The Natural History of Sydney

Abstract

AUSTRALIA’S relatively recent discovery by Europeans and rapid loss of traditional knowledge without documentation means the accumulated knowledge of our natural history is scant compared to other continents (e.g., search for publications on the top-order predators of each continent for confirmation). Yet, as Mike Archer highlights in the Foreword to this book, this natural history information is fundamental for us to develop effective conservation strategies. Instead of focusing on accumulating this information, the competitive nature of academia limits the value of publishing simple natural history studies because of the low impact such studies invariably have (see Paul Adam’s chapter), while conservation managers are too busy to publish their natural history research particularly while they receive such little incentive to do so. The Natural History of Sydney offers a valuable remedy to this problem and Dan Lunney and his Royal Zoological Society of NSW editorial team deliver once again in servicing the intellectual needs of Australian zoologists.