Land & environment

Biosecurity and safeguarding were front of mind at the Indigenous Rangers Biosecurity roundtable in the Northern Territory ... Indigenous Ranger organisations contracted to undertake biosecurity surveillance are generally located along the northern Australian coastline, with a focus on high-risk pathways with a potential for pest and disease incursions.

Matt Blakers sees the seasons through a photographer's lens and each season has a unique signature that it scribes across the sea. Spring is playful, even flirtatious, and writes with a light hand.   The waves are smaller with a soft and inviting luminescence. Summer, by contrast, writes with a pen packed full of colour, casting hues from a palette of blues and golds. The falling lips of the waves are lighter, the sunsets are brighter and the water is warmer ... But it’s big waves that excite Matt the most ...

Long-time Weipa firefighter Tony Lankester says he’s excited about the prospect of a new station for the local fire brigade after years of lobbying for better facilities in the region. In an early Christmas present, it was announced last week that more than half a million dollars would be spent on building the new headquarters for the Western Cape Rural Fire Brigade.

Health authorities are encouraging all Cape York residents involved in pig-hunting to take advantage of the free vaccination program for Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) ... there was heightened awareness of JEV on Cape York following the detection of the virus in some feral pigs in an area north of the Skardon River in June, and a further detection in pigs in the Mapoon area in September.

Steamy conditions made life tough for participants in the Hope Vale Pig Hunt on the weekend, as more than 100 people took part in the 19th annual event. Hunters weighed in 38 pigs, with an average weight of 49kg.

The National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) is calling on Australian energy ministers to make sure the transition to renewable energy is overseen by a national code, so we don’t sacrifice food security for energy security ... NFF CEO Tony Mahar said energy, agriculture and food prices were inextricably linked and at a time when food security was high on the agenda, careful consideration had to be given to how the energy and farming industries could work together.

With the price of Australian fertiliser imports rising by a record 128 per cent, PyroAg, a leader in creating commercial quantities of Pyroligneous acid or wood vinegar, is urging Australian farmers to embrace the next generation of sustainable farming practices, as well as stripping their fertiliser costs significantly, with scientifically backed high density liquid that will provide proven substantial benefits to the Australian agricultural sector.

February is when our first turtle hatchling emerges from its nest beneath the sand. Before that happens, Sunshine Coast Council is calling on our community to come together to tidy up their local beach as part of the 9th annual Clean up for the Hatchlings event on Saturday, February 4, 2023 ... Volunteers can register now to pick up litter at various beach locations between Noosa and Caloundra from 6am to 7.30am.

With the cost of repairing Australia’s flood and rain damaged roads expected to top $3.8 billion, the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) has joined with the Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) to call for an urgent rethink of road construction, maintenance and funding. Speaking of behalf of Australia’s 537 councils, ALGA President Linda Scott said rebuilding these roads to current standards would only cost Australian communities more in the long term.

Rapidly growing interest in the biodegradable, drought-resistant sunn hemp crop is the basis for increased investment in the sector ... It is a focus in the AgriFutures Australia’s Emerging Industries Program thanks to its diverse application as a fibre, fodder, biofuel and even in pharmaceuticals.

Vic Jurskis responds to ARR.News questions including about the different methods for monitoring koalas, sustainable koala populations, koala habitat and the relationship with timber harvesting ... "Gathering numbers should not be an end. Deliberations of the TSSC assume that more is better. The koala’s ecological history of irruptions and crashes in numbers after European arrival clearly shows this not to be the case. Effective monitoring requires an understanding of the reasons for any real changes in numbers."

Chris Oldfield. The Liberal Shadow Cabinet will continue to support a moratorium on fracking in the SE which runs until 2028. It will also continue to work on land access through agricultural properties to mines because “both agriculture and mining are important to the economy”.

Chris Oldfield. The sweet smell of roses hangs in the air wherever you walk in the garden of internationally acclaimed hybridist George Thomson and his wife Linda. On the outskirts of Naracoorte, they live among hundreds of colourful roses – varieties which have taken decades to breed and grow.

Kristin Murdock. With harvest in the mid to lower south east normally starting slightly later than other areas in the state, continual rain and cold weather hasn’t interrupted harvest – yet ... “The higher-than-average rain has been good for our pastures but the extra disease pressures mean input costs really add up. We are also worried about frost on our grapes which is very unusual for this time of year. More rain could possibly split the berries”: Casey Lodewyk.

Equestrian photographer Felicity Clay is passionate about saving the Australian Brumby and fans of her work can contribute to the cause through the purchase of her annual Brumby calendar. “I've been photographing the Brumbies in the Barmah National Park since 2018,” Felicity said.

New forecasting showing record Australian grain production numbers – despite impacts of severe weather and flooding during a delayed and disrupted harvest – makes good news for today’s papers. However, Grain Producers Australia says the headline numbers mask some serious structural issues faced by growers on the ground, which impact productivity and need to be urgently addressed.

Greenmount resident Kat Wells recently snapped this action-packed photo of these two fierce kangaroos going blow-for-blow in a local paddock. She said this type of scene is a common occurrence, the Buck Joey getting boxing lessons from Dad. “He, the Joey, will be pushed out of the mob at the end of summer," she said. “The fights will start to get fair dinkum about the middle of January, till he gets the idea.

Patricia Gill. The Denmark Environment Centre and long-standing member Geoff Evans were awarded last month for their commitment to WA’s environment ... Geoff tells how in 1994 he turned up to a meeting run by the late Alex Syme to save Denmark’s forests and was surprised to see 30 people gathered. Geoff looked around and said: “Where have you buggers been for the past 25 years?”

Patricia Gill. “Make no mistake we will have another bushfire like that,” chief bushfire control officer Lez Baines warns of the likely repeat of another February bushfire ... Lez urged all householders to leave rather than defend their properties in the event of a fire.

Residents and landholders have breathed a sigh of relief this week as flood waters peaked at Moulamein at a height of 6.235m. While the peak is a welcome sign, the impacts of the flooding are still dramatic on the community ... In what is typically a busy time for mixed irrigators of Moulamein, the flooding is hampering the harvest of winter crops and rice production.

As the weather warms up and dissolved oxygen in the local rivers and creeks remain dangerously low, the community is leading the fish protection response. From old bedframes with dripper lines supplied with air compressors, to garden hoses circulating water, and even a paddleboat churning through $700 in fuel per week in an effort to provide an oxygenated refuge for native fish. The Murray Downs Marina dissolved oxygen went up above 5mg/L after four days with the Iron Dry paddle boat running.