Online and the Sir Stanley Burbury Lecture Theatre, Dobson Road, Sandy Bay
Summary:From our backyards to global ecosystems, insect populations are declining. What does it mean and what can we do about it?
Presenter(s):
- Doctor Jonathan Finch, Lecturer in Entomology, Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, University of Tasmania
- Associate Professor Sue Baker, ARC Future Fellow, Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
- Doctor Simon Grove, Senior Curator Invertebrate Zoology, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
- Doctor Cathy Byrne, Head of Zoology, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery.
Many insect populations around the world are in steep decline, with serious implications for ecosystems, food production and human wellbeing. While the health of Tasmania’s insect populations remains largely unmeasured, the same pressures driving global losses, including climate change, habitat disruption and industrial agriculture, are already at play here.
Discover the science behind the so‑called insect apocalypse: what’s happening to insect populations, why it matters, and how we can respond. Bringing together leading Tasmanian experts in entomology, ecology and biodiversity, this conversation spans current research, species knowledge, and the real‑world challenges of conservation and land management.
Whether we swat them, study them or simply marvel at them, insects shape our food systems, environments and imaginations. Understanding their decline isn’t just about saving insects. It’s about safeguarding the intricate web of life that sustains us all.
The experts:
Doctor Jonathan Finch, Lecturer in Entomology, Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, University of Tasmania
Jon is a Lecturer in Entomology at the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, with extensive teaching experience across entomology and agriculture. His research focuses on the vital role insects play in agroecosystems - including pollination, pest control and nutrient cycling - alongside broader interests in insect ecology, behaviour and conservation.
Jon collaborates with researchers across Australia and internationally, including work on pollination in protected cropping systems with Western Sydney University and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. He also leads a national project aiming to harness the power of biological control in the raspberry and blackberry industry to produce more sustainable fruit crops .
His work has been recognised by the Royal Entomological Society, where his PhD was shortlisted for the Alfred Russel Wallace Award, and has been featured in international media including Smithsonian Magazine and Knowable Magazine.
Associate Professor Sue Baker, ARC Future Fellow, Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania
Sue is a forest ecologist and conservation biologist whose research focuses on understanding biodiversity in managed wet eucalypt forests. Her work investigates how factors such as fire history and forest management shape forest structure, species composition and ecological resilience.
Much of Sue’s applied research examines how plant and animal (including beetle) communities respond to forest harvesting, and evaluates the effectiveness of mature forest reserves within production landscapes. Drawing on the natural role of wildfire in eucalypt ecosystems, she uses post-fire regrowth forests as benchmarks to assess the impacts of forestry practices.
She is also interested in how the severity and frequency of fire influence biodiversity, and how ecosystems recover over time. Her research contributes to the development of ecologically sustainable forest policy and land management approaches.
Doctor Simon Grove, Senior Curator Invertebrate Zoology, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
Simon is lifelong naturalist with a particular fondness for ‘the little creatures that run the world’, Simon has lived and worked on five continents but has called Tasmania home for the past three decades. Much of his career has involved working with insect biodiversity, whether in seeking a better understanding of forest ecosystem dynamics and forestry impacts or caring for and growing the state collections at TMAG.
Within the insects, he has a longstanding research connection with beetles but actually finds flies in all their amazing diversity way cooler. Simon is author of numerous research papers and articles, and of two books – one a comprehensive guide to Tasmanian seashells and another, a ‘naturalist’s narrative’, entitled Seasons in the South: a Tasmanian naturalist’s journey of discovery – and recovery’.
Doctor Cathy Byrne, Head of Zoology, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
Cathy is Head of Zoology at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery and a specialist in Lepidoptera. Her research focuses on describing and classifying Australia’s native moth species - a significant task given that an estimated 75% of the country’s fauna remains undescribed.
Catherine has worked on Australian Lepidoptera for almost two decades and is currently the only lepidopterist in a paid research position in Australia. Her work plays a critical role in documenting biodiversity and deepening understanding of Australia’s unique insect fauna.
Pre-event refreshments:
Head to the venue early and enjoy complimentary refreshments from 5.30pm.
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