WorldClimb in Australia

Anyone who knows me, knows I'm obsessed with rock climbing...

Which is why climbing buddy (and fellow scientist) Dr Natasha Robinson and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to collaborate with the WorldClimb team in their surveys in Australia. This project uses a novel methodology to assess the impacts of sport climbing on cliff vegetation. Hopefully this work can be used to build evidence based management decisions for natural areas with rock climbing. So far the work is focussed only on mediterranean climates, owing to the abundance of climbing in these areas. The team has already published a desktop analysis of climbing in Spain.

​Keep your eyes peeled for more from this fun project

Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park, Western Australia

Climbing and surveying with Indra and Ro at Bob's Hollow, Leeuwin-Naturaliste in SW Western Australia

The rig

Fieldsite scouting in the Perth hills

One of the best things about this trip was seeing SW Western Australia in spring. This is a biodiversity hotspot, renowned for its amazing botanical endemism.