Australia may not have vast herds of land‑based herbivores tracking across the continent, but our night skies tell a different story. Each evening, several species of flying‑fox (Pteropus spp.) take to the air, travelling long distances while pollinating native vegetation and dispersing seeds across the landscape. As they work the night shift, flying‑foxes continue to deliver their critical ecological services while navigating changing landscapes and existing and emerging threats.

Join ecologists Jess Gorring and Carissa Gill as this Geography Matters explores the long‑range movements and roost distribution of three flying‑fox species found across eastern Australia, highlighting how their mobility underpins both their resilience and their vulnerability.

Speakers

Jess Gorring, Wild Solutions Ecology, is the Founder and Principal Ecologist at Wild Solutions Ecology, a South-east Qld based ecological consultancy.  She is also an EIANZ Certified Environmental Practitioner with over 17 years of professional ecological experience across multiple bioregions within Queensland.

Jess specialises in all aspects of fauna ecology and has a particular interest in fauna mitigation measures and conflict species management. Jess has been working with flying-foxes for close to a decade and has management experience in both regional and metropolitan local government areas.  In 2024, Jess was awarded the Australasian Wildlife Management Society Practical Management Award for the successful delivery and overall outcome of a flying fox conflict mitigation project within the Moreton Bay region.

Carissa Gill is an Ecologist with 10 years’ experience in conservation, monitoring and assessments, research, and environmental management in Far North and South-east Queensland. Carissa’s experience includes threatened species monitoring, wildlife management, land rehabilitation and project development and delivery.  She specialises in terrestrial ecology and has a particular soft spot for bats (micro and mega), platypus, and snakes.

Please post your questions on notice to:

Email questionsonnotice@gmail.com

This is an online only event

Date: Tuesday, May 12, 2026

Time: 7:30 – 8:30 pm AEST

Delivery: ZOOM. RGSQ will be managing the ZOOM meeting

MC for the event: Gavin Kennedy

Cost: $0.00 Members 

          $5.00 Non-Members 

          Free Students 

This event may be recorded and made publicly available via the Society's website and social media channels afterwards. If you have any questions, please email us at info@rgsq.org.au.

Need some last-minute help with an assignment or interested in building your GIS skills? 

Join us for an (informal) mapping workshop with The Royal Geographical Society of Queensland on Saturday 16th May (10am - 2pm) at 28 Fortescue Street, Spring Hill. 

Some of RGSQ’s members will be around to answer questions and help with anything GIS-related; whether you're working in ArcGIS Pro, QGIS, or just need guidance on assignment writing. 

This is a drop-in session, so come along anytime, bring your laptop, ask questions, and get unstuck. 

Snacks will be provided! See you there.

Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens – African plant safari

9.30-10.30 Introductory presentation and BYO morning tea
10.30am - 12.30 pm guided walk.

Join us for an “African Plant Safari” at the Brisbane Botanic Gardens, Mt Coot-tha, one of the best collections of African plants in Australia. The walk will be initially downhill from the lookout, zigzag through the African zone, proceed via the Tropical Dome and finish in the Arid Zone and Cactus House. The visit will mostly be devoted to plants from southern Africa, together with a few species from Namibia, East & West Africa, the horn of Africa, Egypt and one offshore island, depending on time constraints. The visit will be guided by RGSQ member Charles Naylor, a trained volunteer guide at the Gardens, who has been leading this walk since 2022, based on his experiences while a lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe in 1983-85 and a member of the Tree Society of Zimbabwe.

$5.00 members; $15.00 non-members
Max 20 persons

• Meet by 9.30am at the large picnic shelter Lookout located on the ring road within the Gardens (see map attached),
• Wear sunhats and stout walking shoes and bring walking sticks or poles if desired.

Over morning tea there will be:

• an introductory presentation covering a brief history and layout of the Mt Coot-tha Gardens,
• a small display of African wooden and other artefacts,
• an overview of the African collections at Mt Coot-tha – and a little botany!

Parking: The 3-hour visit involves self-drive to the Brisbane Botanic Gardens at Mt Coot-tha. On weekdays the Gardens are less crowded and participants can drive onto the ring road within the Gardens to park in one of the two areas adjacent to the Lookout, or near the National Freedom Wall (see map attached – the Freedom Wall is a 5-minute walk from the Lookout).

Walk rating: The walk is along sealed paths. Distances up to 2 km, gentle slopes, some stairs, some uneven surfaces and 5-minute standing periods for guide explanations.

Enquiries contact the RSGQ office +61 7 3368 2066 or email info@rgsq.org.au

The Royal Geographical Society of Queensland and the University of Queensland School of the Environment have organised a public forum with an excellent panel of speakers to present some critical perspectives on Immigration in Australia. We hope you can join us for this important event.

Friday 28 August, 2026
1:45-5pm; please arrive by 1.30pm
followed by St Lucy’s café for social drinks 5-7pm

VENUE: The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, room TBA

CHAIRS: Dr Iraphne Childs, RGSQ; Assoc. Prof. Thomas Sigler, UQ-SENV

KEYNOTE ADDRESS: Associate Prof. Elin Charles-Edwards UQ SENV
Australian Immigration Trends: Composition, Sources and Prospects

SPEAKERS:
Assoc. Prof. Aude Bernard UQ-SENV
Migration and Population Ageing: Evaluating Policy Trade-offs

Assoc. Prof. Thomas Sigler UQ-SENV
Four Brisbanes, Three Melbournes: Exploring Clustering in International Migration Populations

Dr. Rennie Lee UQ-ISSR
Longitudinal Pathways of Student Visa Holders

ATTENDANCE COST (includes afternoon tea)
General public $20, $10 Zoom
RGSQ $5, $5 zoom
UQ Staff free
Students free

MORE INFORMATION
w www.rgsq.org.au
e info@rgsq.org.au
p (07) 3368 2066

Photographs and videos may be taken during RGSQ events for use in promotional materials including, but not limited to, the RGSQ website, social media channels, newsletters and other publications. By attending an RGSQ event, you consent to the use of your likeness for these purposes, unless you inform the event organizer or photographer otherwise.