The next Species on the Move (SOTM) 2026 Conference, is to be held April 20–24, 2026 at Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan. This will be a fantastic conference about all things climate-driven species redistribution —high-quality science and excellent opportunities for cross-disciplinary exchange.
SOTM 2026 marks the 10th anniversary of the series, with a special retrospective on the past decade and a forward-looking perspective on research gaps. The conference considers all species, all biomes, all disciplines and all knowledge systems, with the program spanning themes from biodiversity redistributions—phenomena and mechanisms—to ecosystem transitions, conservation, policy, cultural impacts and responses, social science, societal engagement and adaptation and much more, truly reflecting the breadth of our field.
The venue is equally inspiring: Sun Moon Lake offers stunning mountain and lake scenery, rich cultural heritage, and April is the best season for birding, hiking, and enjoying hot springs.
Abstracts are due November 10, 2025. Notifications and early-bird registration will follow. Although the schedule is tight, accepted abstracts can still be updated after acceptance, so we encourage early submission.
More details: www.speciesonthemove.com
Interactive Q&A platform connects the seafood community with climate change experts.
Sea Change Australia is a new national initiative bringing fishers, aquaculture producers, industry, managers, and researchers together to facilitate knowledge exchange and co-develop climate-resilient options for strong and healthy fisheries and aquaculture sectors in Australia.
Climate change is a growing threat—and stakeholders in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors need tailored information, practical tools, and a space to share what’s working (and what’s not). Through two-way conversations, story-sharing, and on-the-ground collaboration with selected fisheries and aquaculture operations, Sea Change Australia is identifying what’s working, where the barriers are, and how to scale up adaptation across Australia.
It’s about strengthening the agility of our fisheries and aquaculture sectors to adapt to climate change and creating and testing a model that might also be useful in other places, or in other contexts (i.e. fisheries and aquaculture in other regions, or a land-based agriculture sector, for example).
Sea Change Australia is building a nationwide network to:
✔️ Improve knowledge exchange
✔️ Understand sector needs and identify knowledge gaps
✔️ Co-develop sector-specific options for climate adaptation
Key Features Now Live
Fishing for Climate Answers – Q&A Platform: https://seachangeaustralia.org/qa-platform/
Climate Toolbox: https://seachangeaustralia.org/climate-toolbox/
Share your Knowledge – Community Stories and observations: https://seachangeaustralia.org/climate-toolbox/share-your-knowledge/
Sea Change Australia initiative is endorsed by the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development under the FishSCORE2030 program.
Our website and social media channels are now live!
Follow along – here’s where you can find us:
Congratulations to Dr Malcolm Johnson and his team of HDR students who workshopped a real-world problem in the CMS Interdisciplinary School 2025 earlier in the year, and who have now been listed as finalists in The Disaster Challenge 2025!
The project: 'Thriving coastal futures in southern Tasmania'
Team: Dr Malcolm S. Johnson (Huon Valley Council/CMS), Bianca Suarez (Australian National University), Edith Shum (University of Tasmania/CMS), Kianna Gallagher (University of Tasmania/CMS), Hevi Kurnia Hardini (Australian Maritime College/CMS), Rosie Katunar (Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania)
Malcolm applied for some seed funding during the CMS pitch funding session earlier this year to be able to get the team of students to put their ideas into actions.
What’s next?
Over the next three months, the three team finalists will receive mentoring and support from Natural Hazards Research Australia and its network of universities and emergency management organisations to further develop their ideas and refine their presentation skills.
These finalist concepts will be showcased at the Disaster Challenge final in Hobart, Tasmania on 14 October 2025 to mark the UN International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction.
The Disaster Challenge final is a public event — stay tuned to Natural Hazards Research Australia’s website
CMS Director Prof Gretta Pecl presented during a public panel session at AMSA 2025 conference in Melbourne (July 2025), called "Why Oceans Matter". The session was recorded and broadcast by RRR.
Listen here: https://www.rrr.org.au/shared/broadcast-episode/34716/1603000/3600000
CMS Director Prof Gretta Pecl and CMS member Dr Olivia Dove recently featured in a COSMOS Magazine article about eco-distress, and how climate change is affecting scientists' mental health.
You can access the online version at this link - https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/social-sciences/great-barrier-grief-scientists-face-mental-health-battle/
Or download a copy of the print version here – https://denisecullen.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Great-Barrier-Grief-Cosmos-issue-107-June-2025.pdf
CMS Director Prof Gretta Pecl and CMS member Dr Scott Bennett were recently featured in a news article by Yahoo News, about the current algal bloom that started in South Australia.
They warn that the algal bloom in South Australia is not an isolated event, but part of a broader problem impacting the entire nation.
Read the article here: https://au.news.yahoo.com/warning-nowhere-is-safe-as-australias-500km-toxic-problem-spreads-060002232.html
This news article discusses CMS student Andrew Sullivan's PhD research, investigating how the international High-Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy is influencing Australian marine management.
Read the article here: https://www.frdc.com.au/novel-governance-changing-ocean
Ocean literacy is an understanding of the ocean’s influence on us and our influence on the ocean – and it empowers communities to communicate meaningfully about the ocean and make informed decisions about the ocean and its resources.
This need for ocean literacy is increasing in Australia and abroad as our oceans are changing, and researchers are calling for a national strategy to safeguard the ocean and its ecosystems.
In a study published in Oceans and Society researchers from University of Tasmania’s Centre for Marine Socioecology (CMS) and Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), with colleagues from across Australia, outline a roadmap to advance ocean literacy for ocean sustainability.
Read more from the UTAS News Room here: Creating connections: ocean literacy for ocean sustainability | University of Tasmania
Read the article here:
Kelly R, Francis P, Shellock RJ, Andrews S, Arthur B, Birkmanis CA, Breidahl H, Buxton L, Chambers J, Church E, Condie C, Croft F, Freitas C, Hurley S, Jateff E, Le Busque B, Marshall J, O’Brien A, Pecl GT, Torre-Williams L, Volzke S & Waters Y (2025). Ocean Literacy for Ocean Sustainability: Reflections From Australia. Ocean and Society, 2. https://doi.org/10.17645/oas.9797
CMS Director Prof Gretta Pecl recently co-authored a correspondence published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, titled "Six actions for ecologists in times of planetary crisis".
As the title suggests, the article calls on the ecological community to consider six actions that could drive meaningful change.
Read the article here:
Pettorelli N, Gaston KJ, Barlow J, Araujo MB, Bustamante M, Chown SL, Diele-Viegas LM, Laurance WF, Lees AC, Melo FPL, Milner-Gulland EJ, Pecl GT & Sousa-Pinto I (2025). Six actions for ecologists in times of planetary crisis. Nature Ecology & Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-025-02759-8
CMS Member Dean Greeno recently wrote an article for Garland Magazine titled “A Driftwood Testament”, about his life, artwork, and continuing his ancestor’s practice of using dead trees as memorials.
Excerpt: “In ancient times, our ancestors would place the dead in hollow trees, covering them so their essences could merge with the tree and pass on knowledge and spirit. Sculpting with driftwood, in a way, is an extension of that practice. Pieces of trees that have grown, lived, and died travel through the rivers, creeks, and oceans. When I gather these pieces, I am continuing the story they began. But to do so takes a trained eye.”
Dean recently won the Telstra NATSIAA People’s Choice Award for his artwork “tunapri milaythina muka, to know Sea Country through making”
Article link: https://garlandmag.com/article/the-driftwood-story/
