Climate & Biodiversity

A significant focus of the physical and social science at the Environment Institute address how climate change affects biodiversity.

Our capabilities look to simultaneously addressing cost, climate change resilience and future biodiversity outcomes over expansive landscapes.

As Australia introduces carbon pricing, biodiversity premiums and major funding through its $946 million Biodiversity Fund, the Australian Government is seeking to enhance the effectiveness of its programs.

At the same time, scientific capabilities - focusing on climate change, biodiversity, genetics and landscape transformation - have advanced significantly in recent years.

Across the Environment Institute there is a substantial body of physical and social science addressing such issues. This work will inform biodiversity program assessment and enhancement. These capabilities particularly address maintaining and improving ecosystems while also designing for the future resilience of such systems as the climate changes.

This science has the potential to assist our biodiversity programs. In particular, it is relevant to assessing complex interactions - what are likely to be the best restoration and enhancement approaches?

We need to simultaneously address cost, climate change resilience and future biodiversity outcomes over expansive landscapes. What project-scale outcomes could we assess today for better future results?

Research can help to:

• maintain ecosystem function and increase ecosystem resilience to climate change
• increase and improve the management of biodiverse carbon stores
• ensure the persistence of essential ecosystem services like water provision, pollination and soil health

Further details on this work are here: Biodiversity and Climate Research booklet (1MB pdf). Also see the Biodiversity and climate change page and the TREND program in whole ecosystems.

Professor Andy Lowe explains the importance of biodiversity and some of the system and climate threats: