Conserving Biodiversity

Saving biodiversity presents the great challenge of balancing productivity and development with conservation. Australia is one of the few countries in the world that still has a chance of getting this balance right. The demands of urbanisation and production have taken their toll but much biodiversity remains.
Research programs within the Centre are aimed at the evaluation and monitoring of proposed conservation areas and the measurement of biodiversity in production ecosystems. Research is also focused on issues of equal concern to the scientific community and the general public such as estimating the numbers of rare species and the probabilities of their extinction.
The theme of biodiversity conservation runs throughout the education programs of the Centre.

Several undergraduate courses focus on the theory and practice of conservation and students gain their first hands-on experience in these courses. Research often begins in the Honours year and this may be continued through a higher degree, supervised by Centre staff.

The Centre provides advice on conservation to a variety of agencies and is a primary source of information on biodiversity conservation for the community through the electronic and printed media. The Centre is also an important part of the international network of biodiversity and conservation agencies and institutions.
Ants live in crowded societies where disease is likely to be important. Bull ants produce secretions that show strong antibiotic activity. Therefore, ants are a potential biological resource for the pharmaceutical industry.

[Biodiversity and Australia] [Understanding Biodiversity] [Conserving Biodiversity] [Using Biodiversity Sustainably]

[Research and Education Programs] [Key Centre Personnel] [Seminar Series] [Biodiversity: Australia's Living Wealth]