ICON Science UniMelb

A blue and yellow graphic with a cutout portrait photo of Holly smiling at the camera. Repeating text behind the photo says "panel" four times with a blue flower and green stem wrapped around it on the left. A text tag to the right says "panel one". Beneath the photo Dr Holly Kirk's name is listed.

Introducing Dr Holly Kirk, one of our panelists for "Challenges & Opportunities in Urban Areas"! Holly is an urban ecologist researching and teaching in the School of Design and the Built Environment at Curtin University, specialising in the application of ecology to urban planning and design. 🧵

A blue and yellow graphic with a cutout portrait photo of Sarah smiling at the camera. Repeating text behind the photo says "panel" four times with a blue flower and green stem wrapped around it on the left. A text tag to the right says "panel one". Beneath the photo Sarah Bekessy's name is listed.

Introducing another panelist for "Challenges & Opportunities in Urban Areas", Professor Sarah Bekessy! An ARC Industry Laureate Fellow, she leads the ICON Science research group at the University of Melbourne which uses interdisciplinary approaches to solve complex biodiversity conservation problems

Sunshine, Science and Nature-Positive Cities: ICON at ESA 2025 

https://icon-science.org/sunshine-science-and-nature-positive-cities-icon-at-esa-2025/

Illustration of a peregrine falcon flying into a glass window with text explaining window collisions cause up to 21% of urban falcon deaths. Overlay text reads: Birds Don't See Pane Glass. A Pane in the Glass. Collisions with windows and buildings are a leading cause of falcon deaths. A study in New England found that window collisions caused up to 21% of urban falcon fatalities. Make Windows Visible to Birds. Make windows visible to birds by using special window films. They're easy to apply to windows at home and at work. Find them on our website at shop.environmentamericas.org

21% of urban falcon deaths are caused by window collisions. 🪟

Birds struggle to see clear glass, adding markings or special films can make windows visible and save lives.

👉 Learn more with Environment for the Americas: https://www.migratorybirdday.org/

Venn diagram of how Indigenous land management intersects with western principles.

Tiahni Adamson's keynote is speaking to how cultural capability can be deepened in ecological orgs.
@ecolsocaus.bsky.social #ESA2025

Begin by looking at this paper
link.springer.com/article/10.1... which looks at how western and Traditional knowledge overlaps but also does not!

A talk title slide that reads: "Designing for nature doesn't cost the Earth". The talk is to be given by Dr Jacinta Humphrey from ICON Science at RMIT University. The image on the title slide shows a stylised render of a small urban park - the sun is shining down on a diversity of native grasses and understorey plants. In the background, you can see a person walking along a walking path, as well as suburban rooftops and large canopy trees (likely eucalypts). The image is a beautiful mix of oranges and greens. The ESA 2025 logo sits in the top right-hand corner.

I’m thrilled to be here on #KaurnaCountry in #Adelaide to attend #ESA2025! I’m presenting in the #NaturePositive Cities session at 11.30am on Wed. Come along to hear about how much it’s going to cost to implement #BSUD actions in our rapidly growing suburbs 🏘️ @ecolsocaus.bsky.social

It’s great to see more local councils across Australia introducing 24/7 cat containment to reduce the number of pet cats roaming the streets. Cats kept securely contained indoors or in a run live much longer and healthier lives, and it helps protect our native wildlife @euanritchie.bsky.social

From frog saunas to butterfly puddles: 8 ways to turn your homes into a wildlife refuge Urban sprawl has forced native animals and humans to live close together. Here are eight ways to make your home a refuge for wildlife.

And Beth summarises the range of methods we can use to support #urbanNature in this @aunz.theconversation.com article:
🌏
theconversation.com/from-frog-sa...

Birds and cities don’t always mix well. But small changes in our behaviour can make a difference Spring is a great time of year for noticing neighbourhood birds. Here are some simple ideas for helping the birds in Australian back yards, cities and towns

Are you looking to attract native birds to your garden this spring? 🦜 🏡 Here's some top tips from @drkyliesoanes.bsky.social and yours truly!

www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

#BirdsInBackyards #UrbanNature #WildlifeGardening #CitizenScience

Helping our feathered neighbours thrive - ICON Science Spring is in the air, Guardian Australia’s ‘Bird of the Year’ poll is now open, and the Aussie Bird Count is just around the corner – what better time to stop and think about how you can support nativ...

Looking for tips on how to care for wildlife at home?! The ICON team has you covered 😜

Check out the latest blogs on the ICON website here:
icon-science.org/how-to-turn-...
icon-science.org/helping-our-...

NGV Exhibition: When wildlife moves in - ICON Science Native animals can make for excellent neighbours – blue-banded bees pollinate our vegetable gardens; microbats eat up to 1200 mosquitoes per night; powerful owls keep rodents at bay. But could we go o...

New ICON blog post: icon-science.org/ngv-exhibiti...

🦜✨ The Aussie Bird Count is back 20–26 Oct!

Spend just 20 mins counting birds in your backyard, balcony, schoolyard, workplace or local park.

Last year 57k people counted 4.1M birds – let’s make 2025 bigger! 🐦

Register now! 👉 aussiebirdcount.org.au

#AussieBirdCount #BirdLifeOz

The riot of colour that is springtime flora in Western Australia, a sparkling patchwork of plants on display at the Kings Park botanic garded in Boorloo (Perth, WA).

Come and do a PhD with me! 🎓 🌏 🧑‍💻 🏙️ 🗺️ 🌿 🪶🧪
I have TWO projects eligible the 2025 Curtin University RTP scholarship round:

Benchmarking biodiversity outcomes for nature positive urban development:
research.curtin.edu.au/hdr-r-projec...

#wildOz #urbanNature

Conservation community unites in Meanjin for ICCB 2025  - ICON Science Last month, the 32nd International Congress for Conservation Biology (ICCB 2025) took place in Brisbane/Meanjin, Australia. ICON Science was well-represented at the meeting with seven current lab memb...

New blog post up now on the ICON website! Subscribe for updates via the homepage: icon-science.org/conservation...

A massive congratulations to ICON Science Lab Head, Prof. @sbekessy.bsky.social, who has been successful in securing an ARC Industry Laureate Fellowship for 2025!! Congratulations Sarah!! 👏🏼🎉🥂

Read more about Sarah's project here: www.arc.gov.au/2025-industr...

Call for abstracts: ESA2025 conference

Just over a week to go until the deadline for conference abstracts for ESA2025 🪶

Don't miss the chance to present your work in front of peers and experts in Adelaide this November.

Submit your abstracts online now: esa2025.org.au

#ESA2025 #ESAus2025 #ecology

What's Hot in Ecology?! 🚨 🔥 📢 🪴 🐾

Working on a topic you think needs attention?
Our symposium at #ESAus2025 Adelaide is a great opportunity to present AND publish your Hot Topic!

What's a @ecolsocaus.bsky.social Hot Topic? Check them out here: www.ecolsoc.org.au/publications...
🌏 #wildOZ 🧪

A photo of a green building facade in Brisbane. There are plants cascading down over the edge of a balcony in front of a cafe.

An avenue of large fig trees planted along the Brisbane River foreshore at South Bank, Brisbane.

A photo of the famous Grand Arbour at South Bank, Brisbane - a kilometre long walkway covered in purple bougainvillea.

A seating area at South Bank, Brisbane with hanging planter boxes and dense garden beds nearby.

Last month, I had the opportunity to attend the International Congress for Conservation Biology (ICCB) in Meanjin/Brisbane. It was great event, but the thing that really struck me was Brisbane's urban greening! 🌿

#ICCB2025 #UrbanGreening #Brisbane

A photo of a speaker from the 'Conservation by Design' symposium at the International Congress for Conservation Biology 2025 in Meanjin/Brisbane.

A great session at #ICCB2025 highlighting the importance of co-design/participatory design and behavioural change when implementing conservation interventions. People and nature are intertwined and communities should have the opportunity to contribute to the design and implementation of solutions 👏🏼

A photo of Dr Patt Finnerty presenting his research on 'urban rewilding' at the International Congress for Conservation Biology 2025 in Meanjin/Brisbane. Patt is a young white man and is standing on a small stage behind a lectern.

Great to see Dr Patt Finnerty presenting his research on 'urban rewilding' at #ICCB2025. Patt emphasised that we are losing biodiversity from urban areas but often species reintroductions occur outside of cities. We need more fauna translocations in the suburbs! 🏡

This photo features (left-right): Matthew Selinske, @sbekessy.bsky.social, @jacintahumphrey.bsky.social, Fiona Hoegh-Guldberg, Dale Wright, Georgia Garrard, @lilyvaneeden.bsky.social and Ascelin Gordon.

A photo of eight white people at a conference poster session in a large hall. Each person is wearing a blue and white name badge on a long white string, and is smiling at the camera.

The ICON Science Research Group, including both current and recent alumni, was well represented at the #ICCB2025 poster session last night! You can catch our lab head, Prof. Sarah Bekessy (@sbekessy.bsky.social), speaking in 'The future of designing with urban wildlife' session at 3.15pm in M4.

Ricky Archer, the first Indigenous Director of National Parks at Parks Australia, addresses the audience at ICCB 2025.

#ICCB2025 has officially started in Meanjin/Brisbane! This morning we are fortunate to hear from Ricky Archer, Director of National Parks at Parks Australia, and A/Prof Binbin Li from Duke Kunshan University.

ICON Science will be here all week so stay tuned for updates!

Are you a fan of urban birds? Keen to know how we can better support native birds in our cities? Come along to my speed talk tomorrow to find out!

* Mon 16 June at 10.30am *
"Sustainable Land and Water Use" in Room M2

#ICCB2025 #Conference #Research #SciComm #Conservation #UrbanEcology #Birds

ICON member live on 3RRR: The value of informal green spaces - ICON Science Dr Hugh Stanford was recently invited to talk about his research on a local Melbourne radio show called ‘Einstein A Go-Go’ on the 3RRR station. Hosted by Dr Shane Huntington, the aim of the show is “E...

New ICON blog post! 📢📢

icon-science.org/icon-member-...

Coming to #ICCB2025 in Meanjin/Brisbane? 📢

Join our workshop ‘A holistic approach for understanding the diverse influences of conservation' on Sunday June 15.

Limited spots available: www.xcdsystem.com/iccb/program...

@society4conbio.bsky.social #ICCB

How do we achieve nature positive? A vision and targets for the UK residential and commercial development sector - npj Urban Sustainability npj Urban Sustainability - How do we achieve nature positive? A vision and targets for the UK residential and commercial development sector

🌿 How do we achieve nature positive development? 🌿

Our new study in npj Urban Sustainability lays out a bold roadmap for transforming the UK’s residential and commercial development sector to achieve a nature positive future.

doi.org/10.1038/s429...

#NaturePositive 1/4

Hawaiian caterpillar patrols spiderwebs camouflaged in insect prey’s body parts Lepidoptera is the most herbivorous of all the insect orders, with predatory caterpillars globally comprising less than 0.13% of the nearly 200,000 moth and butterfly species. Here, we report a specie...

Today is the day you learn about goth caterpillars, hanging out in Hawaiian spiderwebs, eating leftover bits of other insects, covered in a suit of corpses.
🌏🧪🐛🕸️
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

The Early Bird Registration deadline is approaching quickly! Make sure to register by April 15th to guarantee that your presentation is included in the congress and to get the best conference rates.
#ICCB2025 #conservation #networking

Last chance: the extinction crisis this election is ignoring Australia is facing an extinction crisis. Over the next week, we will bring you stories of hope, resilience and determination as passionate volunteers across...

The issue that politicians are ignoring in their election campaigning but that matters to us all.

Compelling 1 minute video by @australia.theguardian.com

champ.ly/qLZJzvkR