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ORIGINS
2 / 2017
SNAPSHOT
Cairns businesses come
Cairns businesses come
on board
Charles Darwin University
has acquired
two education businesses based in Cairns,
Far North Queensland.
ey are the Cairns Language Centre
ey are the Cairns Language Centre
(CLC) and the Cairns Business College
(CBC), which have been in private
ownership for more than 50 years.
e CLC provides a wide range of
e CLC provides a wide range of
classes including general English, English
for academic purposes, examination
preparation and high school preparation,
and is particularly popular with Japanese
and, increasingly, Chinese students.
It is one of only three Eurocentres
language schools operating in Australia
and is a Cambridge Examination Centre
for the Cairns region.
for the Cairns region.
e CLC also operates as the Centre
e CLC also operates as the Centre
Manager for the Cambridge Examinations
in Papua New Guinea.
in Papua New Guinea.
e Eurocentres network spans
e Eurocentres network spans
Europe, USA, Canada, Australia, New
Zealand, South Africa and Japan, and
provides high-quality language teaching.
e CBC specialises in quali cations
e CBC specialises in qualications
for the business, tourism and
hospitality industries.
hospitalityindustries.
Project leader Dr Brett Murphy.
Robin Leppitt is researching the endangered Yellow Chat.
MAJOR GRANT TO EXPLORE SAVANNA
A $692,830 grant
through the Australian
Research Council Future Fellowships
scheme will advance understanding of the
impacts of climate change on biodiversity
in the Northern Territory savanna and
how best to mitigate these.
Project leader and Senior Research
Fellow at the Research Institute for
the Environment and Livelihoods, Dr
Brett Murphy said that globally there
had been a long-term trend of habitat
change with trees invading open grassy
vegetation, impacting a range of plant and
animal species.
animalspecies.
“ is trend is believed to be driven by
“is trend is believed to be driven by
a combination of elevated CO
2
, climate
change and management actions including
cattle grazing and re suppression, but
cattle grazing and re suppression, but
we don’t know the potential impacts
on biodiversity,” he said
onbiodiversity,” he said
Dr Murphy said bene ts of the research
Dr Murphy said benets of the research
would be an improved understanding of
trade-o s between alternative land uses
trade-os between alternative land uses
in the savannas, including biodiversity
conservation, re management for carbon
conservation, re management for carbon
credits, and cattle grazing.
“It is vital that with increasing pressure
to develop Northern Australia we
understand the potential impacts on the
Territory’s unique biodiversity,” he said.
Science, art ght for Yellow Chat
Science, art ght for Yellow Chat
An eye-catching endangered
bird living
on Northern Territory oodplains has
on Northern Territory oodplains has
been thrown a lifeline by researchers
and artists.
andartists.
CDU PhD candidate Robin Leppitt
said the Alligator Rivers Yellow Chat
(
Epthianura crocea tunneyi
) was listed as
“endangered” and was believed to be in
decline, with only 27 birds at last survey.
“Despite being listed by the Federal
Government as one of the 20 highest
priority birds for conservation, the chat
remains poorly studied,” Robin said. He
is working to understand the causes and
consequences of the species’ rarity to
improve its conservation management.
And the CDU Art Gallery has helped
to raise more than $4000 to assist Robin’s
eldwork. A print by local artist Chips
eldwork. A print by local artist Chips
Mackinolty, titled “Would that we could
y and sing forever” – his rendition of the
y and sing forever” – his rendition of the
Yellow Chat – is being sold through the
gallery in support of the research.
To order prints contact:
E
artgallery@cdu.edu.au
