Two swift parrot chicks sit in the hands of an ecologist.

Biodiversity & conservation

The Fenner School is a world-leading centre for interdisciplinary research on the conservation and management of Australia’s distinctive biodiversity.

About

The Fenner School is a world-leading centre for interdisciplinary research on the conservation and management of Australia’s distinctive biodiversity.

Our innovative research is helping to stem the rate of species endangerment and extinction by informing best practice management and policy for long-term biodiversity conservation.

Groups

An eastern bettong.

We are a lab group at the Fenner School of Environment and Society researching conservation in the context of rewilding, genetics, translocations, and species coexistence. Led by Professor Adrian Manning, we aim to understand and restore ecosystems, prioritising species that shape landscapes and promote biodiversity.

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Two researchers doing field work on a forest floor in Tasmania.

The Difficult Bird Research Group (DBRG), led by Prof. Rob Heinsohn at the Fenner School, ANU, seeks to promote understanding of the ecology and conservation of Australia’s rarest and most elusive threatened bird species. Such species are often hard to find, occur in wild and rugged terrain, and move around the landscape, and are consequently put in the ‘too hard basket”; however the DBRG develop new cutting edge techniques that address the challenges posed by these species, and apply the knowledge gained to manage them more effectively.

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A researcher kayaks down a river in a yellow inflatable raft.

It's crucial that we as a society communicate the huge importance of this system, celebrate its majestic wonder - and continue efforts to preserve and encourage river stewardship for future generations.

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A student takes notes at the edge of a dam with eucalyptus trees and kangaroos in the distance.

Sustainable Farms draws upon research programs across the Australian National University, focussing on three key research topics: Healthy Farms, Healthy Farmers, and Healthy Profits.

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Projects

This research looks at options for more effective conservation of freshwater ecosystems for the benefit of people and nature.

Widespread death of eucalypts has been observed in forested landscapes across Australia, including the alpine regions of Victoria, NSW and the ACT.

Student intake

Open for Bachelor, Honours, Masters, PhD students

People

Bees are crucial for the function of many of our crops, and part of the system of producing food such as apples, almonds, berries, beans, eggplants and pumpkins.

Student intake

Open for Honours, Masters, PhD students

People

A range of post-grad projects that can be formulated to suit Honours, Masters or PhD. These will cover areas such as farm productivity, hydrology, ecological function, and social capital.

Student intake

Open for Honours, Masters, PhD students

A variety of projects that can explore the genetics; growth and survival; or management of a wide range of rare and endangered tree species (including Wollemi Pine).

Student intake

Open for Honours, Masters, PhD students

People

Informing the re-emergence of First Nations burning in contemporary endangered woodlands in south-eastern Australia

Student intake

Open for PhD students

People

Members

Affiliate

Honorary Professor

Image of Ian White

Emeritus Professor

George Wilson

Honorary Professor

Academic staff

Associate Professor

News

Fenner School professor Dr Peter Kanowski is one of the most renowned researchers worldwide in the field of international forest governance - and just recently was awarded an honorary doctorate from University of Freiburg Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources.

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Without bees, dinners could look very different and cost a lot more than they do today. Professor Saul Cunningham talks to to News Corp about the importance of bees to our agriculture systems.

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A 2017 report found the bush capital had lost 10 per cent of its urban canopy cover between 2009 and 2016. The government is set to plant 17,000 trees over the next four years to help restore Canberra's declining canopy cover.

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New Holland Mouse

Long extinct in the wild in the ACT, the New Holland mouse might be set to make a comeback, with plans for an "insurance" population at Canberra's Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve.

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Associate Professor Philip Gibbons gives his thoughts on the major political parties environmental platforms and promises ahead of the 2019 Australian Federal Election in this article in the Guardian.

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Professor Saul Cunningham speaks with The Wire about the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) report into biodiversity loss.

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Events

A serene rural dam with still, dark water reflecting a blue sky and scattered white clouds. The bank in the foreground is edged with dry grasses and reeds, and contains a plastic crate holding a yellow portable pump hooked up by hoses to a floating sampling device resting on the water. On the opposite shore, gently sloping pasture is dotted with eucalyptus and other native trees under a partly cloudy sky
Friday, 22 Aug 2025, 12 - 1pm

Teal carbon ecosystems are freshwater wetlands, like lakes, ponds, farm dams and reservoirs. Equivalent to blue carbon (coastal wetlands), they can regulate greenhouse gases and mitigate the effects of climate change.

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