Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network

01/06/2026

👏 Congratulations to the WildObs team on the release of the WildObs Image Platform!

TERN's role is to help store structured survey data containing presence–absence wildlife data, support ecological analysis, long-term monitoring, and integration with national research workflows, ensuring that the camera trap information remains standardised, interoperable, and fully accessible for national ecological research.

Read all about the launch here: https://news.uq.edu.au/2026-06-ai-rescue-australian-wildlife-research-drowning-data

The power of AI has been harnessed to rapidly clear a photography bottleneck and bring greater coordination and computing power to efforts to save Australian animals from extinction.

31/05/2026

📰 The latest TERN Director's Update is now live! Explore the release of a landmark economic assessment of the value of Australia’s Earth and Environmental Science Infrastructure, the opportunity to reflect on TERN's responsibilities as a capability during National Reconciliation Week, and more.

Read the full update: https://www.tern.org.au/news/directors-update-may-2026/

Director's Update, May 2026. Click here to learn more.

28/05/2026

🌏️ We're happy to announce that Alice McGlashan will be a speaker at our June webinar!

Alice presently works in the State of the Environment, Environmental Science and Data Management section within the Commonwealth Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. She has a background in spatial science, ecology, wildlife management and restoration, environmental law, and psychology, and is passionate about improving outcomes for Australia’s natural environments and native fauna.

Alice has worked hard in her recent roles to discover, connect and blend diverse environmental data, research and expertise with big picture, strategic environment needs and outcomes opportunities. Improving the visibility and understanding of the health of natural ecosystems, native species communities and the impacts of their threats from the regional to national level is a personal goal.

Don't miss out — register here: https://buff.ly/HByPjJG

27/05/2026

🌏️ We're pleased to announce that Kerry Levett will be a speaker at our upcoming June webinar!

Kerry is the Solution Architect for the Planet Research Data Commons at the ARDC (Australian Research Data Commons). She is a boundary spanner between research users and the builders of digital research infrastructure to create platforms that transform environmental research and national decision-making.

Kerry began her career as an environmental scientist, and has a varied research and applied science background in terrestrial and freshwater ecology, groundwater, and water recycling. She then made the move into data and information management.

Having been with the ARDC since its inception, and its predecessor the Australian National Data Service before that, Kerry has over a decade’s expertise in research data management, metadata, and digital research infrastructure. Kerry led the ARDC’s Platforms Program — a $22 million investment in research platforms for data analysis and management across all research domains.

She now gets to support her passion for the environment and environmental science in the Planet RDC. Working with research, government and industry partners, her current work aims to turn fragmented environmental data silos into findable, interoperable, and national-scale data assets to support rapid, trusted decision-making and Australia's long-term environmental stewardship.

Don't miss out — register now: https://buff.ly/YlHBo3T

25/05/2026

🌏️ We're excited to announce that Professor Bradley Evans will be a speaker at our upcoming June webinar!

Bradley is an Earth observation and remote sensing specialist who is passionate about Environmental Science, Biodiversity and research applying hyperspectral imaging spectroscopy to solve real world problems. Bradley has worked on projects associated with NASA’s OCO2 mission, working towards new ways of modelling plant growth using plant fluorescence.

Currently, Bradley is a community contributor to NASA JPL’s Surface Biology and Geology Study. He's working on mapping and modelling Koala Habiat in NSW using Hyperspectral Imaging, with HyVista Corporation and researchers from The University of Sydney.

Don't miss out — register here: https://buff.ly/YlHBo3T

22/05/2026

🌏️🐦️ Today is World Biodiversity Day! The 2026 theme, “Acting locally for global impact,” calls for action to halt biodiversity loss, so we're highlighting TERN's Threatened Species Index (TSX) data in Australia’s Environmental Accounts.

On 23 April the Australian Bureau of Statistics published a decade of plant, mammal, bird and amphibian TSX data in its National Ecosystem Account (NEA). The TSX is the first global dataset of its kind.

Including TERN TSX data in the NEA is a major milestone, as it embeds standardised biodiversity monitoring into Australia’s official environmental‑economic accounting, confirming TERN data are fit‑for‑purpose, nationally consistent and policy‑relevant, and validating long‑term government investment.

21/05/2026

📣 Mark your calendars! You're invited to attend TERN's June webinar, 'Australia’s Environmental Data Mosaic: from complexity to national advantage'.

📅 Wednesday 3 June 2026
⏰ 3pm AEST

This webinar brings together three speakers to confront a central question: how do we turn a fragmented environmental data landscape into a connected, resilient, national‑scale capability that serves reporting, operations and long‑term stewardship?

If you care about the long-term health of Australia's land and the institutions that steward it, this is a conversation you will not want to miss.

Register now: https://buff.ly/h2UEBJo

20/05/2026

📡 A major new global data system is transforming how scientists access ecosystem flux data — and Australia’s OzFlux community, through TERN, is at the heart of it.

The FLUXNET Shuttle gives researchers worldwide seamless, FAIR access to standardised eddy covariance data from more than 700 sites across six continents, representing a threefold increase on the landmark FLUXNET2015 dataset.

Read the full article: https://buff.ly/ZzNodsd

19/05/2026

🐝 Happy World Bee Day!

Celebrated each year on 20 May to raise awareness of the importance of bees as pollinators, the threats they face and their contribution to sustainable development.

This year, the day is celebrated under the theme “Bee together for people and the planet,” the 2026 edition celebrates the essential role of pollinators in food systems and ecosystems, yet they face numerous threats.

Here are a few ways you can help:
🌸 Plant bee-friendly flowers
🚫 Avoid using pesticides
🍯 Support local beekeepers

What are you doing to celebrate World Bee Day? Let us know in the comments!

19/05/2026

📢 ILTER Global Activity — Call for proposals

ILTER is launching a global initiative to showcase the network’s collaborative capacity and scientific importance. Proposals on any scientific topic are welcome, aiming to produce a simple, standardised, ecologically meaningful dataset.

The activity encourages broad participation across ILTER sites to strengthen the network’s impact. The selected team will co-design the activity with ILTER, develop training and data standards, run pilots, coordinate sites, manage data, and promote results via ILTER channels.

Find out more: https://www.ilter.network/latest/call-for-proposals