It’s well known that Australia is a beach-loving nation, with more than 21 million of us living within just 50 kilometres of the ocean. This places those people within the ‘blue ribbon’: the waterways, coasts and seas that form such a large part of our culture and economy.
The urgent need to manage our unique and diverse blue ribbon more sustainably is highlighted in a national strategy published this month. The Academy’s program, Future Earth Australia, produced the strategy based on extensive consultations across the country and launched it at a major sustainability congress in Brisbane, with delegates from more than 110 countries participating in the event online. The Academy is proud to play this crucial role in coastal management and in connecting various knowledge systems, in particular those of Australia’s First Peoples. We look forward to supporting the promotion and implementation of the strategy.
Taxonomy Australia, another Academy program that is having a national impact, has launched an ambitious mission to discover and document the estimated 70 per cent of Australian species that remain unnamed. A cost-benefit analysis undertaken by Deloitte Access Economics found that every $1 invested in discovering all remaining Australian species will bring up to $35 of economic benefits to the nation.
Both of these programs have the potential to open up vast untapped opportunities for Australia while providing practical recommendations for improving the management of our natural resources. Please contact the Academy if you are interested in supporting this important and exciting work.
If you live in Canberra, you may have noticed that the Shine Dome is sporting a new roof and is looking rather spectacular. With the roof restoration now complete, the Shine Dome is open for bookings and we look forward to making your next event memorable.
Read more about the growing digital collections in the Academy’s historic and unique scientific archive and how you can get involved in making these collections available to the world.
Finally, there are a slew of wonderful events coming up for you to choose from—some can be enjoyed in-person and others from the comfort of your own home.
Enjoy reading this month’s newsletter and I hope to see you at an Academy event in July.
Anna-Maria
© 2024 Australian Academy of Science
