What can the past tell us about our future? Much of what we know about the deeper past comes from the remains of microscopic organisms and their sedimentary context. In the Australasian region there is a rich body of evidence for past environmental change that is only beginning to be explored. In this course we introduce the participants to the exciting potential of reconstructing past environments and how this might inform future challenges.

Existing lines of evidence for past environmental change in Australia come from a range of palaeoecological and archaeological sources and point to significant changes in climate, biodiversity, vegetation cover and fire frequency since the arrival of people sometime between 50,000 - 40,000 years ago. The degree to which humans overrode otherwise natural processes of environmental change and the extent of this modification however, is a global issue. 

Through this course students will gain the temporal perspective necessary for understanding many contemporary environmental issues such as climate change, biological responses to environmental change and land degradation. Students will be introduced to the methods and techniques used to reconstruct past environments primarily through the field collection and laboratory analysis of a range of palaeoenvironmental indicators such as lake sediment, pollen, charcoal, seeds, biogenic silica and stable isotopes.  Common statistical and computing approaches for the acquisition, interpretation and modelling of proxy environmental data are also explored. The course is designed to provide students with an understanding as well as the practical skills to engage in palaeoecology, palaeoclimatology, archaeological science and natural resource management research.

Additional readings of greater conceptual difficulty requiring an advanced scientific understanding will be made available for students enrolled at the graduate level.