Our eNews is back in production and I welcome you to our first eNews for the year after a year-long hiatus.

I have been with ARI for a year now and have enjoyed working alongside researchers dedicated to delivering robust and high impact ecological research. Their expertise, commitment and enthusiasm make ARI a great place to be a part of and I look forward to the year ahead and sharing their brilliant work.

2024 was an incredibly busy year for us and the breadth of projects we got involved in continued to grow. In this eNews, we feature some of our highlights from 2024. Read more about our research and recovery actions for species impacted by the 2022 flood events, our collaborations between Traditional Owners and Government for a better future for the Wombat Forest, and how our connections to nature can help in community emergency management plans.

Best wishes for 2025.

James Todd

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

The October 2022 flood events had major impacts across Victoria’s environment, ecosystems and species. Our researchers worked across the state to assess the status of affected species and ecosystems, and informed habitat rehabilitation actions to support native species recovery.

The Victorian government has committed to create the Wombat-Lerderderg National Park, and to implement the park in partnership with three Registered Aboriginal Parties (RAPs) (Dja Dja Wurrung, Wadawurrung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung). The national park is expected to be created in 2025–2026. In 2024, ARI researchers facilitated discussions between the co-managers to share knowledge, identify management challenges, and create a shared vision for a healthy wombat forest.

Nature-led Community Resilience (NLCR) is about helping communities prepare for and recover from emergency events by strengthening their connection with nature. This first of its kind toolkit is now available to guide practitioners and communities in integrating a NLCR activities into emergency management and community planning.

Monitoring plants can tell us what plant species are present and how many there are in a defined area. The data obtained can then inform decisions in land management and biodiversity protection. ARI has developed a standardised guide for plant monitoring programs, designed for both citizen and professional researchers.

Catch up on last year projects with the 2024 ARI Quarterly Updates:

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

Anderson, R.O., Chown, S.L. and Leihy, R.I. (2024), Continent-wide analysis of moss diversity in Antarctica. Ecography e07353

Austin, L.M., Amos, J.N., Robledo‐Ruiz, D.A., Zhou, J.W., Clarke, R.H., Pavlova, A., and Sunnucks, P. (2024). Random Mating in a Hybrid Zone Between Two Putative Climate‐Adapted Bird Lineages With Predicted Mitonuclear Incompatibilities. Molecular Ecology, e17612.

Booth, E.J., Brauer, C.J., Sandoval-Castillo, J., Harrisson, K., Rourke, M.L., Attard, C.R.M., Gilligan, D.M., Tonkin, Z., Thiem, J.D., Unmack, P.J., Zampatti, B. and Beheregaray, L.B. (2024), Genomic Vulnerability to Climate Change of an Australian Migratory Freshwater Fish, the Golden Perch (Macquaria ambigua). Molecular Ecololgy, 33: e17570

Cally, J.G., Macak, P.V., Chick, M.P., Blake, B., Wagner, B., and Ramsey, D.S. (2025). Mature forest habitat mitigates the decline of an endangered greater glider population through a widespread disturbance event. Forest Ecology and Management, 578, 122440.

Hoegh-Guldberg, F., Visintin, C., Lentini, P., Selinske, M., and Bekessy, S. (2024). Where is the nature in nature-based flood management? Biodiversity is not considered enough. Science of The Total Environment, 957, 177698.

Lentini, P.E., Cripps, J K., Bush, A.J., and Lumsden, L.F., (2024). A confirmed range extension for the south‐eastern long‐eared bat (Nyctophilus corbeni) into the central Victorian Murray corridor. Austral Ecology, 49(11), e70007

Low, G.W., Pavlova, A., Gan, H.M., Ko, M.C., Sadanandan, K.R., Lee, Y.P., Amos, J.N., Austin, L., Falk, S., Dowling, D.K., and Sunnucks, P. (2024). Accelerated differentiation of neo-W nuclear-encoded mitochondrial genes between two climate-associated bird lineages signals potential co-evolution with mitogenomes. Heredity, 133(5)

Menon, V., Giljohann, K., Pascoe, J., Wintle, B., Robley, A., Town-Hopkinson, L., and Hradsky, B. (2025). Managing multiple threats: Evaluating the efficacy of broad-scale introduced predator management in improving native mammal resilience to fire. Biological Conservation, 301, 110847.

Muir, A.M., Amos, N.N., and Moloney, P.D., (2024). High fire severity and frequency threaten the persistence of a widespread obligate-seeder Banksia in south-eastern Australia. Australian Journal of Botany, 72, BT24048

Wilson, B.A., Agosta, K., Garkaklis, M.J., Cripps, J.K., Parrott, M.L., Cooke, R., and White, J.G. (2025). Identification and characteristics of refuges for the threatened swamp antechinus (Antechinus minimus maritimus) under climate change; targeted surveys across the Otway Ranges, south-east Australia. Australian Mammalogy, 47(1).

ARI’s seminar series is back for 2025! You can find scheduled seminars on the ARI Seminars webpage. These talks showcase the excellent applied ecological research from scientists at ARI and other organisations. It’s an important part of the intellectual life of our Institute, so come along and be part of our broader community.

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Compiled by Raras Santosa

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