Applications of these technologies include environmental monitoring and impact assessment, natural resource management and conservation evaluation and are relevant to a wide range of environmental and conservation agencies.

The technologies enhance the creation of datasets, sampling designs and experimental designs for adaptive management in production, conservation and disturbed or polluted environments.

Evolutionary Trend Analysis, developed by the Key Centre, is applied to the exploration of biodiversity for novel biological resources targeted to a variety of medical, agricultural and industrial applications.

Students receive training at undergraduate, MSc and PhD levels. The flexible and interdisciplinary structure of the Macquarie University curriculum enables students to design programs of study tailored to their careers, for example, by combining units offered by the Centre with others from the Schools of Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Economics, Law and Statistics.

The Centre staff teach units in Biodiversity, Conservation Biology, Ecology, Genetics, Microbiology and Microbial Biodiversity.

A comprehensive training may also include units in Botany, Environmental Microbiology, Evolution, Land Management, Resource Management, Wildlife Management And Zoology.

Professional Development and Advanced Education programs take advantage of the flexible Macquarie curriculum. They also offer Workshops specifically designed to meet the needs of a variety of end-users.

Delivery modes vary from face-to-face tutorials, hands-on laboratory and field study, lectures and distance education utilising all available electronic delivery methods.

The Centre has a strong commitment to community education through radio, television and the print media, as exemplified by its recent book - Biodiversity: Australia's Living Wealth.