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Environmental change in northern Cenozoic Australia: a multidisciplinary approach. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned that by 2020 to 2050, Australia will suffer significant biodiversity loss and water shortages. Our research will document and date the evolution of Australia's biota through three cycles of climate change over the last 25 million years to quantify and thereby better anticipate the nature and dimension of threats facing our natural and cultural communities ....Environmental change in northern Cenozoic Australia: a multidisciplinary approach. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned that by 2020 to 2050, Australia will suffer significant biodiversity loss and water shortages. Our research will document and date the evolution of Australia's biota through three cycles of climate change over the last 25 million years to quantify and thereby better anticipate the nature and dimension of threats facing our natural and cultural communities. We will develop innovative techniques to date prehistoric biotic and climatic events and, using a range of tracers, characterize ancient environments and groundwater. This project will assist rural and regional Australia through education and job creation in geotourism and natural resource interpretation and provide a mechanism to combat generational skill shortage.Read moreRead less
The evolution of Australian rainforest faunas and the implications of continuing climate change. Australia's rainforest animals and ecosystems have been evolving for millions of years yet we routinely use only the last 200 years to assess changes that will affect their future - far too short a time interval to distinguish short-term perturbations from long-term trends in lineage health or community response. Our multidisciplinary team proposes to learn from 55 million years of response to rainfa ....The evolution of Australian rainforest faunas and the implications of continuing climate change. Australia's rainforest animals and ecosystems have been evolving for millions of years yet we routinely use only the last 200 years to assess changes that will affect their future - far too short a time interval to distinguish short-term perturbations from long-term trends in lineage health or community response. Our multidisciplinary team proposes to learn from 55 million years of response to rainfall and other climate change documented by the spectacular national, natural treasures in the fossil deposits of Tingamarra, Riversleigh and Rockhampton, to assess probable impacts of future environmental change and inform development of effective, long-term conservation strategies for rainforest communities. Read moreRead less
Late Pleistocene faunal change and the formation of fossil deposits: a taphonomic approach. New insights into the relationships between environment, animal communities and humans are the key to understanding faunal extinctions from the prehistoric past to the modern day. Using taphonomic and environmental evidence, three prehistoric sites from across Australia will be examined to document faunal succession and the factors contributing to the formation of fossil deposits in each location. The ou ....Late Pleistocene faunal change and the formation of fossil deposits: a taphonomic approach. New insights into the relationships between environment, animal communities and humans are the key to understanding faunal extinctions from the prehistoric past to the modern day. Using taphonomic and environmental evidence, three prehistoric sites from across Australia will be examined to document faunal succession and the factors contributing to the formation of fossil deposits in each location. The outcomes include a clearer understanding of the dynamics of fauna, people and climate during a critical period in Australian prehistory as well as providing new evidence against which the current explanatory models of human impacts and climate change may be tested.Read moreRead less
Riversleigh and Cuddie Springs: Unravelling Key Factors in the Extinction of the Late Pleistocene Megafauna. The project will construct a clear picture of faunal change during the Late Pleistocene, a period of well documented extinctions of giant animals (megafauna). Archaeological excavation at Riversleigh, in north-west Queensland and palaeontological excavation at Cuddie Springs, in northern N.S.W. will complete a picture of the animals, people and environment of the prehistoric period at ea ....Riversleigh and Cuddie Springs: Unravelling Key Factors in the Extinction of the Late Pleistocene Megafauna. The project will construct a clear picture of faunal change during the Late Pleistocene, a period of well documented extinctions of giant animals (megafauna). Archaeological excavation at Riversleigh, in north-west Queensland and palaeontological excavation at Cuddie Springs, in northern N.S.W. will complete a picture of the animals, people and environment of the prehistoric period at each site. With this information, the roles of climate and people in the extinction process can be assessed. This study will complement the current research direction and public education programs of the Australian Museum and the EPA's management plans for the World Heritage Riversleigh site.Read moreRead less
Astride the Wallace Line 2: human evolution, dispersal, culture and environmental change in Southeast Asia. Our previous project on the archaeology and fossil record of Southeast Asia yielded results of international significance, including the discovery of a new human species and dates for major changes in the Indonesian faunal sequence. It also involved collaboration between Australian, Indonesian and Canadian researchers from a range of institutions and disciplines, and provided topics for s ....Astride the Wallace Line 2: human evolution, dispersal, culture and environmental change in Southeast Asia. Our previous project on the archaeology and fossil record of Southeast Asia yielded results of international significance, including the discovery of a new human species and dates for major changes in the Indonesian faunal sequence. It also involved collaboration between Australian, Indonesian and Canadian researchers from a range of institutions and disciplines, and provided topics for six PhD and two MA students. This level of significant research, international collaboration and training will continue with the current project.Read moreRead less
Precious time-capsule: discovery of fossil-rich amber from Australia. Cape York's natural attributes are already of national and global significance. Our research, which focuses on the world's most recently discovered, fossil-rich amber deposit will significantly increase this value. In addition to discovery of hundreds of stunningly-well preserved fossil organisms, analysis of trapped bubbles of ancient air will enable us to reconstruct their prehistoric environment. This should improve ability ....Precious time-capsule: discovery of fossil-rich amber from Australia. Cape York's natural attributes are already of national and global significance. Our research, which focuses on the world's most recently discovered, fossil-rich amber deposit will significantly increase this value. In addition to discovery of hundreds of stunningly-well preserved fossil organisms, analysis of trapped bubbles of ancient air will enable us to reconstruct their prehistoric environment. This should improve ability to anticipate biotic responses to future climate change. The amber industry globally contributes to national wealth. Increasing understanding about the geology and palaeontology of this amber deposit will maximise commercial and scientific benefits to the nation.Read moreRead less
Drying and dying in Australia: extraordinary creatures and climate change 15 million years ago. Australia's globally distinctive mammals were confronted 15 million years ago by a climate plunge from lush greenhouse to dry icehouse conditions. In northern Queensland, in the World Heritage-listed cave known as AL90, fossil-rich deposits span this interval of change. Entombed are dozens of extraordinarily well-preserved skulls and articulated skeletons including a growth series from pouch-young to ....Drying and dying in Australia: extraordinary creatures and climate change 15 million years ago. Australia's globally distinctive mammals were confronted 15 million years ago by a climate plunge from lush greenhouse to dry icehouse conditions. In northern Queensland, in the World Heritage-listed cave known as AL90, fossil-rich deposits span this interval of change. Entombed are dozens of extraordinarily well-preserved skulls and articulated skeletons including a growth series from pouch-young to adults of a rare, possibly sloth-like marsupial as well as more familiar kangaroos, thylacines and bats. Our fossil research will help align Australian records of biotic change with global palaeoclimatic events and provide a benchmark for measuring the nature and rate of environmental and biotic change that continues to transform our nation.Read moreRead less