Binna Burra Lodge is proud to celebrate its 90th anniversary this year, marking the first camp on what is now the Binna Burra Cultural Landscape. At the same time, we also recognise the 100th anniversary of the Entomological Society of Queensland, which is a significant milestone to celebrate.
Since its inception in 1923, the Entomological Society of Queensland has been promoting the development of pure and applied entomological research in Australia, particularly in Queensland. Over the past nine decades, many researchers and enthusiasts have taken an interest in understanding the diversity, distributions, and importance of insects around the Binna Burra Cultural Landscape and in Woonoongoora (Lamington National Park).
Science matters with insects! Insects play a crucial role in our ecosystem, and entomology is the study of their relationships with humans, the environment, and other organisms. In Woonoongoora, the Queensland Department of Environment and Science has identified 62 insect species. To further understand the impact of climate change on insects, Griffith University researchers have begun a project to recreate a 20-year-old study that investigates their diversity and distributions in Lamington National Park.
Adjunct Research Fellow Louise Ashton and Professor Emeritus Roger Kitching collected historical data sets in 2006/07 to assess the diversity and distributions of insects in Queensland’s rainforests. Dr Ashton said, “Insects are an essential part of our ecosystem, and Lamington is the perfect location to study them as it’s a hotspot of biodiversity.” The recreated study aims to assess if there has been a general decline in insects and their diversity and distributions after a 1°C warming has occurred. The impact of climate change has already caused shifts in insect distribution, with some species moving to higher elevations and latitudes.
Binna Burra Lodge is delighted to commemorate the Entomological Society of Queensland’s 100th anniversary and to support ongoing research into the importance of insects in our ecosystem.
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