{"id":3765,"date":"2024-02-21T06:47:32","date_gmt":"2024-02-21T06:47:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sfs.local\/program\/rainforest-to-reef\/"},"modified":"2026-01-29T19:12:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T19:12:16","slug":"rainforest-to-reef","status":"publish","type":"program","link":"https:\/\/fieldstudies.org\/center\/australia\/program\/rainforest-to-reef\/","title":{"rendered":"Rainforest to Reef"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In northern Queensland, the Wet Tropics rainforest presses in with towering figs, curtain-like vines, and a chorus of unseen birds. Students spend much of their semester here, tracking elusive marsupials, measuring bird populations by call, and conducting nocturnal spotlighting to reveal hidden biodiversity. At night, surveys often reveal frog calls from hidden pools, while sightings of cassowaries underscore both the vulnerability and persistence of rainforest species. Students also step briefly into the outback and reef, glimpsing how fragmented ecosystems still link together. Every survey, spotlight, and data sheet contributes to a story still unfolding in one of the world\u2019s most vibrant yet pressured ecosystems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Survey Atherton Tablelands forest-to-savanna transitions with GPS plots and plant ID, linking soil chemistry, fire history, and habitat change.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Assess coral cover and reef fish populations on snorkel surveys, then prepare site-specific environmental impact assessments with actionable recommendations.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Restore degraded riparian corridors alongside local partners, collect spatial data for long-term revegetation databases, and monitor wildlife recolonization patterns.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Learn from and integrate Traditional Owner knowledge on land, agriculture, and water into cross-cultural conservation strategies that navigate ongoing policy tensions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Conduct Directed Research: frame a stakeholder-driven question, collect and analyze field data with faculty guidance, and present actionable findings to local partners.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Immerse yourself in the rich biodiversity of the rainforest and learn about socio-ecological resilience in the face of climate change and other environmental threats. Connect rainforest management and conservation issues with downstream impacts on the Great Barrier Reef. Become a part of large-scale restoration ecology experiments and study environmental policy and community conservation approaches while developing skills in field research and data collection.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":22907,"template":"","location":[89],"class_list":["post-3765","program","type-program","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","location-australia"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fieldstudies.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/program\/3765","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fieldstudies.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/program"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fieldstudies.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/program"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstudies.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22907"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fieldstudies.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3765"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fieldstudies.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=3765"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}