Research

Professor David Lindenmayer AO and Associate-Professor Philip Zylstra. Dr Tony Bartlett's recent article contains serious flaws in logic and misrepresents scientific evidence. Understanding the empirical data is critical for safeguarding communities and preserving native species.

New mildew-resistant and drought-resilient grapevines have been planted in South Australia’s Coonawarra wine region to help safeguard the future of Australia’s wine industry against a changing climate and disease threats.  

April 2 was ‘Liberation Day’ in the USA and Donald Trump has announced his promised reciprocal tariffs on trading partners. There is a baseline minimum tariff rate of 10 per cent for all countries except Canada and Mexico (who have been affected by previous tariff announcements).

Join this special April Hazardous Webinar to learn about early post-disaster field observations of the devasting Los Angeles (LA) fires with on-the-ground researcher Dr Faraz Hedayati (Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety).

Australian farmers are set to benefit from groundbreaking technologies that will enable cost effective methane measurement in livestock. Zero Net Emissions Agriculture Cooperative Research Centre (ZNE-Ag CRC) ... launched the first project in its research portfolio.

Omika Upadhayay. India, the world’s most overlooked economic success story, is on the cusp of a transformation that could have profound implications for Western Australia’s sheep industry.

When positive change is needed in the world, it takes the most determined of characters and the most passionate of hearts to think big, then think bigger again, and then dig deep to make a difference. The two local Allora Dads have set one such bold challenge for themselves - in September this year, Max Mason and James Turner plan to cycle from Lourdes in France...

Today’s publication of the Wood Volumes Analysis indicates Australia has reliable access to structural forest and wood products to meet future demand. The report provides an analysis of the long-run supply of and domestic demand for wood products in Australia, particularly those used in construction.

Dr Ali Bajwa. Gazanias, a popular groundcover plant, are increasingly invading cropping paddocks in South Australia and Victoria. Dr. Ali Bajwa of La Trobe University is studying their spread and control methods under the GRDC's National Grower Network.

A major study after the devastating 2019/20 wildfires in Victoria and New South Wales found that prescribed burning dramatically reduced the intensity of the fires, according to a bushfire expert. Dr Tony Bartlett, a winner of the Australian Fire Service Medal (ATSM), said after 2019/20, a major study was undertaken to test the effectiveness of prescribed (fuel reduction) burning at a landscape scale in terms of reducing the severity of the wildfire in a wide range of forest ecosystems.

Robert Onfray completely confuses fire intensity (the amount of heat generated) with fire severity (damage to vegetation and soil). He also misunderstands the difference between empirical studies (based on evidence and real-world data) and modelling (theoretical simulations). Additionally, he fails to understand the difference between a literature review and an empirical study.

SETA suggests that my research on the relationship between logging and fire is merely “opinion”. It is anything but ... SETA makes an absurd comparison between the flammability of national parks and state forests. The proper scientific comparison is between logged and unlogged state forests ...

A Charles Sturt University researcher argues that sustainability research is particularly relevant to supporting Australian farmers’ resilience to both climate change and market risk.

Cancer drugs and agrichemicals can be powerful, but toxic, tools. Now, UNSW scientists are applying nanomedicine insights on a project to make greener agrichemicals more affordable.

Australia’s food market appears to be "normalising" after a "chaotic" five-year period – impacted by factors including Covid, supply chain disruptions and inflation – Rabobank says in a newly-released report.

A review of the Darling Downs 2024 Koala Population Study was recently held in Pittsworth and revealed three separate koala 'clusters' on the Downs identified through DNA testing of scat samples. A total of 91 out of 104 samples collected over an eight month period were used as part of the study.

Larger and wealthier populations in South and South-East Asia are driving food consumption growth and opening opportunities for Australian grain and oilseed exports, according to a new report by agribusiness banking specialist Rabobank.

One of the key drivers of fire behaviour that Professor Lindenmayer seems to pay little attention to is the ground fine fuel load across the forest landscape. The key driver of fire intensity, with a given fuel moisture content, wind speed, air temperature and relative humidity, on the day, is fine fuels.

Australia’s national cattle herd and sheep flock are both expected to decline slightly as record production, slaughter and exports meet demand, according to Meat & Livestock Australia’s (MLA) 2025 Cattle and Sheep Industry Projections. The cattle herd is projected to fall by 1.4 per cent to 30.1 million head in 2025 due to increased turn-off of older breeding cows and dry conditions in Southern Australia. 

A beloved Australian bird best known for its stunning tail and powers of mimicry may have a cunning hidden talent. New research has revealed the superb lyrebird to be a resourceful farmer, creating micro-habitats to host and fatten its prey before returning later to feast. 

In 1903, the island of Bali was visited by W.O.J. Nieuwekamp (WOJ, 1874-1950), a self-taught artist and journalist, who recognised the astonishing virtuosity of local artists, be they weaver, carvers, painters or builders. His travelling companion was the archaeologist/ethnographer Franz Heger (1853-1931), who was later to found the Museum of Ethnology in Vienna.

The day started rather innocuously on 18 March 2018 at Tathra, a serene coastal town nestled amidst the forested hills of southern New South Wales, renowned for its natural beauty near the sea. Yet, by 5 pm, this picturesque setting became the backdrop for a disaster that laid bare systemic failures in firefighting coordination, urban planning and bushfire preparedness.