Target-based ecological compensation resolves much of this uncertainty by explicitly linking compensatory requirements to biodiversity targets.

A new approach to compensate for the impact of development may be an effective alternative to biodiversity offsetting – and help nations achieve international biodiversity targets.

12 February 2020
Lead author Dr Annabel Smith measures a plantain during the annual census on Inis Oirr, Ireland.

Plants that break some of the ‘rules’ of ecology by adapting in unconventional ways may have a higher chance of surviving climate change, according to University of Queensland-led research.

10 February 2020
Aerial image of an open-cut mine open. Contributed.

University of Queensland researchers have developed a framework that aims to reduce the mining industry’s impact on climate change by accounting for sources and sinks of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

4 February 2020

Drastic ecosystem interventions like eradicating an unwanted species can sometimes backfire, but new University of Queensland-led modelling may help to avoid these ecological hiccups.

29 January 2020
A Caribbean reef shark is surrounded by smaller fish. Credit: Global FinPrint project.

‘No-take’ marine reserves - where fishing is banned - can reverse the decline in the world’s coral reef shark populations caused by overfishing, according to an Australian study.

24 January 2020
Hemiscyllium halmahera  (credit: Mark Erdmann)

Four new species of tropical sharks that use their fins to walk are causing a stir in waters off northern Australia and New Guinea.

21 January 2020
Fire burns through a stretch of Australian bush.

More than one billion mammals, birds, and reptiles across eastern Australia are estimated to have been affected by the current fire catastrophe.

20 January 2020
A short-eared possum wrapped in a blanket

University of Queensland academics have discussed a number of issues that have emerged during Australia's unprecedented bushfire season.

10 January 2020

The protection of Australia’s threatened species could be improved by a factor of seven, if more efficient ‘umbrella’ species were prioritised for protection, according to University of Queensland research.

7 January 2020