News & Outreach
In the news: Ensuring equitable access to nature in cities
Catch our own Sarah Bekessy on the Inclusive Agenda podcast. Sarah discusses her recent work on ensuring equitable access to nature in the city for vulnerable communities.
In the news: Aussies urged to take conservation seriously
Catch our own Sarah Bekessy on ABC News. Sarah discusses a list of ten things that everyone can do to make a difference for biodiversity. Click here
In the news: How do the major parties rate on climate, biodiversity?
Catch our own Sarah Bekessy on Studio Ten, TEN Central Digital TV. Sarah rates the major parties’ policies when it comes to protecting biodiversity, threatened
Enhancing biodiversity in cities through design
This article is republished from Cities People Love under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. An interview with Professor Sarah Bekessy Sarah Bekessy
In the news: Enhancing biodiversity in cities through design
Catch our own Sarah Bekessy’s interview with Cities People Love talking about the importance and benefits of incorporating biodiversity and nature in the design and planning
Turning suburbs into mini office hubs as an opportunity to cut commute times post-COVID
Cities around the world are planning for more people to be walking and cycling to work instead of catching public transport, once lockdown restrictions are
Archive
Melbourne developer given permission to build on land after illegally clearing native vegetation, ABC Online, 18/10/2023, Sarah Bekessy
Stakeholders are calling for an overhaul of some of Victoria’s planning laws after a developer illegally cleared endangered native vegetation on his property, and then won permission to build a multi-million-dollar development on the site.
Pacific National’s Little River freight terminal proposal would service 2 million shipping containers a year (smh.com.au), The Sydney Morning Herald, 17/10/2023, Sarah Bekessy
Australia’s largest private rail freight company plans to build a huge rail terminal and warehousing hub on green wedge land west of Werribee, promising to create 3600 new jobs and remove thousands of trucks a year from the roads.
Why we should build for wildlife as well as people, BBC – Future, 28/07/2021, Sarah Bekessy
From green roofs to bee bricks and hedgehog drawers, there are plenty of ways to make sterile buildings more accommodating to nature.
Why lawn is secretly bad for your back yard, Domain, 12/07/21, Thami Croeser
Home owners are being urged to take advantage of the winter months to make their backyards more environmentally friendly in time for summer by moving away from the perfectly manicured lawn.
Rewilding: part two, Future Tense with Antony Funnell, ABC Radio National, 13/06/21, Sarah Bekessy
In this edition we examine the natural forces at play in Europe where abandoned farmland is increasingly being reclaimed by wildlife. We also hear about Rewilding in an urban context.
Astroturfing: “alliance of timber workers” or alliance of timber corporate executives?, Michael West, 27/05/2021, Sarah Bekessy
Forest & Wood Communities Australia purports to be a grassroots organisation of timber workers but it is founded by the chairman of private forestry company Pentarch and other influential timber industry players. Tasha May reports on a classic case of astroturfing.
Rewilding to safeguard biodiversity, ABC News, 24/05/2021, Sarah Bekessy
Rewilding is a conservation approach based on the reintroduction of lost animal species to their natural habitats. Its original manifestation was controversial because it centred on apex predators like wolves. But the approach has matured and advocates believe it now has a crucial role to play in securing future biodiversity levels.
Melbourne’s outdoor dining parklets could be here to stay post-pandemic, Herald Sun, 03/04/21, Thami Croeser
Melbourne’s outdoor dining parklets have been a winner, sparking calls for the pandemic arrangement to be permanent. It comes as Victoria hit its 36th day with no new local COVID cases.
Parklets, 774 ABC Melbourne, 17/02/2021, Thami Croeser
Urban planner and PhD candidate Thami Croeser joins Sammy on 774 ABC Mornings to discuss parklets, re-purposed parking bays which are designed to create spaces for pedestrian activity.
A regenerative housing estate at Gisborne that’s attracted a lot of savvy people and community buy in, The Fifth Estate, 16/02/2021, Sarah Bekessy
In the town of Gisborne, a quaint but degraded 210-hectare farm in the middle of town has been slated for up to 1000-dwelling greenfield development. It is liveable, carbon positive and good for your hip pocket, with half the land to remain open for people and nature to share.
Forget the tree change: Why cities are more important than ever, Domain, 01/02/21, Thami Croeser
‘Good for the soul’: Visits to NSW National Parks soar amid COVID-19, The Age, 5/08/2020, Sarah Bekessy
NSW’s national parks are reporting a surge in visits as people seek out nature to dispel the blues brought on by the constraints of coronavirus on normal life. The National Parks and Wildlife Service reports overnight stays at campgrounds across the state were up by more than a third in July compared to the same month last year.
‘Miracles in our own backyards’: Rare urban ecosystems on the brink, The Age, The Daily Mail and 7News. 5/08/2020, Sarah Bekessy
Almost half of Australia’s national-listed threatened animals and a quarter of the plant species at risk are found in the largest towns and cities, and the threats are intensifying.
Madness’: How governments failed Victoria’s endangered grasslands, The Age, 24/07/2020, Sarah Bekessy
Native grasslands and many of the animals they shelter are critically endangered. Just 1 per cent of the original ecosystem remains. And the future of an ambitious government scheme to preserve the remnants and compensate for areas lost to urban development looks uncertain.
Junk science: dodgy COVID research sparks mini- pandemic as papers retracted, Crikey, 10/06/2020, Ascelin Gordon
How parking spots could save Melbourne’s small eateries, The Age, 03/06/2020, Thami Croeser
Could we save Melbourne’s restaurants by allowing them to use public spaces?, 3AW Morning Radio, 2 June 2020, Thami Croeser
How Melbourne’s suburbs can become mini office hubs post-coronavirus outbreak, Domain, 4 May 2020, Thami Croeser
As Humans Hibernate, Animals Take Opportunity to Roam Free,VOA News TV, 27 April 2020, Sarah Bekessy
What is nature doing while we’re in lockdown?, 6PR Perth Tonight Radio, 14 April 2020, Sarah Bekessy
Cities struggling to boost urban tree cover, BBC, 10 April 2020, Thami Croeser
Urban tree cover on public land improving, but private land needs to be next: experts, Domain, 2 March 2020, Thami Croeser
2019
Introducing wildlife back into urban spaces [ABC Radio Life Matters – Separate stories podcast: December 4th, 2019]
Introducing wildlife back into urban spaces [ABC Radio Life Matters – Separate stories podcast: December 4th, 2019]
The big impact of the little things [Magic Casements: April 18th, 2018]
The future of koalas in Australia, hunting turtles in the NT, and the people who search for the Tassie tiger [ABC triplej HACK: February 14th, 2018]
Pests or pals? How to live in harmony with urban wildlife [ABC Science: December 10th, 2017]
Bring nature back into cities, planners told [GovernmentNews: December 4th, 2017]
Sydneysiders willing to pay a premium for homes near green space, but it’s running out [Domain: March 12th, 2017]
Has the lawn outlived its purpose? [ABC Radio National ‘Blueprints for Living’: March 11th, 2017]
Hanging on to what’s golden [National Environmental Science Programme – Threatened Species Recovery Hub: October 12th, 2016]
Researchers on journey to new discoveries with $2.3m ARC grants [RMIT News: May 23rd, 2016]
A+ for Biodiversity Sensitive Urban Design [Sourceable: April 25th, 2016]
Greener cities the key to happier, healthier, stress-free lives [The Age: January 26th, 2016]
Can cities save bees? [The Nature of Cities: January 20th, 2016]
Sustainability science for urban pollinator research and conservation [Ecojesuit: January 15th, 2016]
City sprawl or skyscraper tall: why can’t Melbourne do urban design better? [The Age: October 11th, 2015]
Social research for threatened species: collaboration and planning [National Environmental Science Programme – Threatened Species Recovery Hub: September 1st, 2015]
Biodiversity offsets may allow governments to double dip [ABC Science: July 23rd, 2015]
Scientists see risk in biodiversity offsets misuse [UQ News: July 23rd, 2015]
Citizen scientists blitz Melbourne’s public spaces [RMIT News: May 1st, 2015]
Pop-up parks provide more than a patch of grass [RMIT News: November 17th, 2014]
Inspiring new generation of environmentalist [Victoria University News: June 24th, 2014]
Is nothing sacred? Public science 2.0 revolutionises scientific practices [Evolution News & Views: October 9th, 2013]
Best of replication and data sharing collection 3 [Political Science Replication: October 2nd, 2013]
Greenhouse calculator can save families big bucks in the long run [The Sydney Morning Herald: July 18th, 2011]
Australian grazing trial ignites debate [Nature News: March 23rd, 2011]
Concerns over alpine cattle grazing trial [ABC News: March 10th, 2011]
More loss than gain in encroaching urban sprawl on threatened open plains [The Sydney Morning Herald: May 31st, 2008]
Losing a world we don’t know [The Age: September 10th, 2005]
We at ICON Science acknowledge the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct our research, teaching and service.
