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 species and the climate. Read more
Outreach: Fail: our report card on the government’s handling of Australia’s extinction crisis

Sarah Bekessy, RMIT University and Brendan Wintle, The University of Melbourne Australia is losing more biodiversity than any other developed nation. Already this year the charismatic and once abundant gang gang cockatoo has been added to our national threatened species list, the koala has been listed as endangered and the Great Barrier Reef suffered another […]
Our favourite conservation journal articles of 2021

By Matthew Selinske As in 2020, some of us from ICON Science wanted to share journal papers that we found particularly exciting, insightful, or pertinent to our research. A synopsis of each paper is provided below, and as you would expect from an interdisciplinary team, they cover a diverse range of topics and disciplines. That’s […]
Work with us!

Research Fellow (RECETAS project) We are currently looking for a Research Fellow for an exciting, interdisciplinary, 4 year postdoc looking at the use of nature based prescribing to treat loneliness! 1x part time (0.5FTE), fixed term (4 years) position available Salary Level at Academic Level B1 ($100,465) + 17% Super Be part of global multidisciplinary […]
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 is a sustainability and urban planning academic at RMIT University in Melbourne and a leading voice in Biodiversity Sensitive Urban Design (BSUD). We interviewed Sarah to understand more about the […]
Feral Cat Control in Australia – 5-year report

Read the full report here. Since 2015, members of ICON Science have been working with the Office of the Threatened Species Commissioner to assess the national management of feral cats across Australia. This work is part of the wider Threatened Species Strategy, and recognises the significant threat to Australia’s native species that is posed by […]
Outreach: Nurturing nature, designing a home with biodiversity in mind

Sarah Bekessy, Georgia Garrard, Sarrah Hurley, Casey Visintin, Freya Thomas & Holly Kirk There’s a lot you can do to promote biodiversity when you’re designing a new home or renovation, with clear benefits for you and your family as well as for the natural environment…
Outreach: How should I vote if I care about preventing the extinction of nature?

Almost 9 in 10 Australians agree we should invest in restoring wildlife habitats and natural places.Klaus/Flickr, CC BY-SA Sarah Bekessy, RMIT University; Alex Kusmanoff, RMIT University; Ascelin Gordon, RMIT University; Emily Gregg, RMIT University; Freya Thomas, RMIT University; Georgia Garrard, RMIT University; Holly Kirk, RMIT University; Jeremy Ringma, RMIT University; Katherine Berthon, RMIT University; Lindall […]
Supporting the long-term stewardship of privately protected areas

Thousands of rural landholders across Australia have entered into permanent conservation agreements to protect Australia’s unique flora and fauna. By turning their properties into privately protected areas (PPA), landholders are providing stewardship of our natural heritage that benefits society. But how can we as a society better support these landholders? Lab members Matthew Selinske, Mat […]
Transforming urban gardeners into land stewards

by Laura Mumaw The American conservationist Aldo Leopold wrote about the importance of practicing a ‘land ethic’, adopting personal responsibility for the health of the land – the soils, waters, plants and animals of a place – for the good of the community. Private land stewardship, caring for native flora and fauna on one’s property, […]