It’s that time of the year where fieldwork is starting to slow down, and our researchers are working busy closing out projects. This autumn, we undertook fieldwork in a variety of ecosystems across the state, from the semi-arid plains of the Mallee to the temperate forests around Gippsland. We continue to collaborate with Traditional Owners and local communities on a number of projects that are looking to apply two ways of knowing and cultural management practices, that benefit the health of our environment, native species, Country and people.

In this eNews, you can read about our collaborative research with the Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation on managing flows in Mooralbool Yaluk, and the monitoring outcomes of threatened plants after fire and flood to understand their ecology and inform conservation efforts.

Best wishes

James Todd

Chief Biodiversity Officer and Director of the Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research (DEECA)

 

Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation (WTOAC) have managed the release of two river flows downstream of the Bostock Reservoir. ARI monitored the plant and animal community response to the flows and assessed how managed flows can benefit water quality and riverine ecosystems. The findings help support WTOAC to make informed decisions to improve Cultural and ecological values of the Moorabool Yaluk.

Enfield Grevillea is a small shrub endemic to a small area near Ballarat. They are threatened by inappropriate fire regimes and cinnamon fungus. We established monitoring sites to study their response to different fire intervals and highlight the need for long-term monitoring to inform planned burns.

We have been monitoring the endangered Winged Peppercress population at Hattah Lakes since 2019. After the 2022 flood, we found that the population had responded positively, with a large increase in plant numbers. Highlighting the value of long-term monitoring to track population trends and inform species recovery.

Recent editions to our Aquatic Quarterly Update is now available. It feature updates on our long-term flow regime program VEFMAP, the restoration of once degreaded floodplain wetlands, and Conservation Hathery achievements.

Lookout for our upcoming Terrestrial Quarterly Update coming soon.

Interested in receiving these directly? All are welcome to sign up!

Bail, N.J., Lumsden, L.F., Reardon, T., van Harten, E., Clissold, P. & Prowse, T.A. (2025). Emergence and Return Times in a Colonial, Cave‐Dwelling Bat: Age and Sex Differences Driven by Reproductive Cycle. Ecology and Evolution, 15(5), p.e71281.

Barrow, J. S., Morrongiello, J. R., Koehn, J.D., Zampatti, B., Fanson, B., Thiem, J. D., Tonkin, Z., Koster, W. M., Butler, G. L., Strawbridge, A., Brooks, S. G., Woods, R., & Yen, J.D.L. (2024). Dispersal direction, geographic location and river discharge all influence juvenile growth of a freshwater fish. Freshwater Biology, 69, 1716–1726.

Cally, J.G., Macak, P.V., Chick, M. P., Blake, B., Wagner, B., & Ramsey, D.S.L. (2024). Mature forest habitat mitigates the decline of an endangered greater glider population through a widespread disturbance event. Forest Ecology and Management, 578.

Eyre Arabella C., Harley Dan K. P., Briscoe Natalie J., Lumsden Lindy F., McComb Leo B., Lentini Pia E. (2025) A possum’s cautionary tale: targeted surveys in north-eastern Victoria fail to detect Leadbeater’s possum in remnant forest within its historic range. Australian Mammalogy 47.

Jones, M., Moloney, P., Hale, R., Stuart, I., O'Connor, J., & Tonkin, Z. (2025). More than the sum of their parts—Environmental flows increase fish movement and fishway functionality. Ecological Engineering, 214, 107566.

Moxham, C., Duncan, M., & Kenny, S. A. (2025). Winged peppercress “Lepidium monoplocoides” population and habitat observations at Hattah-Kulkyne National Park, Victoria. The Victorian Naturalist, 142(1), 4–12.

O’Connor, J., Jones, M., Amtstaetter, F., Cornell, G., Danger, A., Ewing, T., Fanson, B. & Stuart, I., (2025). Remediating a fishway entrance to improve fish attraction: a framework for success. Journal of Ecohydraulics, pp.1-11.

Sinclair, S.J., Batpurev, K., Liu, C., Avirmed, O., Avirmed, B., Ricard, B., White, M.D., Erdengerel, A., Miller, D.J. & Olson, K. (2025). Certifying the sustainability of herding practices in Mongolia. Nature Sustainability 8, 245–255.

Woodford, L., & Cripps, J. K. (2025). Evidence of Persistence of Two Small, Sympatric Threatened Mammals (Dasyuridae) Following a Major Flood Event. Austral Ecology, 50(5), e70052.

To celebrate Reconciliation Week, our recent seminar featured ARI herpetologist Katie Howard and Yorta Yorta Elder and international researcher, Lee Joachim. They shared with us insights to their incredible 16year collaborative turtle research in the Barmah-Milewa Forest, combining cultural and scientific knowledge, improve understanding of turtle populations, and help protect culturally significant totem species.

A recording of this seminar is available on our seminar web page.

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Compiled by Raras Santosa

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