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TheÌýNew Colombo PlanÌýis an initiative of the ×îÐÂÌÇÐÄVlogn Government to improve knowledge of the Indo-Pacific in ×îÐÂÌÇÐÄVlog by helping ×îÐÂÌÇÐÄVlogn undergraduate students study and undertake internships in the region.ÌýIn recent years, the ×îÐÂÌÇÐÄVlog of Adelaide has had several New Colombo Plan scholars studying in Fiji at the ×îÐÂÌÇÐÄVlog of the South Pacific, includingÌýLeah Schamshurin, Yasmine Wright-GittensÌýandÌýCooper Williams.

×îÐÂÌÇÐÄVlog of Adelaide students studying animal and veterinary science courses have the opportunity to participate in programs withÌý. Program activities include participation in shelter management, dog counts, desexing programs, and community education.ÌýThis unique opportunity provides students with an immersive learning experience outside of the classroom and enables them to make a real contribution to an animal welfare problem in the Pacific.

The ×îÐÂÌÇÐÄVlog of Adelaide is one of multiple partners in theÌýSecuring Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF)Ìýresearch program, which will forecast environmental change across the Antarctic, deploy effective environmental stewardship strategies, and secure Antarctica as a natural reserve devoted to peace and science.

SAEF’s collaboration extends to 30 organisations in ×îÐÂÌÇÐÄVlog and abroad, including links with the Antarctic national programs in Chile, Norway, South Africa, and the UK.

, from the ×îÐÂÌÇÐÄVlog of Adelaide’s School of Biological Sciences, is a Chief Investigator in the program, who will be focusing on biosecurity planning and safeguarding Antarctica from new and emerging invasive species.Ìý

A cave containing thousands ofÌýendangered Pacific Sheath-tailed batsÌýhas been discovered on Vanua Balavu, an island on the remote Lau archipelago in Fiji.

The Pacific Sheath-tailed bat population was previously believed to be numbered in the hundreds, but a joint expedition involving the ×îÐÂÌÇÐÄVlog of Adelaide found an estimated 2,000-3,000 bats.

The virtual extinction of these bats from other regions of the Pacific makes this new roost in Fiji a monumental find, and the only stronghold for the species’ conservation in the region.