Educators/Researchers

There is a little bit of magic happening on Wednesdays at the Planetary Health Centre as young volunteers from Kindlehill School, and Council staff, work together to create a demonstration site for the wider community. This hands-on program is inspiring all involved, including teacher Sarah Daniel.

The Murray crayfish disappeared from large parts of its range over the past 40 years. Now a community-driven reintroduction program is bringing the iconic species back.

Native bee researcher Kit Prendergast installed a thousand bee hotels in the Jarrah forests of Western Australia following the Black Summer bushfires. Did this intervention work? Read her article here.

Playgrounds can host a variety of natural wonders – and, of course, kids! Now some students are not just learning about insects and spiders at school — they are putting them on the map and even discovering and naming new species.

Protected areas such as national parks, nature reserves and Indigenous lands are the foundation of biodiversity conservation. However, climate change is threatening their effectiveness in safeguarding wildlife, ecosystem services and livelihoods.

Andy Klotz and other members of the Hawkesbury Herpetological Society recently managed to photograph the rarely seen and endangered Litoria littlejohni, also known as the Northern Heath Frog or Orange-bellied Tree Frog. We interviewed Andy to learn more about the Littlejohni and how they managed to find its small local population in Woodford.

Building science journalism is pivotal to tackling planetary health, and collaborating internationally is critical as we work together to protect the health of all species. In early April the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Centre took part in a project funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) entitled “Advancing Science Communication for Planetary Health”

Last week around 160 first year medical students were introduced to Planetary Health and Dharug culture at the Planetary Health Centre, with presentations by Professor Lynne Madden from Notre Dame, Lis Bastian from the Planetary Health Centre and Dharug man Chris Tobin.

The South Eastern Glossy Black Cockatoo is one of Australia's rarest native birds, with a population of just 8,000. Happily the staff and students at Glenbrook Public School were not willing to give up on the flocks who make their home in the Blue Mountains region, with the Glossy Black Cockatoo as the theme for their recent National Science Week program.

Ever wondered what the world looks like to a tiny insect? That question was the basis of a recent interactive community performance MAGNIFY, featuring environmental songstress Amelie Ecology and hosted by Wildground Creative Adventures.