Griffith University Scientists present a FREE Information Session: Eungella Biodiversity Study.

Impacts of climate change on Eungella National Park is the topic of the presentation on Wednesday, August 20 from 6pm to 8pm
at the Lynette Denny Space at the MECC. RSVP by Monday, August 18 to madonna.iliffe@mackay.qld.gov.au.

This free information session is a great opportunity for biology and science students, teachers and any interested residents.

Topics covered include the anticipated results and findings of the Biodiversity Study, birds of Eungella and ant responses to altitude in Eungella National Park.

The Eungella Biodiversity Study project was jointly funded by Mackay Regional Council and Griffith University School of Environment.

RSVP by Monday, August 18 to madonna.iliffe@mackay.qld.gov.au.

Eungella Biodiversity Study:

Eungella is part of an international scientific study that will help monitor the impacts of climate change on the biodiversity of the picturesque national park.

Mackay Regional Council has approved funding of $115,000 to partner with researchers from Griffith University's School of Environment to complete a Biodiversity, Monitoring and Research Study Project.

A team of scientists will survey 20 rainforest sites at four different elevations to determine which species are unique to particular parts of the rainforest and how they adapt to different climates; information yielded will determine which species will require ongoing monitoring as our climate changes.

Meet the scientists:

Professor Roger Kitching

Professor Roger Kitching holds the Chair of Ecology within the Griffith School of the Environment. He holds doctorates from Oxford (DPhil) and Griffith University (DSc) and graduated in zoology and entomology from Imperial College, London.

His research interests span most areas of insect ecology and its application. He has worked extensively on communities held within small water-bodies and published Food Webs and Container Habitats (CUP, 2000) summarising this work.

Most recently he has developed techniques for surveying insects (and other arthropods) in rainforests and, in this connection, has carried out field work in south-east Asia, Borneo, China, Central America, southern Europe, Vanuatu and

Papua New Guinea as well as Australia. His recent work has been directed towards identifying indicators of climate change through studies of change along altitudinal gradients.

Professor Kitching co-edited the volume Arthropods of Tropical Forests published by CUP in 2003. In addition to his research Kitching is heavily engaged in advising government on biodiversity issues.

He was Special Commissioner on the Resource Assessment Commission's inquiry into mining at Coronation Hill and he was the first Chair of the federal government's Biodiversity Advisory Council. Currently he chairs the Scientific

Advisory Committee for the Gondwana Rainforests World Heritage Area and is a member of the High Level Advisory Group on biodiversity and climate change of the Department of Climate Change.

Professor Kitching sits on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and is one of the coordinating lead authors in the latest interntional report on climate change.

Dr Chris Burwell

Chris Burwell joined the Queensland Museum in 1995 and is now Senior Curator of insects. He has a 20% co-appointment with Griffith University where he is a lecturer in the Griffith School of Environment.

Chris received his entomological training at the University of Queensland where he graduated with an Honours degree and was awarded the prestigious University medal in 1988 and a PhD in 1995.

Chris' research interests focus on the taxonomy, biology and ecology of Hymenoptera, the bees, wasps and ants. He specialises in ants and minute parasitic wasps (Chalcidoidea).

Current research projects include investigating the potential of ants as bio-indicators of climate change in the subtropical rainforest of Lamington National Park (as part of the IBISCA Queensland project). In collaboration with the Queensland Parks and Wildlife service, Chris and Dr Aki Nakamura are assessing the impacts of invasive ants on the insects and spiders of coral cays in the southern Great Barrier Reef.

Chris has an ongoing research interest in the diet of insectivorous vertebrates and the co-evolution of insects and their predators. This work is mostly carried out in collaboration with Dr Chris Pavey from the Northern Territory Government. Recent work on this topic has focussed on the diet of endangered central Australian mammals including the Southern marsupial-mole, Brush-tailed mulgara, and Kowari.

Dr Louise Ashton

Dr Louise Ashton has completed a PhD at Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia. Her thesis "Moths and mountains: diversity, altitude and latitude" investigates the distributions of a key insect herbivore. She is particularly interested in climate change impacts on biodiversity, vertical stratification of forest assemblages and using insects as indicators of environmental change. She has conducted research in subtropical and tropical rainforests of Australia, Sabah, Borneo and Yunnan Provence, China, as well as in temperate forests in the Pyrenees, France and Western China.

Elliot Leach

Elliot is a PhD candidate at Griffith University whose research concerns the patterns in avian species richness that can be associated with altitude. Most recently, he has worked on the Eungella Biodiversity Project, surveying the bird life of Eungella National Park. He will discuss the distribution of birds within Eungella NP, and the potential implications of climate change on this unique region.

Contact: Maya Harrison

Phone: 49527300

Email: