The Melbourne Newsroom

Scientists have identified a significant problem with current biodiversity management programs and are urging for a large-scale review into conservation techniques that deal with the effects of climate change. The research is published in the latest edition of Nature.

New calculations reveal that the number of species on Earth is likely to be in the order of several million rather than 10’s of millions. The findings, from a University of Melbourne-led study, are based on a new method of estimating tropical insect species—the largest and one of the most difficult groups on the planet to study—having significant implications for conservation efforts.

A new study has revealed that lizard, snake and frog populations in Melbourne have declined dramatically since human settlement, and in order to conserve our reptiles and amphibians it is the quality, and not just the quantity of habitat that will help maintain biodiversity in our cities.