NESP Resilient Landscapes Hub

Have you heard of the endangered Mary River Cod? It's one of the rarest freshwater fish in Australia. And it's the focus of a new 'cod in a log' study. 🐟 "With this funding we’re drawing on expertise from scientists to help guide protection of this species using methods such as the introduction of artificial logs," Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek MP said. 🪵 🤎 https://lnkd.in/gktPvNCr Griffith University, Australian Rivers Institute , Burnett Mary Regional Group for Natural Resource Management, Mary River Catchment Coordinating Committee, Queensland Government. #Fish #FreshwaterFish #research #science #Queensland Image: Sam Thies and the Burnett Mary Regional Group

Are you interested in doing a PhD on acoustic monitoring across Australia’s Commonwealth National Parks? Your research team will consist of members from the University of Newcastle, Queensland University of Technology, and Parks Australia, and you will conduct fieldwork in some remarkable locations, with potential sites including Norfolk Island, Kakadu, Booderee and Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park. This project is supported by the hub and includes a scholarship and a travel fund for fieldwork: https://lnkd.in/gdemnA2Z NRMjobs #NationalParks #PhD #jobs #research

In a new research collaboration – funded in part by the Australian Government through the National Environmental Science Program’s NESP Resilient Landscapes Hub and the Commonwealth and Queensland Government Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) Environmental Recovery Program – Griffith University researcher Dr Luke Carpenter-Bundhoo is trialling the use of ‘cod logs’ (artificial habitats made from natural materials) to add new nesting habitats for the Mary River cod.    Working with the Mary River Catchment Coordinating Committee, Burnett Mary Regional Group and Jinibara traditional owners, Australian Rivers Institute researcher Dr Luke Carpenter-Bundhoo and the team recreated 24 artificial logs from local, hollowed-out, natural timber and installed them in key sections of the river in July 2024, in preparation for the breeding season from August.   The logs have been regularly monitored since and the early results have been very encouraging, with Dr Luke Carpenter-Bundhoo and the team observing large male cod – who bear the brunt of child-rearing for several weeks – using the logs as nesting sites and protecting their brood of thousands of eggs and larvae.   “What has also been incredible about this project is being able to better understand the breeding schedule and behaviour of this species,” Dr Luke Carpenter-Bundhoo said. "Until now, all information on the Mary River cod has been obtained from hatcheries; no one has ever seen this in the wild before. "This study is truly a case of a picture being worth a thousand words. "We’re using underwater cameras to record definitive timing of their breeding schedule in the wild, which can ultimately enhance conservation efforts and hopefully improve their conservation status." A big thank you to Sam Thies and the Burnett Mary Regional Group for providing the amazing photo of the Mary River cod.    Griffith Sciences, Research at Griffith, Mark Kennard, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Tanya Plibersek

It's a cod in a log! 🐟 🪵 For the first time, 'cod logs' carved out with chainsaws from hardwood trees have been deployed to create critical underwater homes in the upper reaches of the Mary River catchment (Moonaboola) in Queensland. A fantastic article on work to help protect the endangered Mary River Cod: https://lnkd.in/g4ya25Q9 🐟 This study is funded by the hub, and led by Professor Mark Kennard and Dr Luke Carpenter-Bundhoo from the Australian Rivers Institute at Griffith University, in partnership with Traditional Owners, the Mary River Catchment Coordinating Committee, Burnett Mary Regional Group, Queensland Government and Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. #HabitatEnhancement #ecology #fish

"One of the real benefits of working in partnership, particularly with our Indigenous communities is the two-way science transfer that we've been able to achieve through our current projects," explains Oliver Tester, Indigenous Research Facilitator at the hub. 🌱🫶🏿

Record floods have propelled aggressive Mozambique tilapia throughout Moonaboola/ the Mary River in Queensland, explains Professor Mark Kennard, who leads the monitoring collaboration supported by the hub. 🐟 🗺️ Australian Rivers Institute , Burnett Mary Regional Group, Mary River Catchment Coordinating Comittee, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Queensland Government, Department of Environment, Science and Innovation. #InvasiveSpecies #tilapia #fish

Turns out the First Dog on the Moon loves night parrot research, too! A hearty congratulations to the Ngururrpa Rangers, Clifford Sunfly, Dr Rachel Paltridge and all the collaborators on your hard work, now immortalised in this brilliant cartoon: https://lnkd.in/g3ASGcbz Indigenous Desert Alliance, The University of Queensland, Bush Heritage Australia, Desert Support Services, CSIRO Publishing, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water

Did you see ABC's 7.30 program on Queensland's Moonaboola/ Mary River last night? https://lnkd.in/gMGv7xNf "It's one of Australia's most amazing catchments ... It has nationally-listed threatened species, species found nowhere else in the world," said Professor Mark Kennard, from the Australian Rivers Institute . During their comprehensive, hub-supported surveys of the iconic river, Mark and the team revealed some worrying data on the spread of the invasive fish, tilapia. 🐟 Hear more from Mark, Kerry Jones and Norman Bond (Kabi Kabi Aboriginal Corporation), Dr David Sternberg and Tom Espinoza (Burnett Mary Regional Group).

Watch the ABC's 7.30 Report tonight to hear Professor Mark Kennard share what he's learned about the spread of invasive species in the special waterways of Moonaboola/ the Mary River catchment, in south-east Queensland. 🐠 📺 For more on the project, visit: https://lnkd.in/gZqC9fsU

Buoyed by the success of the night parrot project, the Ngururrpa Rangers would like to do more research - and they're dreaming big. "We would like to spend more time on Country to find where they [night parrots] are and understand what they are doing, and listen to their calls to try to work out what they are saying to each other," Clifford Sunfly said. A lovely article on the Ngururrpa Rangers' night parrot work by NITV, Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) Australia: https://lnkd.in/gfJDmyBC