The University of Melbourne has welcomed a prestigious European Research Council Synergy Grant for the Planetary Eel study.
Dr Stanislav Roudavski from the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, has received $3.9 million as part of a larger $19.7 million project that will span Europe, French Polynesia and Australia.
For millennia, 19 species of Anguillid eels have connected continents, nourished cultures and shaped ecosystems. Their migrations, resistance to domestication, endangered status and role in global trade make them powerful guides for understanding planetary change.
"Eels inhabit many worlds, across continents and cultures. Their perspectives can teach us how to live well on a changing planet," Dr Roudavski said.
Image supplied by Dr Stanislav Roudavski
Planetary Eel will take a radically new approach to studying eel conservation, aquaculture, trade and consumption.
Examining the key interactions of eels in a global ecosystem, the project will draw on expertise from a variety of fields including anthropology, design, life sciences and Indigenous knowledges.
The project could inform efforts to prevent adverse environmental events such as recent marine algal blooms, droughts and floods, leading to better law, policy and practice.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Mark Cassidy said the award highlights the University of Melbourne's global leadership in interdisciplinary research in climate sustainability and ecosystem health.
"This ERC Synergy Grant demonstrates the extraordinary calibre of scholarship at the University of Melbourne on a global scale. We are proud to support this groundbreaking work," Professor Cassidy said.
The project is led by Associate Professor Vanessa Grotti and Professor Marc Brightman, both from the University of Bologna; Dr Tamatoa Bambridge from the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS); and Dr Stanislav Roudavski from the University of Melbourne. The project's partner is Dr Nataša Gregorič Bon from the Institute of Anthropological and Spatial Studies, Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (ZRC SAZU).
