ILWS - Institute of Land, Water and Society
Media Releases
2007
Trust in business relationships
21/11/07
A recently completed PhD research project examines the role of trust in business-to-business relationships. David Dowell says trust was one of several factors, including commitment, communication and liking, which influenced the success of these relationships...
New ecotourism book
14/11/07
A new book that looks at quality assurance tools and certification programs in ecotourism will be a valuable guide for new and existing ecotourism operators world-wide. Edited by Dr Rosemary Black from Charles Sturt University (and co-editor Dr Alice Crabtree) the book, Quality Assurance and Certification in Ecotourism, is the fifth in a series of books on ecotourism published by CABI, a UK Publisher...
New Frog Research
9/11/07
Frog populations are declining world-wide, and while a great deal of attention has been paid to factors like disease, the loss of natural habitat remains the single greatest threat to amphibian populations...
Conflict in the Arctic
20/10/07
A recent visit to the remote, uninhabited Kiska Island in the Bering Strait between Alaska and Russia was "beyond imagination" according to Assoc Prof Dirk Spennemann who will share his experience with a richly illustrated talk at a free public seminar on Thursday, October 25 from 6 to 7.30pm in the theatrette at the Army Museum at Bandiana, Wodonga...
Better Bush on Farms
6/09/07
What are the best ways to look after the remnants of native vegetation and paddock trees on farms? Are some of our current management practices such as fencing off with controlled grazing making a difference?What are the ecological outcomes of the millions of dollars invested by Government and landholders to try and halt or reverse the decline in the health and long term viability of these remnants?
With these kinds of questions in mind, a free one-day conference titled "Better Bush on Farms" will be held at the CD Blake Theatre, Thurgoona Campus, Charles Sturt University on Wednesday, September 19...
Cross-Boundary Farming forum
20/8/07
Lessons from the tilled and grazing Commons of the Middle Ages could well help farms in Australia , particularly smaller farms and holdings, become more sustainable. In that era farmers didn't have individual titles over land but instead farmed collectively on common property or "commons." A modern day adaptation of this concept is "cross-boundary farming" where farmers agree to pool their land resource and manage it as a whole...
Adventure of a lifetime
17/07/07
Assoc Prof Dirk Spennemann is off on an "excitement of a life-time" trip to a rugged and remote Alaskan island to do an inventory of the guns left behind by the Japanese during World War 2...
Foxes on the run!
2/07/07
PhD student Andrew Carter is tracking the movement of foxes around Nathalia, Victoria, so that fox baiting programs become more efficient...
Conference calls for action from Governments
24/05/07
As a major water conference in Albury, NSW, draws to a close4, questions are being asked about the length of time it is taking for national water reforms to come to fruition."Water reform has never been higher on the Australian consciousness," said commissioner with the National Water Commission, Prof Peter Cullen...
Save water by becoming a vegetarian!
23/05/07
A Melbourne university academic has suggested people can increase their water savings by making more informed choices in what they eat...
Climate change and our rivers
21/05/07
Annual streamflow into the Murray-Darling Basin is likely to fall by 10 to 25% by 2050, and by 16 to 48% by 2100 according to one of Australia 's leading experts on the effects of climate change on our river systems. "Our ongoing water security problems in southern and eastern Australia are likely to increase by 2030," said Dr Bryson Bates, Climate Science Leader for CSIRO's Division of Marine and Atmospheric Research...
Conference to examine state of rivers
18/5/07
About 250 people are expected to attend the 5 th Australian Stream Management Conference which will feature over 100 speakers including keynote speakers who will address the 'big picture' issues of water reform and climate change...
Increased Water Recovery Projects Costs
8/05/07
THE Prime Minister's $10 billion National Water Reform Plan for the Murray Darling Basin could double the price of water recovery projects according to Water for Rivers CEO Neville Smith...
Missing Ingredients
3/05/07
Mr Howard's $10 billion National Plan for Water Security is missing two essential ingredients - details on how public participation will be achieved, and an environmental perspective, according to Charles Sturt University Professor Kath Bowmer...
Management of all water as a single resource necessary
10/04/07
Ground water and surface water in the Murray Darling Basin need to be managed as a single resource for us to go forward in solving the current water crisis in the Basin according to one of Australia 's leading water scientists. "I think people have been having fantasies about ground water and during a drought think they can put down bores and everything will be all right," said Prof Peter Cullen, a member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists. ....more from Prof Cullen who will give the closing address at the 5ASM conference.
Learning by doing
10/04/07
For many of us 'learning by doing' is one of the most effective ways of acquiring new skills.So it seems just commonsense to use this approach, also described as adaptive management, when managing our natural resources. A two day Adaptive Management Workshop in Albury at the Lake Hume Resort on April 18-19 has been organised which will bring together experts in the field of adaptive management from a whole range of disciplines around the world with the aim of producing a handbook for natural resource managers world-wide...
New research on bird movements and bird flu
28/2/07
New research that will help us better understand the movements of birds and help evaluate the risk of susceptible species such as waterfowl bringing diseases such as avian influenza into the country is underway. Dr David Roshier is heading the first research study of its kind into the movement of waterfowl and other species between our nearest northern neighbours and Australia....
A revolution for regional rail
14/2/07
A gathering of regional rail advocates have called for the planning and co-coordination of transport at the regional level with local participation and control. This will require partnerships between local, state and commonwealth governments...
A Bold Initiative
1/2/07
The director of Charles Sturt University 's Institute for Land, Water and Society has welcomed the Prime Minister's plan for a $10 billion water reform for the Murray Darling Basin describing it as a "bold initiative."...
Likely to abort?
22/1/07
A study comparing attitudes to prenatal genetic testing and abortion among university students in three countries including Australia has found the Australians were more likely to consider a pregnancy termination if a predisposition to alcoholism, cancer, or a short life expectancy was diagnosed than their counterparts...