Wondering if you should study environmental science? Not sure if an environmental conservation degree is right for you?
Well, there are several reasons to seriously consider it.
You’ll not only be joining an industry with growing employment opportunities. You’ll also be forging a career where you can make a positive impact on the conservation of our planet and the species we share it with – by creating real change on the world stage.
There’s a growing need for experts who are passionate about tackling some of the most challenging issues facing the world today. These include:
- climate change
- managing ecosystems
- preserving global biodiversity, clean water and food
- securing the world’s biological diversity.
Now is the perfect time to kickstart a career in this important field. To give you a glimpse at the kind of world-changing work you could be doing with a degree focusing on environmental science from UQ, we’ve collected some examples of future-focused projects from researchers at UQ.
Satellites expand our view of the world's reefs
Currently, researchers can only physically visit 0.1% of the world's reef’s total area, leaving enormous gaps in our understanding of how these ecosystems are changing over time.
PhD candidate David Carrasco Rivera from UQ’s School of the Environment is helping close that gap. In 2025, he analysed thousands of field study and satellite images captured over 20 years at Heron Reef, combining machine learning with the data to produce annual maps of reef composition across two decades.
“Currently, it's like completing a full body assessment by only looking at a portion of your finger," says David of the limitations of field data alone.
The findings show satellite imagery can supplement field data with 59 to 81% accuracy depending on conditions, and can stand in for up to 3 years if researchers can't access the water.
Associate Professor Chris Roelfsema, who has led the Heron Reef monitoring program for over 20 years, says consistent observation is key to understanding what's normal and what isn't.
"We look at ourselves in the mirror daily so we can identify small changes in appearance when we are sick. It's the same with the reef."
The research, made possible through UQ's Heron Island Research Station, has implications for reef management worldwide as oceans continue to warm.
The unexpected key to restoring rainforests
Planting trees is only part of the picture when it comes to rainforest regeneration. Recent research conducted in Queensland's Daintree region suggests the insects living in the soil matter just as much as the species growing above it.
Despite their reputation, the multi-year study found that termites are essential to a functioning forest. They recycle nutrients and carbon from dead timber, and without them, regenerated forests may struggle to reach their potential.
"People tend to think that by just planting a diversity of trees, these rainforests will regenerate," says visiting UQ researcher Dr Baptiste Wijas.
"But should we actually be putting in other organisms as well, to restore other ecosystem processes that help the forest function?"
The research team placed wooden blocks across old-growth and replanted sites in the Daintree and monitored them every six months for four years. Researchers unexpectedly found that termite activity in the replanted forests was significantly lower than in old-growth areas, pointing to a gap in how forest restoration is currently approached.
The solution may be surprisingly simple: transplanting deadwood logs from old-growth forests into newer ones to give decomposers a food source while the forest matures. Transplanting termite mounds directly is also being explored.
Only about 3% of termite species cause damage to built structures, while the other 97% are quietly holding ecosystems together.
A new species, found by accident
Sometimes the most significant discoveries happen when you're not looking for them.
School of the Environment PhD candidate James Tweed was walking through a campsite at Binna Burra Lodge in the Gold Coast hinterland when something on a leaf stopped him in his tracks. He nearly mistook it for bird droppings.
"To my amazement, I saw the most extraordinary and fluffiest longhorn beetle I had ever seen," he says.
"Measuring 9.7 millimetres, it was a striking red and black beauty covered in long white hairs."
No existing record matched it. After posting photos to an Australasian beetles group and consulting experts at the Australian National Insect Collection in Canberra, James discovered he hadn't just found a new species. He'd found an entirely new genus.
The beetle was named Excastra albopilosa: Latin for "from the camp" and "white and hairy." Its purpose remains a mystery, though researchers suspect the distinctive coat may mimic the appearance of a fungus-killed insect to deter predators.
The discovery matters beyond its novelty. An area popular with entomologists for over a century had concealed an entirely new genus until now, raising questions about how many species remain undescribed and how many could disappear before we ever find them.
"We're experiencing rapid declines in biodiversity globally, and it's difficult to conserve species if we don't even know they exist," James says.
Saving koalas, one clinic visit at a time
Koala populations in southeast Queensland are still recovering from the hunting era of the early 20th century. Now, a second major threat is making that recovery harder: chlamydia.
The disease causes severe conjunctivitis, bladder infections and infertility, and because koalas rarely show obvious symptoms early on, individuals can suffer for months before anyone notices. UQ's School of the Environment is trying to change that with a proactive, field-based health program targeting a declining population at the Brisbane Koala Bushlands in Burbank.
Rather than waiting for sick animals to be brought in, the team goes to them. Thermal-imaging drones locate koalas in the reserve, and Dr Amber Gillett examines each one in an air-conditioned caravan fitted out as a portable veterinary clinic. Healthy koalas are released with GPS tracking collars; those needing treatment go into care. A trial chlamydia vaccine developed at QUT is also being administered as part of the program.
"Chlamydia is a disease that can decimate populations and it's a silent threat," says Dr Gillett.
"Some of these animals might have been suffering for months or potentially years by the time they get veterinary assistance."
The program also relocates healthy young koalas from elsewhere in Brisbane, where threats from cars and dogs are high, to bolster the Burbank population's reproductive capacity. One relocated female gave birth to a healthy joey within eight months.
"We expect to once again see a healthy and abundant koala population at Burbank," Dr Gillett says.
Why study environmental science at UQ?
If you’re interested in studying environmental science, environmental management or conservation, UQ is perfectly placed to give you a world-leading education. Currently ranked #1 in Australia and #18 in the world for environmental sciences (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026), you’ll be learning from some of the world’s brightest and highly regarded teachers in first-rate facilities, placing you in an amazing position to kickstart a fulfilling career.
Take the first step towards a career where you’ll be able to make a meaningful difference to the world by studying one of UQ’s environmental science or environmental conservation degrees:
