https://news.mongabay.com/list/australia/ Environmental science and conservation news Mon, 09 Oct 2023 08:43:01 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.3 https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2020/05/16160320/cropped-mongabay_icon-32x32.png https://news.mongabay.com/list/australia/ 32 32 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/what-does-land-mean-to-australias-indigenous-groups-fighting-logging/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/what-does-land-mean-to-australias-indigenous-groups-fighting-logging/#respond 05 Oct 2023 15:57:29 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=273879 - This landscape, part of the Newry State Forest in New South Wales, Australia, is facing a logging project by the state-owned Forestry Corporation that threatens the habitat of the vulnerable koala species — also a cultural totem.
- Gumbaynggirr protesters resisting logging plans say they believe every part of the world is in deep relationship with each other, including humans to nature and the land. Their cultural duty to protect totems, they say, pushes them to try to stop extractive industries.
- In this piece, Indigenous Gumbaynggirr protesters explain what land — this piece of the Earth — means to them.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/what-does-land-mean-to-australias-indigenous-groups-fighting-logging/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/in-the-chain-of-species-extinctions-ai-can-predict-the-next-link-to-break/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/in-the-chain-of-species-extinctions-ai-can-predict-the-next-link-to-break/#respond 22 Aug 2023 11:04:49 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=272454 - Trained on data on how species interact with each other, the model could serve to alert conservation managers on which vulnerable species to focus on, the developers say.
- They tested the model successfully in Australia’s Simpson Desert, where it accurately predicted which species invasive foxes and cats preyed on.
- However, the shortage of data on species interactions, along with the possible biases that arise, are gaps that still need to be filled in the model.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/in-the-chain-of-species-extinctions-ai-can-predict-the-next-link-to-break/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/07/new-tree-tech-cutting-edge-drones-give-reforestation-a-helping-hand/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/07/new-tree-tech-cutting-edge-drones-give-reforestation-a-helping-hand/#respond 12 Jul 2023 15:07:42 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=270623 - Restoring hundreds of millions of hectares of lost and degraded forest worldwide will require a gigantic effort, a challenge made doubly hard by the fact that many sites are inaccessible by road, stopping manual replanting projects in their tracks.
- Manual planting is labor-intensive and slow. Drone seeding uses the latest in robotic technology to deliver seeds directly to where they’re needed. Drones can drop seeds along a predefined route, working together in a “swarm” to complete the task with a single human supervisor overseeing the process.
- Drone-dropped seed success rates are lower than for manually planted seedlings, but biotech solutions are helping. Specially designed pods encase the seeds in a tailored mix of nutrients to help them thrive. Drones are tech-intensive, and still available mostly in industrialized countries, but could one day help reseed forests worldwide.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/07/new-tree-tech-cutting-edge-drones-give-reforestation-a-helping-hand/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/07/degraded-but-not-defunct-modified-land-still-has-wildlife-value-study-says/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/07/degraded-but-not-defunct-modified-land-still-has-wildlife-value-study-says/#respond 07 Jul 2023 15:32:53 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=270679 - With much of the world’s intact ecosystems now modified by humans, the study warns that without careful management, species will be lost each time land is converted from one land-use type to another, such as when forestry is transitioned to plantation or agriculture.
- The researchers call for biodiversity impact assessments when land is proposed for conversion, regardless of whether it is intact primary habitat or considered “degraded” land.
- They also recommend the identification, preservation and restoration of natural features of landscapes, such as forest fragments, large and old trees, and wetlands, which can serve as vital refuges for species between successive land conversions.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/07/degraded-but-not-defunct-modified-land-still-has-wildlife-value-study-says/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/05/climate-change-is-no-joke-for-australians-says-award-winning-comedian-dan-ilic/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/05/climate-change-is-no-joke-for-australians-says-award-winning-comedian-dan-ilic/#respond 23 May 2023 21:29:36 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=268930 - Known widely for his epic billboards appearing in New York’s Times Square during the COP26 climate summit satirizing Australia’s lack of seriousness at the conference, Ilic is host of the award-winning Australian comedy/climate-focused podcast “A Rational Fear” and spoke with the Mongabay Newscast in Sydney about the landscape surrounding climate policy in the country today.
- He also shares his thoughts on victories for Indigenous communities in the Tiwi Islands and the Galilee Basin, both in Australia, where massive fossil fuel proposals were recently blocked.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/05/climate-change-is-no-joke-for-australians-says-award-winning-comedian-dan-ilic/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/05/australia-bushfires-may-have-caused-global-climate-phenomenon-la-nina-study/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/05/australia-bushfires-may-have-caused-global-climate-phenomenon-la-nina-study/#respond 11 May 2023 02:55:35 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=268450 - Volcanic eruptions that send vast ash plumes into the atmosphere are thought to trigger La Niña events, but this is the first time a fire has been recorded as doing so.
- La Niña can produce ruinous weather conditions in contrasting ways, from additional hurricanes in North America and droughts in the Horn of Africa, to crop failures in South America.
- The study’s findings call into question the assumption in current climate models that biomass emissions — including from bushfires — will decrease over time.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/05/australia-bushfires-may-have-caused-global-climate-phenomenon-la-nina-study/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/04/kelp-forests-contribute-500-billion-to-global-economy-study-shows/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/04/kelp-forests-contribute-500-billion-to-global-economy-study-shows/#respond 26 Apr 2023 20:03:36 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=267928 - The findings suggest that kelp forests are about three times more valuable than previously believed, contributing the equivalent of Sweden’s entire GDP to the global economy.
- However, experts say that kelp forests are generally overlooked and undervalued, and that many of these ecosystems are under threat worldwide.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/04/kelp-forests-contribute-500-billion-to-global-economy-study-shows/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/04/after-150-years-of-damage-to-people-and-planet-rio-tinto-must-be-held-to-account-commentary/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/04/after-150-years-of-damage-to-people-and-planet-rio-tinto-must-be-held-to-account-commentary/#respond 05 Apr 2023 22:27:59 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=267261 - As the company gathers on April 6 for its Annual General Meeting, advocates are pointing out that after all this time, its shareholders should grapple with the company’s legacy of damaging people and planet.
- “Companies like Rio Tinto must be held accountable for the harm they cause,” a new op-ed argues, and a new law proposed in the UK – the Business, Human Rights and Environment Act – would allow people to take companies like it to court more easily for environmental and human rights abuses committed abroad.
- This post is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/04/after-150-years-of-damage-to-people-and-planet-rio-tinto-must-be-held-to-account-commentary/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/03/as-oceans-warm-temperate-reef-species-edge-closer-to-extinction-study-shows/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/03/as-oceans-warm-temperate-reef-species-edge-closer-to-extinction-study-shows/#respond 24 Mar 2023 15:58:07 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=266863 - While scientists recorded species decline across Australian waters, some of the most pronounced changes occurred on the temperate reefs of southern Australia, a region that has received less conservation attention than tropical reefs.
- The authors say temperate reefs could be in greater danger of extinction than tropical species, leading to calls for increased conservation efforts for these threatened ecosystems.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/03/as-oceans-warm-temperate-reef-species-edge-closer-to-extinction-study-shows/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/03/plastic-consumption-is-killing-this-seabird-and-likely-other-species-too/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/03/plastic-consumption-is-killing-this-seabird-and-likely-other-species-too/#respond 09 Mar 2023 19:49:58 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=266339 - They found that plasticosis was even present in shearwaters with only a small quantity of plastic in their stomachs.
- While this plastic-related disease has thus far only been identified in flesh-footed shearwaters, experts say that nearly every organism — including humans — is being impacted by plastic in some way.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/03/plastic-consumption-is-killing-this-seabird-and-likely-other-species-too/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2022/12/the-netherlands-decides-to-stop-paying-subsidies-to-untruthful-biomass-firms/ https://news.mongabay.com/2022/12/the-netherlands-decides-to-stop-paying-subsidies-to-untruthful-biomass-firms/#respond 23 Dec 2022 17:52:31 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=264081 - On December 15, citing that article and recent scientific evidence that Enviva contributes to deforestation in the U.S. Southeast, The Netherlands decided it will stop paying subsidies to any biomass company found to be untruthful in its wood pellet production methods. The Netherlands currently offers sizable subsidies to Enviva.
- Precisely how The Netherlands decision will impact biomass subsidies in the long run is unclear. Nor is it known how this decision may impact the EU’s Sustainable Biomass Program (SBP) certification process, which critics say is inherently weak and unreliable.
- Also in December, Australia became the first major nation to reverse its designation of forest biomass as a renewable energy source, raising questions about how parties to the UN Paris agreement can support opposing renewable energy policies, especially regarding biomass — a problem for COP28 negotiators to resolve in 2023.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2022/12/the-netherlands-decides-to-stop-paying-subsidies-to-untruthful-biomass-firms/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2022/12/australia-rejects-forest-biomass-in-first-blow-to-wood-pellet-industry/ https://news.mongabay.com/2022/12/australia-rejects-forest-biomass-in-first-blow-to-wood-pellet-industry/#respond 21 Dec 2022 17:54:59 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=263978 - That decision comes as the U.S., Canada, Eastern Europe, Vietnam and other forest nations continue gearing up to harvest their woodlands to make massive amounts of wood pellets, in order to supply biomass-fired power plants in the UK, EU, Japan, South Korea and elsewhere.
- In the EU, forest advocates continue with last-ditch lobbying efforts to have woody biomass stripped of its renewable energy designation, and end the ongoing practice of providing large subsidies to the biomass industry for wood pellets.
- Science has found that biomass burning releases more carbon dioxide emissions per unit of energy produced than coal. Australia’s decision, and the EU’s continued commitment to biomass, creates a conundrum for policymakers: How can major economies have different definitions of renewable energy when it comes to biomass?
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2022/12/australia-rejects-forest-biomass-in-first-blow-to-wood-pellet-industry/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2022/11/negotiations-to-conserve-antarctic-ocean-end-in-stalemate-on-many-issues/ https://news.mongabay.com/2022/11/negotiations-to-conserve-antarctic-ocean-end-in-stalemate-on-many-issues/#respond 07 Nov 2022 21:21:16 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=262252 - In 2009 CCAMLR committed to creating a network of marine protected areas to preserve Antarctic ecosystems. It established one that year and another in 2016, but since then China and Russia have repeatedly blocked the creation of additional protected areas, as well as other conservation-related measures.
- The commission also failed to reach the consensus required to enact new regulations for the krill and toothfish fisheries, or to protect a vast nesting area for icefish discovered earlier this year.
- CCAMLR members did agree to designate eight new vulnerable marine ecosystems, areas home to slow-growing organisms such as corals, sponges, brittle stars and feather stars that are now permanently protected from bottom fishing.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2022/11/negotiations-to-conserve-antarctic-ocean-end-in-stalemate-on-many-issues/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2022/10/plastic-impacts-a-grossly-underestimated-one-two-punch-for-seabirds-study/ https://news.mongabay.com/2022/10/plastic-impacts-a-grossly-underestimated-one-two-punch-for-seabirds-study/#respond 20 Oct 2022 14:39:12 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=261713 - A new study investigated plastic ingestion by flesh-footed shearwaters and found that — as was determined in past research — initial consumption can harm the stomach. New evidence also showed that impacts are far more expansive, and may cause ongoing health problems distributed throughout body organs.
- Some forms of tissue damage detected by the new research suggest that plastic particles may also act as chemical pollutants, though this requires further study.
- Plastic pollution is a massive growing problem for the world’s oceans and marine life. Earlier this year, researchers announced that the global planetary boundary for novel entities — including plastics — has been surpassed, threatening Earth’s operating systems and life as we know it.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2022/10/plastic-impacts-a-grossly-underestimated-one-two-punch-for-seabirds-study/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2022/09/indigenous-leaders-court-win-halts-one-of-australias-dirtiest-gas-projects/ https://news.mongabay.com/2022/09/indigenous-leaders-court-win-halts-one-of-australias-dirtiest-gas-projects/#respond 23 Sep 2022 18:44:00 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=260662 - A federal court threw out the approval granted by Australia’s offshore energy regulator, noting that all relevant stakeholders were not consulted.
- The drilling to develop the $3.6 billion Barossa gas project could threaten the Tiwi peoples’ food sources, culture and way of life, opponents say.
- If the Barossa project goes ahead, it could become one of Australia’s dirtiest gas projects emitting around 5.4 million metric tons of carbon dioxide yearly, estimates from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis show.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2022/09/indigenous-leaders-court-win-halts-one-of-australias-dirtiest-gas-projects/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2022/08/amped-up-citizen-science-to-save-the-world-qa-with-conservation-ai-hubs-grant-hamilton/ https://news.mongabay.com/2022/08/amped-up-citizen-science-to-save-the-world-qa-with-conservation-ai-hubs-grant-hamilton/#respond 19 Aug 2022 08:43:21 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=259402 - The initiative is now working with communities in Australia to train them on using the technology by themselves.
- Director Grant Hamilton says it’s imperative to make technology more accessible so that more citizens can engage and participate in global conservation efforts.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2022/08/amped-up-citizen-science-to-save-the-world-qa-with-conservation-ai-hubs-grant-hamilton/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2022/08/in-a-hotter-drier-climate-how-serious-is-fire-risk-to-island-seabirds/ https://news.mongabay.com/2022/08/in-a-hotter-drier-climate-how-serious-is-fire-risk-to-island-seabirds/#respond 12 Aug 2022 13:06:27 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=259153 - In 2021, a research team led by Jennifer Lavers surveyed an island in Western Australia’s Recherche Archipelago a year after a fire event, and found little evidence that short-tailed shearwaters had successfully bred after the fire, ignited by a lightning strike, had swept over most of the island.
- Lavers and her research team suggest that Indigenous-led methods of controlled burning could help reduce the risk of catastrophic fires that would endanger seabirds.
- However, a seabird and island expert not connected with the study disagrees that fire currently poses a major threat, since seabirds have been known to rebound from fires, even after the loss of their fledglings and burrows.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2022/08/in-a-hotter-drier-climate-how-serious-is-fire-risk-to-island-seabirds/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2022/07/turtle-dna-database-traces-illegal-shell-trade-to-poaching-hotspots/ https://news.mongabay.com/2022/07/turtle-dna-database-traces-illegal-shell-trade-to-poaching-hotspots/#respond 18 Jul 2022 08:43:03 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=258309 - The exploitation and trade pushed the species to the brink of extinction; despite international bans on killing and trading the turtles and their parts, persistent demand continues to stoke illegal trade.
- Experts say they hope the launch of a new global turtle DNA database coupled with DNA-based wildlife forensics techniques can turn the tables on poachers and illegal traders.
- The new resource, called ShellBank, will enable law enforcement authorities to trace confiscated tortoiseshell products to known turtle breeding locations to help them crack down on poaching and the illegal trade.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2022/07/turtle-dna-database-traces-illegal-shell-trade-to-poaching-hotspots/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2022/07/scientists-strive-to-restore-worlds-embattled-kelp-forests/ https://news.mongabay.com/2022/07/scientists-strive-to-restore-worlds-embattled-kelp-forests/#respond 06 Jul 2022 20:42:19 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=258012 - Sudden recent wipeouts of vast kelp forests along the coastlines of Tasmania and California highlighted how little was known about protecting or restoring these vital marine ecosystems.
- Scientists are finding new ways to help restore kelp, but promising small-scale successes need to be ramped up significantly to replace massive kelp losses in some regions.
- Global interest in studying seaweed for food, carbon storage and other uses, may help improve wild kelp restoration methods.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2022/07/scientists-strive-to-restore-worlds-embattled-kelp-forests/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2022/06/were-winning-with-climate-activism-just-not-fast-enough-says-goldman-prize-winner-julien-vincent-commentary/ https://news.mongabay.com/2022/06/were-winning-with-climate-activism-just-not-fast-enough-says-goldman-prize-winner-julien-vincent-commentary/#respond 24 Jun 2022 15:04:01 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=257676 - “From my vantage point in such a wealthy and privileged part of the world, I get frustrated by in-activism…But I remind myself that it’s in the interests of our opponents to keep the public in a state of apathy, confusion and disempowerment.”
- “There is one thing I want to impart more than anything: the power people have to create change is mind-blowing, and that power is our greatest asset,” he writes in a new op-ed.
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2022/06/were-winning-with-climate-activism-just-not-fast-enough-says-goldman-prize-winner-julien-vincent-commentary/feed/ 0