Melbourne Biodiversity Institute
The Melbourne Biodiversity Institute is a collective of researchers, innovators and problem-solvers from across the University of Melbourne dedicated to addressing Earth’s biodiversity crisis.
Our planet Earth is special because it is filled with life. The complex webs of plants, animals and other organisms that make up this life are vital to the functioning of our planet.
They are essential to the production of our air and the quality of our water, they underpin our food systems, our economy, culture, physical health and wellbeing. This diversity of living things, or biodiversity, is rapidly declining globally and especially in Australia. Our lands and waters are losing species at 100 to 1000 times faster than historical rates of species loss observed in the fossil record. We are at the beginning of the Anthropocene extinction event; we are depleting the life support systems of our children and grandchildren.
Tackling the "other" existential crisis
The Melbourne Biodiversity Institute works with our partners and with the living things of the Earth to turn our expertise into solutions and actions to protect the richness of all life. The World Economic Forum sees biodiversity loss, extreme weather and failure to act on climate change as the top threats to the global economy, because nature directly underpins more than half of global GDP.
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Our work
Biodiversity loss is more than an environmental problem. Every person plays a role, and the causes and ramifications have economic, legal, social and cultural dimensions.
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Our people
We are scientists, engineers, Indigenous knowledge holders, legal and policy experts, economists, communicators, philosophers, conservationists, agriculturalists, artists, teachers, social psychologists, architects and so much more.
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Get involved
Our work is brought to life by the partners who co-invest and work with us, and by the communities that engage with us. Please reach out to explore ways of working with us to solve today’s most critical biodiversity challenges.