He was awarded a Eureka Prize for Promoting Understanding of Science in 2008 and in 2021 received the ESA Gold Medal for his outstanding contributions to ecology.

The Ecological Society of Australia acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.

Help the ESA support ecology in Australia by donating (www.ecolsoc.org.au/get-involved/donate/donation-form) or by becoming a member (www.ecolsoc.org.au/get-involved/become-a-member).

The music in this podcast is ‘Glow’ by Scott Buckley - www.scottbuckley.com.au.

Episode image credit: Kawinwit Kittipalawattanapol

“Understanding how disturbance changes things within a system to me seemed a fundamental way to actually manage and restore landscapes more effectively.”

Dr Neilly is a postdoctoral researcher with the Australian Landscape Trust, based at Calperum Station in South Australia.

Her work focuses on how disturbances can alter the structure of vegetation and affect fauna. With colleagues, she is looking at how features such as spinifex grass perform as thermal refuges for small reptiles and mammals under a range of different fire and grazing treatments.

Dr Neilly’s outstanding work was awarded the 2021 Wiley Next Generation Ecologist Award.

The Ecological Society of Australia acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. Dr Neilly works on the lands of the First Peoples of the River Murray and Mallee.

Help the ESA support ecology in Australia by donating (www.ecolsoc.org.au/get-involved/donate/donation-form) or by becoming a member (www.ecolsoc.org.au/get-involved/become-a-member).

The music in this podcast is ‘Glow’ by Scott Buckley - www.scottbuckley.com.au.

Episode image credit: Aaron Greenville

“The best qualities of leadership are listening to people and building a path forward that is inclusive of everybody else's ideas.”

Professor French is Director of the Janet Cosh Herbarium at the University of Wollongong.

She has spent almost thirty years investigating the impact of disturbances on ecosystems, with a broad focus on environmental weeds and threatened species.

Her expertise has been sought by both state and national levels of government, and she has played significant roles in developing management strategies for species such as lantana and bitou bush.

Professor French won a Eureka Prize in 2008 for helping to lead the national Birds in Backyards program. She has been both Vice President and President of the Ecological Society of Australia and has been awarded the ESA Members Service Prize as well as the ESA Gold Medal.

The Ecological Society of Australia acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.

Help the ESA support ecology in Australia by donating (www.ecolsoc.org.au/get-involved/donate/donation-form) or by becoming a member (www.ecolsoc.org.au/get-involved/become-a-member).

The music in this podcast is ‘Glow’ by Scott Buckley - www.scottbuckley.com.au.

Episode image credit: Anna Rigosi