At ESA14, held last year in Alice Springs, I was fortunate enough to see a series of talks on the intersection of  ‘nature’ and urbanisation (that is, ‘urban ecology’) by some of ESA’s excellent student and ECR members, such  as Caragh Threllfall and Pia Lentini. I was buoyed to see that so many researchers and practitioners  are working on how to maintain the function of native ecosystems and species across urban landscapes, rather  than simply documenting the doom‐and‐gloom of urban impacts! As a result, I was inspired to compile a series  of reports from ESA members across terrestrial and aquatic systems who are working in the field of urban  ecology, with a focus on adaptive management of native species and ecosystems in an increasingly urbanised  world. As humans first and biological conservationists second, are we able to have our cake and eat it too? Can  we conserve indigenous ecosystems and their constituent species in the face of exponential human population  growth, urbanisation and civic enterprise? After reading the contributions in this Special Issue of the Bulletin, I  hope you feel that the answer is possibly, hopefully yes! I wish to thank all contributors for their inspirational  work. For those readers who, like me, are bushies at heart, perhaps these reports can make urban ecologists of us yet!

I am also saddened to note the passing of Peter Clarke, Associate Professor in the School of Environmental and Rural Science at the University of New England, who died in December after a sustained and courageous battle with cancer. I never had the pleasure of meeting Peter, but I have used his research widely in my own research endeavours and teaching. In this Special Issue, David Keith pays tribute to Peter with an obituary of his life through the lens of research, teaching, friendship and mentorship.