Climate change impacts on Australian terrestrial biodiversity
16 Sep 2008 | Bernie Goldie
How the impacts of climate change will affect Australian terrestrial biodiversity will be the focus of the 2008 Allan Sefton Memorial Lecture to be delivered on Tuesday 23 September.
This year’s lecture will be presented by Professor Lesley Hughes from the Department of Biological Sciences at Macquarie University.
There is now widespread acceptance that human activities are having a profound influence on the direction and extent of climate change.
Professor Hughes’ talk will examine how the impacts of climate change on species and natural communities may be profound – and in many cases, disastrous.
She will highlight that there is good evidence that many species are already responding to the warming trends experienced in the last few decades.
Professor Hughes believes species responses to ongoing climate change are expected to be individualistic although some predictions can be made as to which species will respond most quickly.
She will point out that as species respond, the communities they live in will also change, both in structure and composition.
Her overall talk will review climate changes on a global and Australian scale summarising projections for the future and outlining the implications of these projections for species and communities.
MEDIA PLEASE NOTE
When: Tuesday 23 September starting at 6.30pm with light refreshments and a poster display
Where: UniCentre Function Room 1, University of Wollongong
Further information contact Sandra Quin on (02) 4221 4396
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