Ecocareers’ Post

Exciting field work update! Our dedicated Ecology and Environmental Management team recently conducted a threatened flora transect survey in a patch of Coastal Swamp Sclerophyll Forest of New South Wales and South East Queensland in the Northern Rivers region of NSW. This unique forest ecosystem, characterized by its coastal location and sclerophyll vegetation, is home to a diverse range of plant species, some of which are under threat. Covering a large transect length of approximately 16 kilometers over just one day, our team meticulously documented the distribution and abundance of threatened flora species. This field research plays a critical role in understanding and conserving our precious ecosystems, as it provides valuable insights into the health and dynamics of this specific forest type. By conducting thorough surveys and gathering detailed data, we are able to identify key areas for conservation efforts and develop effective strategies. We would like to give a special shoutout to Jennifer Timbs, Ecosure Ecologist, for capturing and sharing this incredible image that showcases the natural brilliance and beauty of the Coastal Swamp Sclerophyll Forest. Together, we are committed to #ThrivingGlobalEcosystems, improving ecosystems, and promoting biodiversity conservation. Join us in our passion and optimism for fieldwork and flora surveys, as we continue to work towards a future where our natural ecosystems flourish and thrive! Discover more about what our team have to offer 👉 https://bit.ly/3l3y5zu #ecosureau #ThrivingGlobalEcosystems #improvingecosystems #naturalbrilliance #passion #optimism #fieldwork #FloraSurveys #biodiversity

Fabio Rosa, our freshwater ecologist is eager to get out there and do some monitoring of freshwater species. If you have any questions about freshwater monitoring, need expert advice, or would like to schedule a meeting with Fabio, don't hesitate to reach out! #FreshwaterEcology #Monitoring #Conservation #Expertise #Passion #ProtectOurWater #PreserveOurEcosystems #FabioTheEcologist

Botanical search and rescue: Many construction projects can potentially cause habitat and species loss. One environmental control on the start-up of such greenfield projects is a botanical search and rescue. This involves cautious planning, methodical searching, careful unearthing and the transfer of species into acceptable habitats. Starting with the projects botanical specialist study, permits are applied for to relocate threatened or endangered species able to survive removal. The project area is systematically traversed and individual plants are GPS recorded, photographed, carefully exhumed and then relocated and recorded in their new habitats.

What’s the difference between an Arboriculturist and an Ecologist? Ecologists look across a range of environmental factors whereas Arboriculturists specialise in providing comprehensive advice on all matters concerning trees. Fortunately, despite the differences in our specialisms, we work closely with Ecologists on our projects. This ensures that site development proposals integrate mature trees and link these with wider biodiversity benefits. If you need expert advice on any matter concerning trees, whether for site development, land management, aerial surveys, or tree law advice, get in touch. We promise that whilst we could talk all day about trees, we won’t keep you long. #ecologist #arboriculturists #trees #treeriskmanagement #treeadvice #advice

The study published last week by the Society for Conservation Biology surveyed 157 field stations across 56 countries to investigate the potential of biological field stations to generate conservation benefits and evaluate the costs associated with such benefits. The main conclusions are: - Field stations play a crucial role in frontline biodiversity conservation. - Over 80% of respondents reported improved habitat quality and reduced hunting rates at field stations. - Operational costs per km2 are lower at field stations compared to protected areas. - Increased support and investment in field station programs are essential for sustaining vital conservation efforts. Having lived half of my adult life at biological field stations, I can only agree with these conclusions, while adding a few warnings: - Many field stations have colonial histories, and this was particularly evident to me while living in Southern Africa. - The shortage of funding and the potential return on investment can turn research stations into eco-touristic facilities, with some having many features of the "touristic" and little left of the "eco". Under these circumstances, my experience tells that these facilities become a disturbance rather than an oasis for wildlife. Taking these aspects into consideration is crucial to maintain the benefits of biological field stations. To break the legacy of biological field stations with their colonial past, strong and effective inclusion policies shall be implemented. Local scientists should take the lead in research activities, and local communities should be actively involved so that traditional ecological knowledge is also represented in the research outputs. For more on the colonial origins of tropical field stations, read an interesting article published by the American Scientist in 2017 (link in comments). #biodiversity #conservation #decolonisation #traditionalknowledge #fieldresearch

When natural isn’t natural: re-thinking approaches to wetland conservation in Australia Happy World Wetland Day #worldwetlandsday Every year on the 2 February the world celebrates World Wetland Day by focusing on the many values of wetlands to nature and society. This day also marks the anniversary of the Convention on Wetlands, which was adopted as an international treaty over fifty years ago in 1971. The traditional approach to wetland conservation has often been to identify what are believed to be undisturbed natural wetland systems (remnants from a time predating modern land management) and preserve those features. However, new research using history, ecology, and geography to map the long-term socio-environmental evolution of some freshwater wetlands in and around Australia’s biggest city, Sydney, is suggesting that today’s ‘remnant’ wetlands are quite different from those of the early 1800s, highlighting how quickly landscapes can be ‘misremembered’. Here, Rebecca Hamilton explains the approach they used and encourages a reimagining of these wetlands not as snapshots of the past, but as human-impacted places with educational, ecological and historical importance. She believes their work emphasises the relevance of long-term, cross-disciplinary data for effective conservation, while highlighting limitations in post-colonial land management. https://lnkd.in/gGFCHA9M

Big congratulations to editors Andie Ang and Sankar Ananthanarayanan on the launch of the Singapore Terrestrial Conservation Plan 👇🏻 The STCP (or what I affectionately call it the Land Plan) is a great checkpoint to see where we are at when it comes to understanding our local terrestrial ecology. With over 40 academics, civil society stakeholders engaged this piece presents 9 overarching recommendations with the Legal chapter hosting another 17 recommendations. These are important pushes to not just safeguard nature but also put legal frameworks to guide those processes, study what we have and also how policy should engage with the wider public on conservation like education. It’s worthy to note how academia and civil society have worked past and present to evaluate our current progress independently. In 1992, the Nature Society (Singapore) then called the Singapore branch of the Malayan Nature Society released a Master Plan for the Conservation of Nature in Singapore. 2018 also saw the release of the Singapore Blue Plan in light of the International Year of the Reef, providing us with a status check of our local marine health. These is also to be read a little separate from the government’s 2030 Green Plan which didn’t quite talk extensively about nature, likely also because NParks has its Nature Conservation Master Plan (2015). It has probed me in a few directions and I’d love thoughts and perspectives (maybe over ☕️): 👉🏻 Beyond a Ridge to Reef approach, how do we also overlay climate action with the terrestrial conservation plan to further strengthen our advocacy efforts more cohesively? 👉🏻 How can corporations make use of this information to inform their nature and climate risk assessments, and opportunities to create impact? 👉🏻 How do we communicate these insights to a variety of audiences - kids, youths, adults, corporates, policy makers, academics, civil society and more? 👉🏻 As Pei Ying Loh reminds me, how do we layer it with knowledge and thoughts of indigenous communities (and how we define that here) I also love that the editors started off with an intention to make the text as layperson friendly as possible, with a great Executive Summary. I look forward to opportunities to do #scicomms around this piece too. If you’re a corporate thinking about biodiversity, I recommend giving this a read and I’d love to know what you think. Read it here for free: sg-tc-plan.weebly.com So proud to be a part of this wider environmental community on our island city. Here’s to the work that needs doing 🦜🙏🏻

𝐂𝐈𝐄𝐄𝐌 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝑃𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑅𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛: 𝐴𝑝𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑊𝑎𝑙𝑒𝑠 - focussing on the key issues facing peatland restoration in Wales ✅ The call for papers is now open. Submit your proposals by 6 October 2023 In 2022, the Welsh Government’s ‘𝐷𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝐷𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝐵𝑖𝑜𝑑𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑦’ identified the need to triple peatland restoration in Wales. ❓Why is this necessary and what will it mean for the future landscapes of Wales? ❓What can we learn from the successes (or mistakes) of peatland restoration projects in other areas? 📝 @Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM) are looking for innovative and forward-thinking presentations which will focus on the key issues facing peatland restoration in Wales and seek to draw on the experience of similar ventures. ℹ️ For more information 👇 https://lnkd.in/e5cinppp . . #Wales #Peat #Cymru

BIODIVERSITY NET GAIN (BNG) & IMPACT ON WINDFALL SITES: As most of you will know BNG rules became mandatory for all new development from February 12th 2024, requiring that habitats for wildlife are left in a measurably better condition than they were before development (Schedule 7A Town & Country Planning Act -Schedule 14 of Environment Act 2021 - https://lnkd.in/e8QiCzur ) This is a welcome approach in terms of habitat preservation, and something that can be supported by the larger development sites, with the right ecology advice, landscaping detail and the purchase of off-site BNG units as required. However, as of April 2nd 2024 BNG rules came into force for small sites. There are a few exemptions, including Householder applications but broadly this means that all new development with an impact of over 5m x 5m of onsite habitat or 5m of linear habitat will be required to achieve a minimum of 10% BNG. Having recently engaged with the BNG process on a large overgrown brownfield site in Hailsham I am aware of the additional work and cost implications in achieving BNG. Even on a site of 2.75 acres we were not able to achieve the required 10% gain, requiring purchase of BNG off-set units. This raises the question – could BNG render smaller windfall sites, delivering a few houses at a time, unviable? This is clearly a difficult one to balance. Plainly impacts on wildlife habitat have to be controlled and mitigated and housing supply needs to be maintained. It will be interesting to see how the impact of BNG plays out and whether we will be seeing exemption for smaller sites reinstated. #biodiversitynetgain #environmentact #windfallhousingsites

💧 Explore the benefits of pond and wetland management with EMEC! 🌿 Discover how we're nurturing these vital ecosystems, enhancing biodiversity, and fostering thriving habitats for countless species. From expert restoration to sustainable maintenance practices, we are making waves in conservation. https://buff.ly/3QdpHx5 #WetlandConservation #PondManagement #Biodiversity