The Institute for Land, Water and Society is one of four Centres of Research Excellence within Charles Sturt University, Australia. Its principal focus is on integrated research which contributes to improved social and environmental sustainability in rural and regional areas
What's new:
Immediate action needed on climate change
The Australian government needs to enact stricter climate change policies now, according to climate change policy expert Professor Kevin Parton. Professor Parton, a senior ILWS researcher, said the release of the Fifth Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report last weekend provides an opportune time to consider five important questions related to Australia’s production of so-called 'greenhouse gases'. Read more
Blame the Perch if it rains fish
Did you know if it is raining fish, then it is most likely to be the Spangled Perch, known to have astounding dispersal abilities? That you can find a nursery for fish eggs under the hood of some male fish? And do you know the age of a 30 kilogram Murray Cod? You can find answers to these and much more in the new book Ecology of Australian Freshwater Fishesthat was launched on Wednesday 18 September at CSU in Albury-Wodonga. Book editor and researcher in fish biology with the Institute for Land, Water and Society, Dr Paul Humphries, and several chapter authors from CSU were at the launch of the book which outlines the biology and ecology of Australian freshwater fish as part of the Murray Darling Seminar Series. Read more
Australia’s Landcare under international scrutiny
A Japanese university is seeking to extend the success of Australia’s Landcare movement, with its history of practical on-the-ground projects that protect the environment and maintain agricultural production. Read more
Bicycle answer to growing traffic problems? 
With the car traffic growing around Thurgoona and on its campus, ILWS researchers recently completed research to study how staff and students travelled to and from the CSU Albury-Wodonga campus and why they travelled the way they did. Read more
Healthy ecosystems are the key to productive agriculture
Stockholm may well seem a world away but the influence of our researchers does often cross the globe. Institute Director Professor Max Finlayson is the lead author of a Chapter on Wetlands in a new book "Managing Water and Agroecosystems for Food Security" edited by Eline Boelee, which was launched on September 4 at the IWMI Booth at Stockholm World Water Week.
Mistletoe birds are 'cheats'
Contrary to popular belief, specialist animals such as the Mistletoe bird from Australia are not vital to the spread of parasitic mistletoes through woodlands and forests. According to A/Prof David Watson, who recently had a paper published in the prestigious journal Oecologia, they ‘cheat’ on the efforts of more common birds that move mistletoe plants into new areas. Read more
Balancing development and conservation
Improving the lot of people in a poor, remote village amid a rainforest important for conserving the biodiversity of Laos has been the subject of intensive study by an ILWS Masters Student. Read More
ILWS Postgraduate Scholarships for 2014 intake 
Each year the Institute for Land, Water and Society awards 2 research higher degree scholarships to students keen to work in targeted research areas. APPLICATIONS are now open and must be submitted by October 31 2013
ILWS PhD Scholarship Available for November Start
An ILWS scholarship is now available for a full-time doctoral student interested in undertaking research into one of the following areas:
- Regional ageing – how elderly people cope with disaster
- Risk perception, insurance and the economics of disaster
- The professionalization of volunteer training
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