Since 2000, Nature Foundation has awarded $1,974,786 in research grants to postgraduate students, academics, and the community to kick-start research careers, supporting 464 students.

Jack Bilby and Rebecca Greening are multi-year recipients of Nature Foundation's student research grants program, with funding supporting their important research projects that further nature science understanding and outcomes.

In this webinar, Jack and Rebecca join host Dr Lucy Clive, Nature Foundation's Science and Knowledge Program Officer, to share an overview of their research projects and the findings providing important outcomes for nature science and conservation.

Our Science & Knowledge and Reserve Management teams have had a busy start to spring, getting out across the nature reserves to set up new standardised survey monitoring sites.

A key aspect of the new 2025-2030 Science Strategy is the establishment of the Nature Foundation Biodiversity Monitoring Program, which consists of standardised surveys of vegetation, birds, reptiles, and mammals implemented across all Nature Foundation reserves each autumn and spring, combined with targeted, appropriately timed, species-specific surveys to capture important information on key threatened species.

Spring is a very busy time for the Nature Foundation team with surveys and other management activities occurring across the nature reserve network. It is a very active time for nature as well, with many native wildflowers popping up after a late winter.

The team have been photographing and sharing their sightings internally, and we have gathered a few examples to share with you!

This guest post comes from Nature Foundation supporter Kate Potter, whose family has vast remote travel and camping experience across Australia and the United States.
 
Our family of five loves to explore, both here in Australia and in the United States. Our camping journey has included many small trips in South Australia, road trips across to New South Wales and up to Alice Springs, Uluru, Lake Argyle and El Questro. We have also spent a total of 8 months travelling in a rustic DIY RV vehicle over four separate trips to the United States. We love hiking, especially in US national parks—we’ve visited 33 of them! Driven largely by my husband Isaac’s insatiable need for adventure, I’ve learnt a few things along the way about how to travel in remote areas and camp with kids.

In late August, an eager group of Nature Foundation volunteers joined staff at Tiliqua Nature Reserve to support another Irongrass planting and watering day, adding 140 more Irongrass seedlings to the reserve.

The Iron-grass Natural Temperate Grassland of South Australia is listed nationally as a critically endangered ecological community under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act (1999). The spiky, tussock-like appearance of Iron-grass and its long lifespan make it a significant habitat feature in native grasslands. Iron-grass (Lomandra multiflora ssp. Dura, Lomandra densiflora and Lomandra effusa) is a crucial element in the restoration of Tiliqua Nature Reserve's native grassland, where its deep root system helps to stabilise the soil. The plants themselves act as seed traps, which can support higher floral biodiversity.