There is increasing interest in owning wild and exotic animals and the internet is able to serve up whatever your heart desires, even if importing these animals is illegal.
In this episode of Eco Futurists I speak with Prof Phill Cassey and PhD student Charlotte Lassaline both from the School of Biological Sciences as well as from the Invasion Science and Wildlife Ecology Group at the University of Adelaide.
Are you getting the best microbes on offer? What are microbes anyway and why should we care?
If you’ve ever heard of the term “microbiome” you probably relate it to gut health, but there’s so much more to it! It’s all around us, and in us, and affects our brains, immune systems, stress levels, and psychological state.
Join us for this podcast episode where we speak with Dr Jess Stanhope and Prof Phil Weinstein about how public health is effected by urban environments and the promising future for disease prevention and treatment in the reversal of global urban nature deprivation.
Continue reading “Nature deprivation: the real consequences”
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there’s a lot going on currently in the world of forest protection. The European Union Deforestation Regulation has been adopted and is in force, a top executive from European Central Bank has flagged the stark economic risk of losing forest biodiversity, and here in Australia Victoria and Western Australia have committed to end native forest logging in 2024, and a new nature repair market bill is being developed to help further incentivise the recovery of forests.
Its interesting then to see what trends are circulating at one of the worlds top forest conferences. Held in Cairns recently, The Forest Treasure Chest is the Forest Products conference of the International Union for Forest Research Organisation (IUFRO, Division 5). Here are 5 take homes:
Continue reading “What’s in the Forest Treasure Chest?”
What happened when the head of Engineering for Google Australia and the Professor and author behind Australia’s first ever textbook on Marine Ecology came together? Nothing short of the miraculous bringing back to life of an extinct ecosystem in the waters of Australia’s biodiverse southern coastline.
And what’s next on the sparkly horizon?
Water is finally back on the global table after 46 years of not being discussed at a global scale conference. Conservation, salinity, pricing, agriculture, cultural use – the list goes on. Is the subject of water rights at risk of getting lost in an endless talk fest? Where do we start when trying to come up with solutions to the many water issues we face on a local and global scale? What even are ‘water rights’?
In this podcast episode host Prof Andy Lowe Interim Director of the Environment Institute University of Adelaide, speaks with Assoc Prof Peter Burdon and Prof Sarah Wheeler, both from the University of Adelaide. Sarah is a water economist from the School of Economics and Public Policy, and Peter is an expert in environmental law from the Adelaide Law School.
Continue reading “Water: too much, too little, too dirty”
Nature is threatened, but it is also messy and complex. Ecologist try to untangle the mess of conservation, governments and industry. Small landowners are trying to help too. How do we work to save life on Earth?
How do we get the scale of investment required to restore our degraded land? Can we create markets for nature? Where does the money come from? And who are the buyers?
In this episode host Prof Andy Lowe Interim Director of the Environment Institute University of Adelaide, speaks with renowned ecologist Prof Hugh Possingham about the need to set aside 30% of every different kind of habitat for conservation in order to sustain the health of our global biodiversity and to establish biodiversity markets to drive these outcomes.
Continue reading “Markets for nature. What’s the currency of biodiversity?”
This was the predicament facing the sailor in the Rime of the Ancient Mariner after becoming becalmed at sea and running out of drinking water.
But do we face an analogous predicament today with water resources running scarce, and if so how do we best conserve this most precious item?
Continue reading “Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink”
When we discuss ‘Climate Change Solutions’ or ‘Saving the Environment’ we may think of advances in technology, new scientific discoveries or powerful policy changes.
But the truth is, our relationship with our planet today relies on more than just science and technology – it relies on the humanities, the arts, musicians, performers, activists and a whole range of players to make it happen.
Continue reading “Music – a solution to climate change?”
Globally, food and natural resource production is going through the biggest change since the industrial revolution. Rather than merely focussing on improved and cheaper production, current changes are driven by a maelstrom of influences, many of them with sustainability at heart.
Continue reading “Megatrends in sustainable food and fibre production”
So how are those new years resolutions going?
Surveys suggest that eating healthily and getting more exercise are the two most popular new year resolutions, here’s a few easy options to get you started.
Continue reading “New approaches to a healthier you”
Prof Andy Lowe 