Land & environment

More than 5,000 trees and shrubs now call the banks of Thowgla Creek home thanks to the combined efforts of more than 30 volunteers over three days. The plantings will accelerate the recovery of the water system following the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires by stabilising banks, providing shade and housing terrestrial food items that fish love.

Farmers and land managers can have more confidence in soil practitioner knowledge thanks to a new $1 million accreditation funded by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. The Registered Soil Practitioner (RSP) accreditation, which was developed by Soil Science Australia in collaboration with soil scientists, industry, government and land and natural resource managers, opened for applications on 22 May.

Once common across the region, Eel Tailed Catfish had essentially disappeared from our waterways, with only small populations found in isolated bodies of water such as dams and lakes. As luck would have it, Australia’s most genetically diverse population of catfish was right on our door step, in the Barham Lakes.

Bushfire season is approaching! The Rockhampton Region is at its highest risk from July to February. Chair of the LDMG and Rockhampton Region Mayor Tony Williams said the region is at a higher risk for the 2023-24 season in comparison to previous fire seasons.

When the Kaniva Wetlands and Fauna Park was re-imagined by the Kaniva community in 2014, part of that plan included creating an aged and disability-friendly experience ... Resident and photographer Matt Bale had an idea to create a 360 tour of the wetlands and fauna park.

Vic Jurskis. Since NSW koalas were declared endangered 12 months ago, they’re turning up everywhere. Here's the latest: "... uncovered a new population of 42 koalas at Coolah Tops, north west of Sydney, when the previous government only had five documented koala sightings in the area over the past 70 years." ... The new Minister says, “all estimates have koalas on track to be extinct by 2050” ... A few questions for the new Minister ...

The Mt Elgin reserve is regionally important not only for its biodiversity, but for its cultural history. This Swamp was an important place for the Traditional Owners, the Wotjabuluck people, as well as providing a seasonal food source, such as waterfowl and their eggs, and freshwater mussels; it had a permanent spring, which, in dry years, was essential for their survival.

Pest animal control works will commence across Tweed coastal areas from 6 June 2023  after a successful program in previous years. Recent camera monitoring has recorded pest animal activity in the coastal bushland areas at Fingal Head, Kingscliff, Hastings Point and Pottsville. Species recorded on the cameras have included foxes and European hares...

The four-year long community led rehabilitation of ‘Rum Jungle’ is nearing completion with a final clean-up and Boxthorn Blitz workshop taking place next weekend. To celebrate the successful initiative, members of the community who come out one last time will be treated to morning tea, giveaways and a couple of numbers from Geraldton’s Sea Shanty group aptly called Rum Jungle.

Things might be looking up for the Wycheproof SES unit, which had an encouraging number of new volunteers sign up to support the essential service.   The unit has been campaigning for new recruits for quite some time, and under the threat of closure, SES members recently held an open night in one final forage for the numbers they need.  

The sustainable management of wildlife in Tasmania is a serious matter for Tasmanian landholders and farmers. Central to managing the issue are property protection permits, which are issued by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment (NRE).

Michelle Daw. Port Broughton’s laidback seaside appeal has made it a family holiday favourite for decades and now it has been recognised as South Australia’s best Tiny Tourism Town. The 2023 Tourism Town Awards were presented by the Tourism Industry Council of SA last week.

“Having grown up on stations which I loved very much, stations and farms have and always will be close to my heart. Rural Aid is an organisation that ‘stands with our mates in the bush’ during their hard times, and it does get tough in the bush, with floods, fires and severe drought, in addition to the usual dangers of snakes, spiders and in some northern areas, crocodiles too,” Mrs Rinehart said.

Agriculture Victoria’s Monitoring Wind Erosion in the Victorian Mallee survey data summary for 2022 is now available online in the lead up to a webinar on June 13, which will present current wind erosion survey results and the seasonal outlook.

Assoc. Professor Matthew Harrison presents the results of a comprehensive study on the costs of transitioning farming systems across Australia to net zero emissions using a range of practical models. The study found that there are multiple pathways to net zero.

Blanket bans of native forest harvesting will not improve our carbon balance or recover biodiversity according to the professional association for forest scientists, growers and managers, Forestry Australia. President Dr Michelle Freeman said the consensus position of independent scientific experts, forest managers and researchers  is that active management of forests is required to maintain forest health, mitigate fire risk, conserve biodiversity and maximise carbon outcomes.

Australian Winter crop production is forecast to fall from record highs due to below average rainfall for winter and spring. ABARES Executive Director Dr Jared Greenville said the Australian Crop Report forecasts total Australian winter crop production to fall by 34% to 44.9 million tonnes in 2023–24 following three consecutive record production years.

The overall value of the agriculture sector is set to contract by 14% in 2023-24 due to drier than normal conditions after three La Nina years ... “Looking further ahead, it’s likely we will see either El Nino or a positive Indian Ocean Dipole in the coming months, which will reduce crop yields": Executive Director of ABARES Dr Jared Greenville.

Richmond Valley Council has welcomed the release of the draft Resilient Lands Strategy by the Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation. The strategy has identified Fairy Hill as a flood-safe housing opportunity.

Where can we build new housing that doesn’t flood? The Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation has identified 22 sites across the Northern Rivers that are suitable for flood-free housing development. Of these sites, 15 are ready for “immediate investigation”.

Questioning by the WA Opposition’s Mia Davies has revealed that the Forest Products Commission is not planning on issuing any timber contracts from 1 January 2024 until an indeterminant time in the future ... “It is a clear tactic to force businesses out of the sector”, said David Utting, convenor of the Sustainable Forest Industries Roundtable.