The Black Summer bushfires that occurred in Australia from September 2019 to February 2020 can be marked as a turning point regarding our nations understanding of fire.  17 billion hectares of Australian land was burnt, and it was estimated that over one billion animals perished (Dickman, 2021). Years after this disaster, experts are still grappling with the full extent and impacts this event had on the natural world. This situation left many questioning whether this environmental emergency could have been prevented, and if we are truly in touch with our country.  Satellite image of fires burning and smoke in NSW, November 9th, 2019 - Source: https://theconversation.com/australias-black-summer-of-fire-was-not-normal-and-we-can-prove-it-172506 Having spent my honours year researching the effects of fire-fighting chemicals on amphibian health, development, growth and behaviour, I have always had a natural interest in fire ecology and methods of fire prevention. This led me to delve into the subject of fires in Australia, guiding me to a book that truly changed my perspective.  Victor Steffensen is an Indigenous filmmaker, musician and consultant that applies traditional knowledge in a contemporary context. His book Fire Country,  tells the story of how he learnt about traditional burning techniques from two elders, Dr Tommy George (TG) and Dr George Musgrave (Poppy). The book provides a guide to reading the country, resulting in finding natural indicators in the landscape for ideal time for burns to occur in a range of Australian habitats. Victor possesses critical and invaluable knowledge, with more than 27 years of experience in Indigenous fire management, and the revival of these practices are needed now more than ever.  Watch the link below to learn more about Victor and his extensive expertise on indigenous fire management:  Author: Kate Tunstill Dickman, C.R., 2021. Ecological consequences of Australia's “Black Summer” bushfires: Managing for recovery.  Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management ,  17 (6), pp.1162-1167.

Matt was invited to India’s Gir National Park (home of the only lion population outside of Africa) by the International Big Cat Alliance ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Big_Cat_Alliance ; @IBCA_official) for a conference as part of World Lion Day in August 2024. What an opportunity – seeing the Gir lions in the flesh, and catching up with a student he is co-supervising (Prashant Mahajan). Unfortunately, the horrific floods in Gujarat and Kerala meant the conference was cancelled, but an online version went ahead. Matt spoke about the impact of a drying climate on the prey preferences of lions in South Africa. He had 101 years of data from six savanna protected areas to test whether prey preferences changed in above average or below average rainfall years. It turns out that there are winners and losers from climate change, although the vast majority of species are uniformly selected by lions reflecting the long evolutionary history of interactions between predators and their prey (e.g., buffalo). Several smaller (sub-optimal) species become more preferred during above average rainfall – likely because there is more vegetation cover available to conceal lions and enable them to opportunistically kill species (e.g., blesbok, nyala or duiker). A couple of species are more frequently killed by lions during drier periods (kudu and eland), and these are the species that may be most at risk at the peak of global warming. Now to get it published!

Overseas experiences are unbeatable ways of gaining a broader understanding of conservation issues, and the Conservation Science Research Group has a global perspective. In February 2024, Matt, Margaret Platell and Mike Mahony took a group of 20 undergraduate students to India to learn about the conservation issues they face over there, as well as experience the Indian culture. We landed in Jaipur, and headed to Sariska National Park to see a site where tigers had been reintroduced a decade or so ago – we missed the tigers, but did see good sightings of leopard and striped hyaena, as well as sambar and chital.   We next headed to Bharatpur and Keoladeo National Park, where we saw waterbirds in their multitudes. We ticked off 75 species in a morning here, as well as learning about how a conservation area surrounded by a large city can function.   We spent a day at the Taj Mahal, before heading down south to Kuno National Park, where cheetahs had been reintroduced in 2023. Unfortunately, they weren’t doing particularly well, and we didn’t see them, but we did see a heap of other biodiversity, and experienced an Indian wedding!   Our last destination was Ranthambore National Park – a renowned tiger sanctuary. And it didn’t disappoint. All groups saw a tiger, and some even had the tiger walk right past their open Jeep. Hectic!   As always, the people make a trip, and it was such a great group of students to experience these amazing things with. India has a much better conservation history than Australia, so there are plenty of lessons we need to learn from them. Author - Matt Hayward Credit: Paul McDonald

The Conservation Science Research Group at The University of Newcastle consists of a team of internationally recognised experts in biodiversity conservation with project experience in the natural environment and biodiversity; environmental monitoring, restoration ecology, behavioural ecology and cognition, instrumentation and analysis; marine pollution impacts; and sustainable adaptation in agriculture and forestry. Our website is still a work in progress, but we are excited to be able to share recent news via blog posts and advertise opportunities to work and volunteer with us. See below some happy snaps of our research group members. More blog posts coming soon!