In this issue

	ECOS Issue 179

Features

Improving road safety for Australia’s high-flyers
Roads pose many risks to wildlife – from preventing or curtailing their movement, to causing death or serious injury. Genetic evidence warns us that in many areas, these risks could lead to the local extinction of many species. Given the number of major roads being built or enlarged as road authorities try to accommodate ever-increasing volumes of traffic, the problem of wildlife on roads is set to worsen.
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Rocks and paddock trees: biodiversity’s unlikely allies In Australia's high-rainfall zone, which encompasses Australia's most profitable farming areas, land uses are changing rapidly. How do they threaten biodiversity, and how can they be managed? Learn more

Bronwyn Harch: using maths to solve the planet’s big issues The Chief of CSIRO Mathematics, Informatics & Statistics, Dr Bronwyn Harch, talks to ECOS about her passion for using maths to study the environment, the challenges of her new role as CSIRO's maths science leader, and her mission to inspire the next generation of multi-disciplinary scientists. Learn more

Crunch time for metals recycling? With the world facing a rare-earth metals crisis, a paper published in the leading journal Science last year examined how far we are from cradle-to-cradle metal recycling, and identified future constraints and opportunities. Learn more

Islands are assets for biodiversity conservation A major exercise to assess the biodiversity and ecological security of our offshore islands has identified their importance in helping minimise the impact of pests – such as cane toads – on Australia's biodiversity. Learn more