UQ students and staff launch new conservation mission

Growing concern about the worsening state of earth’s biodiversity has motivated a group of UQ students and staff to form the first Australian Chapter of the Society for Conservation Biology (SCB).

“Steadily increasing threats to biodiversity and increasingly cross–disciplinary problems were part of the reason that I decided to set up this Chapter,” said Megan Barnes, President of the Brisbane-UQ Chapter.

“We aim to bring together conservation scientists, land managers, economists, legal professionals and social scientists who share the SCB’s mission of advancing the science and practice of conserving the Earth’s biological diversity,” she said.

Although many groups focus on ecological issues, Ms Barnes said there was a need for an organisation to promote collaboration and said the 10,000-strong SCB was the perfect fit.

“I saw the Society's international reputation as a great way to bring together local expertise to achieve these goals at a regional level.”

Each chapter of the SCB has the freedom to focus on issues relevant to them, as long as they fit within the Society’s broad goal of using science-based evidence to promote the conservation of biodiversity worldwide.

“Chapters use the passion and expertise of their members to do this locally and regionally,” Ms Barnes said.

“We are very interested in being actively involved in a dialogue with other groups and institutions through actions like producing policy papers and submissions,” she said.

The Brisbane-UQ Chapter recently put forward a submission to the Draft Queensland Biodiversity Strategy as a step towards improving outcomes for biodiversity.

“The Draft Strategy is a step up from previous efforts, but it has a long way to go before it is a credible roadmap to halting the rapid declines in Queensland’s biodiversity,” Ms Barnes said.

Other chapters have worked with community grants to restore ecosystems, hosted regional conferences, conducted education and outreach programs and provide experts to their communities.

Ms Barnes and other members of the Chapter are full of ideas for the chapter’s future and are looking for likeminded individuals to take part in the in the groups activities.

“In short, being a member of the Chapter involves your presence, expertise and engagement, connecting with other conservation professionals and creates the opportunity to pursue important work to improve biodiversity outcomes."

How to get involved: You can find the Brisbane-UQ Chapter of SCB by visiting their website www.scbbrisbaneuq.org, connecting via Facebook and Twitter or subscribing to their Google Group www.scbbris@googlegroups.com

Media: Megan Barnes (megan.barnes@uq.edu.au or 0410 050 983).