CSIRO staff say the latest round of job cuts at the science organisation will nobble an important area of research.

About 30 science jobs will be shed in the ecosystem sciences division as part of a cost cutting drive.

The jobs are expected to go from Canberra research sites at Black Mountain and Gungahlin Homestead, as well as from laboratories at Indooroopilly in Brisbane.

CSIRO Staff Association spokesman Sam Popovski says funding for the ecosystem sciences division has been cut by 10 per cent.

"We don't actually appreciate where this is coming from given this area should be one of the areas that the organisation is prioritising in terms of future science," he said.

Mr Popovski says the job cuts will be a setback to environmental research.

"It's an area that incorporates, that improves the sustainability of Australia and also gives us some really important information about the ecology of the country," he said.

"The CSIRO is uniquely positioned to deliver on that type of research and this will diminish the capacity for the organisation to deliver that."

Tracking station cuts

Another 10 jobs are also to be cut at the CSIRO-managed Tidbinbilla Deep Space tracking station near Canberra.

CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science chief Dr Phil Diamond says NASA is cutting the facility's operational budget by 5 per cent.

"It's tough that this has to happen," he said.

"NASA owns the Tidbinbilla tracking station and provides all of the operating funds, the CSIRO operates it on their behalf. But NASA's budget is tighter than it was in the past and that is having to be passed on across the board.

"We have to take our share of the hit I'm afraid."

Dr Diamond says the station will be expected to carry out the same duties.

"NASA has at the moment 45 spacecraft out there in the inner part of the solar system and further out that we're assisting in tracking and that work needs to continue, it has to carry on," he said.

"Some new technology's been introduced to make it easier to track more spacecraft simultaneously.

"Also the tracking system recently moved within CSIRO so it is possible for CSIRO itself to provide some administrative support which helps a little bit.

"But with all these things put together it is going to be tight."

Dr Diamond says the cuts are voluntary redundancies and he expects some of the 120 staff will put their names forward.