Giving feature Resources for a sustainable future Donor spotlight

As South Australia’s leading researchintensive institution, the University of Adelaide continues to accelerate transitions towards sustainability with investment in research that has a measurable impact.

Our goal is research that builds sustainable pathways and addresses complex challenges associated with climate change, food and water security, biodiversity, health, and housing.

Central to increasing our capacity to produce cutting-edge research is the Barr Smith Library.

A diverse and accessible collection of physical and digital resources is essential in supporting more than 21,000 learners and researchers each year, and invaluable to setting up our University and community for success.

The Barr Smith Library offers a range of high-quality resources to support academics and research students throughout the research lifecycle. Each year it raises muchneeded funds to purchase key research resources and continue to be a gateway to knowledge. This would not be possible without the help of our community.

We are currently raising $63,000 to secure a new resource from Wiley Digital Archives titled Environmental Science and History

With a focus on the critical aspects of environmental science, subjects include ecology, biodiversity, deforestation, fisheries and climate change.

Published in 2023, Environmental Science and History encompasses tracing the impacts of human activity on the natural world, and enables these impacts to be researched and analysed through documents, images, data, maps and photographs.

To invest in a sustainable future and support our students and researchers to excel, please make a tax-deductible gift today.

For Alex Bishop-Thorpe, a member of the University’s monthly giving program, supporting a charity or cause you are passionate about is your vote for the world you want.

A nature-lover and long-time supporter of the Koonamore Vegetation Reserve, Alex has seen first-hand how the land and natural environment rejuvenates once introduced species are removed and the native plants are able to flourish.

“When I was 12 my Mum (Brenda Thorpe, Roseworthy Diploma of Agriculture, 1978) and Dad, bought a property that had cattle. We removed the cattle and within three years the trees had grown back,” Alex says.

“The Koonamore Vegetation Reserve is about seeing what is already on the land, supporting what is there, and applying science to it. I like the simplicity of that. “By supporting the environmental research at Koonamore Vegetation Reserve I hope to ensure their valuable work continues well into the future, and that the important data captured can be studied and shared to benefit other projects across the country.”

Koonamore Vegetation Reserve

Koonamore Vegetation Reserve is a unique environmental research project that has been underway since 1925, with first measurements starting in 1926.

Located 400 kilometres north-east of Adelaide, records have been maintained from 1926 to the present day, making it the longest-running vegetation monitoring project of its type in Australia, and one of the longest in the world.

Set up to exclude sheep, and largely rabbit-free, University researchers, students and volunteers monitor the reserve for vegetation change and regeneration, and help to preserve the unique arid ecology of the region.

All donations to Koonamore Vegetation Reserve support this research which provides insights into arid zone ecology, problems such as vegetation responses to changing climate and changes in land use.

To support this history-making environmental research, please make a tax-deductible gift today.