ILWS - Institute of Land, Water and Society
Current Media Releases
Archive 2013 / 2012 / 2011 / 2010 / 2009 / 2008 / 2007/ 2006 / 2005
Immediate action needed on climate change
30 September
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'.
Blame the Perch if it rains fish
16 September
Did you know if it is raining fish, then it is most likely to be the Spangled Perch, known to have astounding dispersal abilities? D Paul HumphriesThat 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 Fishes being 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 will be on hand at the launch of the book which outlines the biology and ecology of Australian freshwater fish as part of the Murray Darling Seminar Series, starting at 3 pm.
Australia’s Landcare under international scrutiny
10 September
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.
Bicycle answer to growing traffic problems?
10 September
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.
Mistletoe birds are 'cheats'
2 September
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.
Balancing development and conservation
19 August
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.
Food security in Australia, worldwide: CSU experts
15 August
Four CSU experts in food security provided insights in various aspects of this growing issue for the nation during a public forum held at CSU in Albury-Wodonga on Wednesday 14 August.
Research eyes to Bhutan
13 August
ILWS is looking to expand its relations with the isolated Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, particularly in research into environmental management. Director of the Council for Renewable Natural Resources Research in Bhutan, Dr Tashi Samdup, is visiting Albury to discuss future collaboration.
The private world of intelligence
5 August
The increasing privatisation of intelligence activities around the globe in recent years will be discussed during a one-day symposium in Canberra this week
CSU election analysis
5 August
As the candidates hit the hustings ahead of the 2013 Federal Eelection on Saturday 7 September ILWS researchers Dr Troy Whitford, Professor John Hicks and Professor Kevin Parton can provide comment and analysis
Is a 'green' roof good for you?
2 August
How proximity to a 'green' roof or wall affects city residents is the subject of a research project being carried out in Sydney by Charles Sturt University (CSU) student, Ms Karina Maloney.
New research into agricultural land use in Australia
31 July
New research at ILWS examining what drives agricultural land use change in Australia has found that changes in commodity prices, total land holdings and rainfall only have a minor impact on land allocations in the short term. The study, published in the latest Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics examines the role that output and input prices, total land holdings and climate have on land use in Australia over the last three decades
Debate to nut out food security
July 29
Food security is shaping as a critical issue for all Australians, especially those in the Murray Darling Basin. In the lead-up to the next federal election, ILWS will host a public debate that will explore the views of candidates standing for the election, as well as CSU experts, on important aspects around food security at CSU in Albury-Wodonga on Wednesday 14 August.
Goodbye carbon tax: hello ETS
July 16
ILWS economist Professor Kevin Parton has welcomed news the carbon tax will be scrapped next year in favour of an early start to an emissions trading scheme (ETS).
What's an urban river worth?
11 July 
While there has been much research about rivers in rural and remote Australia, including by CSU, an ILWS PhD student from Botswana is examining the Cooks and Georges Rivers in Sydney, NSW, to estimate the value to urban communities of improved riverine health.
Beauty of the beast
24 June
For most of us, ticks and lice mean those nasty little parasitic creatures that feed on the blood or other bits of their hosts. For ILWS wildlife researcher Dr Maggie Watson, they are anything but nasty.
Do we look for the health messages?
18 June
ILWS researchers are investigating what rural and regional Australians know about common, everyday health risks and activities. The researchers are seeking metropolitan and rural participants to undertake an online survey here.
Stop selling off national parks: ILWS expert
30 May 
Leading ILWS ecologist Associate Professor David Watson is part of a vocal group of Australian researchers who fear our parks will become playgrounds for the rich rather than reserves for Australia’s endangered plants and animals.
No future for Australian car makers
28 May 
Government assistance to prop-up Australian car manufacturing is a waste of taxpayers’ money according to ILWS researcher Professor Kishor Sharma who said funding should instead be targeted at supporting workers who will lose their jobs. He said the closure of Ford Australia’s manufacturing plants in 2016 should not be a catalyst for more industry assistance
Farmers want water 'banked' for future droughts
20 May
Australian farmers want excess water from large floods to be ‘banked’ in aquifers for use in dry times. A survey by the National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training (NCGRT), which included ILWS researchers, shows that farmers in the Namoi catchment area in the Murray Darling Basin (MDB) mainly support water banking, or storing extra water underground, from large floods.
ILWS experts discuss Federal Budget
13 May
A looming election, a $17 billion dollar shortfall in revenue, and education reforms and a disability insurance scheme to fund, has set the scene for the federal Budget on Tuesday 14 May.
Costs and benefits of farm finance package: ILWS expert
30 April
An ILWS expert in international trade has highlighted the costs and benefits of the farm finance support package announced last weekend by the Federal government.
Canadian expert at Regional Rail Revival forum in Blayney
23 April 2013
A Canadian rail expert will speak at a seminar in Blayney on Friday 10 May about the potential for the redevelopment of freight railways in regional areas and how interstate and overseas railways have been revived for national and local benefit.
Climate change and Australia's obligations for significant wetlands
15 April 2013
A national meeting, run by ILWS, will this week debate what information Australia needs to meet its international obligations for its inland and coastal wetlands covered by the international Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. Read more
Environment educators meet in Albury
9 April 2013
Environmental educators from across the Murray Darling Basin have gathered this week at CSU in Albury-Wodonga to describe their opportunities and problems and discuss collaborations in the coming year. The meeting, on Thursday 11 and Friday 12 April,is being hosted by the Regional Centre for Expertise in Education for Sustainable Development (RCE-MD) based at CSU.
For whom the Bell Frog calls
19 March 2013 
ILWS PhD candidate Ms Carmen Amos is yet to see the elusive Southern Bell Frog, a threatened species in NSW, but the fact that she heard one call was “incredibly exciting”. It is the first time in more than 30 years that a Southern Bell Frog had been reported in the lower Lachlan catchment in the central west NSW.
China producing more, polluting less
12 March 2013
Research by ILWS researchers, including Professor John Hicks, into a decade of development in China provides little support for the so-called ‘pollution haven’ hypothesis and indicates that this is an inappropriate argument to be used against the introduction of pollution abatement measures, such as the carbon tax, in developed economies.
Seeking residents' views on nature and conservation
5 March 2013
Two ILWS researchers want to learn more about what the residents of Thurgoona and Wirlinga on the north-east edge of Albury know and understand about conservation and the plants and animals that live in the area.