The Australian Harmony Centre for Ecosystem Futures is a unique alliance between Macquarie University and the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance. The centre’s overarching philosophy is of connection, bringing together researchers with the local community and businesses, students, Indigenous groups, industry and government to develop, test and showcase wholistic solutions for both nature and human health and well-being.

The Harmony Centre 2025 Seed Funding Scheme is designed to promote collaborative research consistent with the aims of enabling nature to prosper and for people to prosper in nature. We are delighted to announce the following projects have been awarded funding of $10,000 each from the scheme.

Sounds of the city: Using soundscapes to benchmark and inform urban waterway restoration, led by Dr. Alexandra Carthey and Dr. Caragh Threlfall with Professor Donna Houston, Professor Kirstie Fryirs, Associate Professor Melanie Bishop and Alice Howie. The team will integrate expertise through development of innovative ways of monitoring, understanding, and communicating the effects of human actions on waterway and riparian ecosystem health within an urban river catchment.

Understanding lightscapes for wildlife and healthy urban ecosystems, led by Dr. Laura Ryan and Dr. Louise Tosetto with Professor Nathan Hart, Associate Professor Noushin Nasiri and John Macris. The team will refine an innovative, field-ready system for quantifying and mapping environmental lightscapes across the Wallamattagal Urban Living Lab.

We extend our warmest congratulations to the recipients and look forward to seeing the exciting outcomes of their work.

Well done!