Bringing Woodland Birds Back
Last week, the ICON Science team received news that our ARC Industry Linkage Project, “Bringing woodland birds back to the suburbs,” has been funded in full! Over the next five years, our team will be working to understand the drivers of woodland bird species decline and loss from urban areas in south-eastern Australia. Most excitingly, […]
ICON Science Visits The Cape: Biodiversity Sensitive Urban Design in Action
After years of championing Biodiversity Sensitive Urban Design (BSUD) in new housing developments, the ICON Science team finally had the opportunity to visit a project that has transformed that vision into a reality. Last Friday, we travelled to Cape Paterson to explore The Cape – an environmental net-gain development that seamlessly integrates biodiversity conservation, energy efficiency, integrated […]
How to turn your home into a wildlife refuge
Cities have an important role to play in providing habitat for our native animals, plants and insects. Last week, Bethany Kiss, RMIT University, published an article in The Conversation with 8 helpful tips on how people can turn their homes into refuges for wildlife. The article cites the work of the authors explored in their […]
NGV Exhibition: When wildlife moves in
Native animals can make for excellent neighbours – blue-banded bees pollinate our vegetable gardens; microbats eat up to 1200 mosquitoes per night; powerful owls keep rodents at bay. But could we go one step further and design our homes so that we could have native animals as housemates? Bethany Kiss’ design piece ‘When wildlife moves […]
ICON member live on 3RRR: The value of informal green spaces
Dr Hugh Stanford was recently invited to talk about his research on a local Melbourne radio show called ‘Einstein A Go-Go’ on the 3RRR station. Hosted by Dr Shane Huntington, the aim of the show is “Exploring the wonders of science and its impact on the world. Dissection and discussion of science and science issues […]
Future visioning for nature positive
The nature positive agenda requires transformative change and innovative approaches that move beyond business-as-usual. In an article recently published in npj Urban Sustainability, Dr Jacinta Humphrey and colleagues, demonstrate the use of visioning and target setting to create an actionable roadmap to a ‘nature positive’ future (Humphrey et al. 2025). An online workshop was held […]
Art imitates life: Understanding human-nature connections through arts-based methods
Human disconnection from nature has been identified as a key driver of biodiversity loss and nature’s decline. Stronger connections between people and nature are therefore needed to promote caring for nature and foster sustainability transformations. To identify opportunities for repairing and strengthening such connections, first we need to understand how and why people connect with […]
Golf courses as safe havens for wildlife and biodiversity
Golf courses are often perceived to be detrimental to nature. Last week, Dr Jacinta Humphrey, RMIT University, published an article in The Conversation offering a different point of view. Dr Humphrey explains that the pockets of vegetation between the main grassy areas of golf courses — also known as the “rough” — are often home […]
ICON team members take on ESA 2024
From 9-13 December 2024, multiple ICON team members attended and presented research at the Ecological Society of Australia (ESA) conference held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC). The ESA conference showcases the science of ecology in Australia and explores connections between science theory, research, policy and on-ground outcomes (ESA 2024). Photo credit: Dr […]
Nature Pledge for Developers: Growing homes, growing nature
Australia needs more housing. But major expansions in residential and commercial developments could pose risks to remaining threatened species habitats, resulting in detrimental consequences for our lives and our country (Biodiversity Council 2024a). In response to this problem, Professor Sarah Bekessy has created a Nature Pledge for Developers to create a framework for developers / […]