Linear transport infrastructure (LTI) - roads, bridges, and railways - is a major but under-recognised driver of biodiversity loss in Australia’s urban and peri-urban environments. Birds are among the most mobile and adaptable taxa, yet many still struggle to navigate fragmented landscapes shaped by traffic, structures, and noise. Road ecology offers practical design solutions, such as wildlife crossings and exclusion fencing, but uptake remains inconsistent. This talk distils findings from a recent policy-practice review of fauna-sensitive road design (FSRD) implementation in Queensland and Victoria. Through interviews with ecologists, engineers, planners, and consultants, the study uncovered key barriers: weak regulatory frameworks, fragmented responsibilities, and poor alignment between ecological research and infrastructure delivery processes. To address these gaps, road ecology must be reframed - not just as a scientific field, but as a practical discipline grounded in interdisciplinary collaboration. This means translating research into tools, data, and guidance usable by non-specialists. As cities expand and environmental policy evolves, now is the time to make road ecology more accessible, visible, and influential. If biodiversity is to coexist with infrastructure, the science must meet the moment - and the professions who shape our urban environments.

Australia has an incredible biodiversity of native bees. Yet they lack dedicated conservation attention and funding, and are overshadowed by an introduced European honey bee Apis mellifera. There are over 1,700 described species, and at least 500 more to be described, with much taxonomic work to be done. Research has revealed many native bees are reliant on native vegetation, and have specialised foraging needs, placing them at risk of extinction from habitat loss and degradation. A recent review underscored that threatening processes operating overseas known to threaten native bees are very much operating in Australia, yet the conservation predicament of Australian native bees is going under the radar. Only three native bee species are listed on the EPBC Act, and none have recovery plans. Focussing on securing pollination services of crops is insufficient to address this crisis in native bee conservation given that a) the majority of native bees are not crop pollinators, b) species at most need of conservation do not occur in farming landscapes, are often specialised and restricted to foraging on wildflowers, and many species are undescribed, and c) boosting honey bee numbers (managed and feral), jeopardise native bees. We desperately need to create a science-based conservation strategy for our native bees focussed on: preservation and restoration of wild habitats, natural history and taxonomic research, expert-led monitoring, listing of species on threatened species lists, incorporating native bees into environmental protection policy and practice, and science-backed public education initiatives.

One commonly stated threat to plant species conservation is competitive displacement by invasive plants. However, the scientific literature offers little quantitative information about the actual presence, abundance, and impact of invasives on threatened plant species. A study in the United States found that information about weed threats was available for only 8.5% of listed species, and that there was evidence for invasive impacts on only 6.2% of the total of threatened plant and animal species. No such information is available for Australia. The lack of data is very concerning as it limits the accurate assessment of the extent of the threat, and hinders the implementation of adequate mitigation measures. This is particularly relevant for the threatened plants of the Australian Wet Tropics, a biodiversity hotspot with a high number of endangered and critically endangered species. For many of the most threatened plant species, Only one or very few such populations are currently known which makes them particularly susceptible to sudden extinction in the event of a rapid weed expansion. We review the evidence for weed threats to endangered plant species in the Australian Wet Tropics, and provide with empirical evidence for ten of the most endangered plant species of the Wet Tropics. Our results suggest that although invasive plants can occasionally displace endangered natives, most often the presence of low or moderate density weeds provides little actual impact, which tends to be driven by disturbance by humans, rather than competitive displacement by plants.

The rapid expansion of large-scale solar farms across Australia is transforming landscapes and presenting new challenges and opportunities for biodiversity conservation. Here, we introduce the concept of "conservoltaic systems" (nature conservation + photovoltaic energy production); solar farm designs that intentionally integrate biodiversity conservation with renewable energy production. Drawing on recent empirical research and global case studies, we demonstrate how solar farms can be managed to enhance habitat complexity, support pollinators and ecosystem services, and potentially rehabilitate degraded landscapes, all while maintaining or increasing commercial returns. We will discuss practical recommendations for land-sharing approaches, including the incorporation of native vegetation and site-specific management strategies to maximise both energy output and ecological benefits. We highlight the urgent need for empirical data on wildlife use of solar farms and advocate for collaborative, multidisciplinary partnerships among industry, land managers, and ecologists. By leveraging innovative design and management, conservoltaic systems offer a promising pathway to reconcile renewable energy development with nature conservation, supporting the creation of more sustainable, multifunctional landscapes in Australia and beyond.

Human recreation can exacerbate environmental pressures on sandy beaches and on the shorebirds that utilise them. Regulations restricting human activities can help, however, compliance with regulations is often low. To better understand and influence how people respond to beach regulations and encourage compliance, we need to consider determinants of behaviour, such as individual value systems. We used an online survey to investigate beach users’ environmental values and their knowledge of and compliance with regulations regarding vehicle use, dog walking, and behaviours around beach nesting birds at 11 beaches in South Australia. Beach users were divided into four groups depending on whether or not they used their vehicle or walked their dog(s) on the beach. Those who used their vehicle on the beach had the highest levels of self-reported compliance with and knowledge of beach regulations compared to other groups. Those who used their vehicle and/or walked their dog(s) on the beach held competing self-transcendence (biospheric: valuing the environment) and self-enhancement values (hedonic: valuing our pleasure and comfort), whereas those who did not placed the highest importance on biospheric values. The relationship between environmental values and compliance was the strongest for those who used a vehicle and walked their dog(s) on the beach. These results suggest that interventions targeted at those using a vehicle and walking their dog(s) on the beach would be most effective when aligned with biospheric and hedonic values, promoting pro-environmental behaviour for our own pleasure and comfort and for the environment.