David Lindenmayer’s scientific life began in his mid-teens, shaped by birdwatching trips with his father and groups of volunteers who seemed able to hear and identify birds long before they were visible. Learning bird calls became like learning another language, one that opened his eyes to how landscapes function and how life is distributed across them. That connection to the environment has never left him, and decades later he still finds inspiration simply by spending time in the bush, where something new reveals itself every time careful attention is paid. The idea that nature is always resilient is, in his view, only partly true. Ecosystems can recover if given the chance, but resilience breaks down when multiple stressors occur too frequently and too intensely. Long-term data are essential for understanding these patterns, particularly in a country as variable as Australia. Maintaining those studies has required relentless effort, constant fundraising, and support from dedicated collaborators and volunteers, but without them there would be little understanding of what is really happening to biodiversity. Some of the hardest truths in conservation involve recognising the scale of human impact. Humans and their livestock now dominate global mammal biomass, leaving only a small fraction for wild species. Confronting that reality is uncomfortable, but it is necessary if damage is to be repaired and further loss prevented. At the same time, David emphasises that there are genuine reasons for hope. Successful feral animal eradication on places such as Macquarie Island shows how quickly ecosystems can recover when pressures are removed. Restoration projects have also demonstrated powerful outcomes. Renovating poorly managed farm dams can transform them from sources of greenhouse gases into carbon sinks, while improving water quality, boosting biodiversity, and increasing farm productivity. These results show that well-designed, science-based investments can benefit nature, climate, and people at the same time. Working alongside First Nations elders has deepened his understanding of land management, particularly fire. Indigenous knowledge and Western science offer different but complementary perspectives, and when brought together respectfully they reveal insights that neither system can achieve alone. Cultural burning, in particular, is highly localised, purposeful, and fundamentally different from broad-scale hazard reduction burning, a distinction that is often misunderstood. More Information https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-lindenmayer-34b165223/ https://researchportalplus.anu.edu.au/en/persons/david-lindenmayer/ If you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. Leave us a comment and share this show with your friends. It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you. Contact the Show We are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events. You can email us at: info@citizenscienceshow.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
