Dr Kate Umbers

Dr Kate Umbers is a Senior Lecturer at Western Sydney University. Kate's research has three interconnected themes: insect conservation, alpine ecology, and evolutionary biology. My research in the Australian Alps aims to understand how species are distributed across the whole range and identify which species and which places need to be prioritised for conservation activities.

Kate focuses on insects because they provide mind-bogglingly diverse examples of how to survive on planet earth. She believes it is important to learn about species very different from us to be able to tell great stories about nature that connect and inspire. Her work in insect conservation developed in response to seeing biodiversity threatened and insects ignored.

"It is clear that we must maintain biodiversity on earth for a functional biosphere and to do so we must focus on insects because they are the majority of species and they are doing all the hard work in our ecosystems. The future of all living things depends on it," says Kate.

"I joined the Biodiversity Council to communicate clear information about what is happening to Australia's biodiversity and what Australians can do to ensure it is sustained. And I hope we can encourage Australians to appreciate that we must look after the invertebrates because they're the creatures doing all the hard work in our ecosystems." - Dr Kate Umbers