Arthur Rylah Institute, Seminar Summaries provide a brief overview of presentations made at scheduled seminar sessions at ARI on Mondays 1-2 pm. These seminars are free and also available via live online webinar – registration required. 

 

Summaries from recent ARI seminars

Strategic Adaptive Management

Professor Richard Kingsford (University of New South Wales)

7 August 2023

 

 


The hidden role of botanists

1 May 2023


 

Forgotten critters and recovered histories

28 March 2023

 

Fish conservation and engagement 

13 February 2023


 
Animal Behaviour in Conservation

21 November 2022


 

Evidence in Conservation

31 October 2022


Victoria Nature Festival - Biodiversity trends 

19 September 2022


National Science Week Seminar

15 August 2022


 
 
NAIDOC Week Panel - Get up, Stand up, Show up - what this means for
Country, Culture and environmental management

4 July 2022


World Environment Day

6 June 2022


 
Genetic Rescue

16 May 2022


People and Nature in Cities

4th April 2022 


Genetics in Conservation

21 February 2022


Valuing Nature - evidence and urban species 

15 November 2021


eDNA technology and population genetics of Murray cod 

25 October 2021


 
Bushfire recovery surveys for plants and wildlife

13 September 2021


 
On the tail of the eel - creatures of mystery' - Uncle Denis Rose from the Gunditj MirringTraditional Owner Aboriginal Corporation and Dr Wayne Koster (ARI) - 

5 July 2021 (NAIDOC week)

 


The art of making run-down ecosystems new again - Dr Ashley Sparrow 

7 June 2021


 

Measuring biodiversity and ecological integrity in NSW: A partnership between government and researchers - Dr David Nipperess

27 April 2021


Australia’s mass fish kills as a crisis of modern water - Prof. Lesley Head

22 March 2021


 

22 February 2021

 


 

Fern Hames (ARI, Communication and Collaboration) -What about people? The shifting role of people in our ecological equations

November 9 2020


 
John Koehn (ARI, Population Processes) -Fisheries, fish, aquatic ecology: progress over the past 40 years

October 19 2020

ARI SEminar; John Koehn
Registration open

 

 

Lindy Lumsden (ARI, Wildlife Ecology) - Marvellous, mysterious mammals: ARI's legacy in mammal research over recent decades

September  21 2020

ARI seminar Lindy Lumsden
View recording

 

 

 
Laying the foundations: wildlife research at ARI, 1970-1995 - Peter Menkhorst (ARI, Waterbirds and Wetlands)

31 August 2020

ARI Seminar; Peter Menkhorst
View recording

 

ARI's bright future - science, policy and collaboration - Josephine MacHunter, Tracey Regan, Annique Harris, Khorloo Batpurev (ARI)

17 August 2020

ARI Seminar 17 August 2020
View recording

 

Nature conservation in Victoria 1969-2020 - an abridged and idiosyncratic rendering - Matt White (ARI, Ecological Analysis and Synthesis)

27 July 2020

Video link

 

Arthur Rylah Institute Seminar - celebrating 50 years of ARI science - Dr Kim Lowe, Director, ARI.

15 June 2020

ARI Seminar; Kim Lowe
View recording

 

Who needs to do what differently: why behavioural science matters in biodiversity conservation - Melissa Hatty - Doctoral Researcher, Monash University

27 April 2020

Video link

ARI Seminar Presentation Slides

 

Conservation in the Kimberley - a perspective from working within an NGO - Richard Falkner (ARI, Communication and Collaboration) 

24 February 2020 Video link


Trees for fish: Angler Riparian Partnerships Program (2nd-half) - Renae Ayres (ARI, Population Processes) 

24 February 2020 Video link

 

Antarctica Part II: Lessons in Leadership - Fern Hames (ARI)

18 December 2019 Video link

 

Restoring fish populations in the Murray-Darling Basin: future directions and perspectives - Ivor Stuart (ARI, Population Processes) 

18 November 2019 - Video Link

 

FAME decision tools for biodiversity - a breakthrough in fire management - Josephine MacHunter and Nevil Amos (ARI, Fire Ecology) 

18 November 2019 Video link

 

How hardy are Hardyheads? Salinity and environmental water - Dan Stoessel (ARI)

7 October 2019 Video link

 

What’s driving reptile survival in grasslands? - Michael Scroggie (ARI)

7 October 2019 Video link

 

Genetic rescue of an endangered grassland daisy Rutidosis leptorrhynchoides - Yael Rodger (Monash University)

9 September 2019 Video link

 

How well do ex situ plant collections capture the genetic diversity of their founders - Emma Barnett (Monash University)

9 September 2019 Video link

 

Prioritising human behaviour change for conservation in Victoria - Matthew Selinske (RMIT University)

19 August 2019 Video link

 

How is linear infrastructure (road and rail) impacting wildlife? - Manisha Bhardwaj (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences)

12 August 2019 Video link

 

‘Cultural burning’ - Uncle Dav Wandin (Wurrunjeri Woi Wurrung Elder)

8 July 2019 Video link

 

Maternal sex allocation: tales of the controlling mother, the changing climate and rainbow coloured sperm - Dr Amy Edwards.

29 April 2019


Amy shared some insights into the influences of sex ratio bias, especially in Tammar wallabies.

For more information: A.Edwards@latrobe.edu.au



The Echidna Phallus: A Four-Pronged Approach - Caleb Mcelrea

29 April 2019


Caleb took us on quite a unique journey through the echidna’s bizarre (to us) reproductive system. Echidna reproduction has been barely studied; Caleb’s research discovered that:

For more information: caleb.mcelrea@uq.net.au

 

Conservation benefits of managing island pests - Lachlan Francis

18 February 2019

Lachlan evaluated the consequences of cat management on Bruny Island, Tasmania. Expert opinions informed population models to understand how native species (plovers, shearwaters, pardalote, penguins and quolls) would be impacted by cat control. Field research showed that cat management would not change the rat population on the island. The eradication of cats poses a complex, high risk and expensive option in the Bruny Island context. In the context of investment to return, there are other islands where cat control benefits are similar but the risk and costs are expected to be lower. Lachlan also shared his experience working on Macquarie Island.

For more information, contact: Lachlan Francis

 

Flying-foxes in Victoria: Past, Present and Future - Rodney van der Ree (Urban Ecologist, Melbourne University)  

10th December 2018

Rodney delivered an engaging summary of the Grey Headed Flying Fox's (GHFF) history in Victoria which has expanded from a single permanent colony in Mallacoota in 1986 to more than 10 colonies across the state today.
Rod spoke of:


How many carp are there in Australia? - Jarod Lyon - ARI, DELWP

3rd December 2018

Jarod presented ARI’s work in estimating the biomass of carp for Australia, which is an important figure for the National Carp Control Plan.
Jarod highlighted the complexities in estimating how many carp are in each type of aquatic habitat (rivers, lakes, waterholes, estuaries, wetlands, etc.).

Jarod Loyn carp
 

 

 
Flagship waterways: long-term and large-scale commitment to waterway health in Victoria - Dr Amber Clarke- DELWP (Water and Catchments)

3rd December 2018

Amber presented on the Flagship Waterways approach to monitoring, evaluating and reporting on waterway restoration projects.

Amber Clarke waterways
 
 
Watershed Restoration in the Pacific North West - James Capurso  (Fisheries Biologist, US Department of Agriculture Forest Service, USA)

4th December 2018

Jim talked us through his department's approach to restoration of watersheds:
Passive recovery of watersheds cannot be relied on for improvements in our life time; active restoration is required

James Caurso 1 watershed
 
James Capurso 2 watershed
 

 

Decoupling the impacts on fisheries in the Lower Mekong Basin -Ian Cowx (University of Hull)

7 December 2018

Ian provided a masterclass on the challenges and future of inland fish in the Lower Mekong Basin.
Inland fish are a critical food resource for the Mekong Basin

Cowx Mekong

 

 

Lauren Johnson: Continuing the recovery of the Barred Galaxias - Learning by doing

26 October 2018
The Barred Galaxias Galaxias fuscus, is a small, non-migratory fish species with a limited distribution, and threatened in Victoria and nationally. Its main threats are predation by trout, drought, and loss through fires and isolation. Conservation actions have been implemented for 22 years including annual population monitoring, installing instream barriers for protection from predation, trout removal, fish translocations, captive maintenance after the 2009 fires, and a breeding program. Recent work assessed the effectiveness of the trout control strategy including factors that influence trout incursions and options for improvement.  This found there was a difference in the effectiveness of barrier types in keeping out trout; natural barriers were the most effective, and logs and weirs were able to keep trout out but not completely.  Distance from towns was found to be an important factor, with the likelihood of trout being present above a barrier reducing with each km from a town. The current trout control method was found to be effective, with regular surveys and early trout removal after detection important. Many of the learnings from this long-term conservation effort can be transferred to management of other threatened galaxiid species. Contact Lauren Johnson for more information.

ARI seminar Lauren Johnson
 

 

Brad Farmilio: Quantifying effectiveness of weed control in threatened Victorian grasslands

26 October 2018

Native grasslands have long been important ecologically (high flora diversity on a small-scale, and habitat for fauna) and culturally (providing food sources such as starch via tubers and protein via game e.g. kangaroos). Our grasslands have suffered a substantial decline, with <2% remaining in Vic. They are susceptible to weeds, which out- compete native plants, change fauna habitat and alter disturbance regimes. Weed management options are diverse and include herbicides, scalping, selective grazing, fire, hand pulling, vinegar and biological controls.  Surprisingly, the impact and effectiveness of most weed control actions aren't monitored, with area treated often the only type of reporting. This project determined how effective the commonly applied approach of weed control (using herbicides) was for grassland restoration. Flora surveys were conducted and annual spot spraying of herbicide (Glyphosate) targeted exotic perennial grasses. Monitoring began in 2014, with 40  sites (roadsides and rail reserves) surveyed, and then combinations of treated and untreated (control) sites monitored in subsequent years. There were reductions in weed cover when sites were treated with herbicides, however weeds were very difficult to eliminate and once treatment ceased, weed cover increased. In terms of native species richness, treated sites did not accumulate native species like the untreated sites, indicating the effects of three years of herbicides can reduce native plant richness. Brad emphasised the importance of having control sites to assist in interpretation of results, and highlighted how this work was one of the first to monitor the effectiveness of weed control in native grasslands. The results indicate that annual herbicide application should not be considered a universal remedy, and that there may be negative impacts associated with herbicide accumulation on native species richness. Annual spot spraying can reduce the threat of weeds, but asset response is delicate, and further investigation is required on how to eliminate weeds. Contact Brad Farmilo  for more information.

ARI Seminar Brad Farmilo
 

 

Jason Alexander: Talking to Deakin's ghost about water governance

26 October 2018

There have been significant changes in water resource policy and management since the time of Alfred Deakin. Deakin believed that the state needed to own and control water resources and limit vested interest influence in water management. Today, the once State-owned resource is largely effectively privatised through tradeable water rights. With average rainfall not truly reflecting a system where extremes of wet and dry are common, the social, political and environmental challenges in allocating water add to the management complexity. Historically, water policy reforms have followed drought events and are deeply divisive as they alter power relations and change access to resources. As we transit from a past of economic-centric water policy (focused on irrigation) to hydro-sustainability (which considers social and environmental water values), Jason emphasised the importance of engaging with the community, adaptive governance to manage climate change risks and strong reform foundations to ensure the responsibilities of agencies involved in water management are clear. Contact Jason Alexander for more information.

 

ARI Seminar schedule 2019


 

 

 

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