Over 700 ecologists will meet online this week to discuss the biggest issues facing our planet at the 2021 Ecological Society of Australia Conference, 22 to 26 November.

Presentations to watch out for include:

Monday 22 November

• ‘Wind energy kills bats, but it doesn’t have to: working with industry for better outcomes’, Ms Emma Bennett, Monash University.
• ‘Endemic Australian reptiles threatened by international trade’, Mr Adam Toomes, University of Adelaide.
• ‘What’s required to recover all of Australia’s threatened species, and how much will this cost?’, Dr April Reside, University of Queensland. 
• ‘Can livestock guardian dogs protect threatened species? The effect of maremma sheepdogs on fox behaviour’, Dr Linda van Bommel, University of Tasmania.
• ‘​​Can ecological restoration restore health and wellbeing in rural communities?’, Dr Pauline Marsh, UTAS Centre for Rural Health.

Tuesday 23 November

• ‘Predicting future biodiversity land use conflicts’, Dr Payal Bal, University of Melbourne.
• ‘Impacts of COVID lockdowns on access to nature, connection to nature, and wellbeing among Victorians’, Dr Lily van Eeden, Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research
• ‘Long-term changes in bird species prevalence in Australia’s largest urban regions’, Mrs Carly Campbell, Griffith University.
• ‘Two-way learnings for conservation in a global biodiversity hotspot’, Dr Alison Lullfitz, University of Western Australia.

Thursday 25 November

• ‘A Global Threat Index for Marine Megafauna (TIMM)’, Miss Michelle Van Compernolle, University of Western Australia.
• ‘Future-proofing declining kelp forests with Green Gravel’, Ms Celina Burkholz, University of Western Australia.
• ‘Opportunities and threats to teaching ecology in universities’, Prof. Dieter Hochuli, University of Sydney. 
• ‘Effects of farm dams on frog biodiversity and carbon cycles’, Dr Martino Malerba, Deakin University. 

Friday 26 November

• ‘20 Million Trees but few benefits to threatened species: an assessment of the value of the Australian Federal Government’s ‘20 Million Trees’ scheme to threatened flora and fauna’, Mr Jayden Engert, James Cook University. 
• ‘Have we abandoned Australia’s forests to catastrophic fire?’, Dr Simon Connor, ANU School of Culture History and Language; ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage.
• ‘Evaluating biodiversity impact of a private land conservation program’, Dr James Brazill-Boast, NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust.
• ‘Facing ecosystem collapse using the 3As (Awareness, Anticipation and Action) Pathway of conservation decision science’, Dr Dana Bergstrom, Australian Antarctic Division.

For interviews or to receive alerts about the conference contact:
Grace Heathcote, Ecological Society of Australia, 0404 542 523,

Media releases: www.ecolsoc.org.au/media-and-events/media-releases

On Twitter: #ESAus21 // @EcolSocAus

Conference website: www.esa2021.org.au/