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Australia is home to some of the world's most unique biodiversity, yet our current systems for tracking and protecting our rainforests and waterways remain dangerously thin. By blending ecology, conservation biology, and environmental science, we will explore how high-tech monitoring and cutting-edge conservation could be the key to saving local flora and fauna.
The long road to recovery
Amy Smart
(Amy is a PhD student studying Gondwana rainforests. Her research focuses on how these ancient forests respond to drought and fire, and their recovery following the 2019–20 bushfires.)
The ancient Gondwana rainforests of eastern Australia are some of the most diverse and beautiful forests Australia has, but they’re under stress. These forests evolved in reliably wet conditions, yet climate change is bringing longer droughts and more intense fires. My research looks at how rainforest trees cope when water runs short and what happens after fire. We’ve found that many species struggle to recover, and some, like Antarctic beech, are especially vulnerable. Even five years after the 2019-20 fires, full recovery remains a long way off, revealing just how slowly these remarkable forests recover.
Ghost Nets: Why We Can’t Clean Our Way Out of This Problem
Jessica Leck
(Jessica Leck is a marine ecologist and practitioner working across northern Australia and the Arafura Sea. She specialises in systems approaches to marine debris, partnering with community to design solutions that address causes, not just symptoms.)
Every year, thousands of tonnes of fishing gear are lost at sea, harming wildlife, coastlines and culture. But clean-ups alone won’t solve it. This talk reframes ghostnets as a systems problem shaped by livelihoods, governance, and global supply chains. Through work across northern Australia and the Arafura Sea, it explores how understanding these drivers can help us design solutions that stop nets before they enter the ocean.
Finding love in all the wrong places: saving incestuous frogs
Kaya Klop-Toker
(Passionate about securing the future of frogs, Dr Kaya Klop‑Toker is a conservation scientist who focuses on how disease surveillance, population monitoring and adaptive management can improve the viability of threatened amphibian populations)
As forests shrink and habitats become fragmented, so too do populations of wild species. This is especially true for frogs, which often have specific habitat needs, poor ability to disperse, and have been rocked by deadly disease. This talk highlights research from the University of Newcastle’s Centre for Conservation Science to look at what happens when populations become small and isolated, what we are doing to help these vulnerable species, and why it’s important to save a small, brown frog.
Seabirds to Seascapes - Caring for our marine plants and animals
Kate Akkerman
(Kate is a Senior Project Officer at the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, leading the Seabirds to Seascapes Project. She holds a BSc (Marine Biology) from UNSW and a Master of Marine Science and Management from SCU)
Join us for an expert-guided look at the Seabirds to Seascapes project and how it is improving coastal and marine ecosystems across NSW. Delivered with partners including the Sydney Institute of Marine Science and Taronga Conservation Society, S2S focuses on habitat restoration, little penguin research, and fur seal monitoring. Discover how science, collaboration, and community engagement are driving long-term marine conservation outcomes
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Other The Happy Wombat events
2026-05-18
Power to the People: Sparking Post-Coal Conversations
The Happy Wombat
575 Hunter St, Newcastle, NSW 2302, Australia
2026-05-19
The Good, the Drought, and the Ugly: Farming the Future
The Happy Wombat
575 Hunter St, Newcastle, NSW 2302, Australia