Land & environment

Precautionary fishing restrictions in waters immediately adjacent to Port Pirie have been extended for a further 12 months ... Put in place in September 2020 after the release of a scientific study into heavy metals in sediment in the area, the restrictions have been extended for another year while SA Health complete an in-depth analysis of sample results and consider the public health implications.

I’m all for saving forests. Unlike the climate change enthusiasts, I learnt how to do it by working as a forester. Forty years ago, after I’d started working in the bush, Neville Wran commenced what has become a tradition amongst Labor Premiers by saving NSW’s rainforests. They were actually quite safe then. Some were selectively logged and regenerated, some were preserved in Flora Reserves. All were protected from wildfire by the clean, open, grassy eucalypt forests around them – maintained by mild burning ... Now Mark McGowan has saved the forests  of the Southwest ...

With bumper crops on the horizon for much of the state, Minister for Agriculture Adam Marshall has today urged landholders to be on the lookout for locust activity this spring and report any sightings immediately.

One of the Sunshine Coast’s most picturesque locations is in the spotlight with Sunshine Coast Council embarking on a study to understand how much we love the area and how we use it.

Three major new missions from CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, will grow Australia’s agriculture and food sectors targeting $20 billion by 2030. The $150 million investment from CSIRO, government and industry will tackle drought, the food export market and growing the protein market.

New artwork and informative signage has been revealed at Robert Dixon Park at Kingscliff to draw attention to the rare Glossy black-cockatoo. The Glossy black-cockatoo, also affectionately known as Glossies, is listed as vulnerable in NSW. The Tweed is lucky enough to be home to both the Glossy black-cockatoo and the Yellow-tailed black-cockatoo however, there isn’t enough reliable data to confirm Glossy black-cockatoo numbers.

A flood is coming. The forecast flow downstream of Yarrawonga is estimated to reach 50–60,000 megalitres per day (split between Tuppal and Bullatale Creeks and the Murray River) and the Goulburn has had minor flooding, with flows of 21,000 megalitres a day ... Our food producers now face what is an allocation drought during a flood event.

Blaming bushfires on forestry is just another attempt from those ideologically opposed to forestry to shut down an industry they fundamentally disagree with. There is a constant pattern of behaviour from the those who disagree with the forestry industry of using misinformation and cherry picking from report and science to support their claim. As we currently stand there is no unequivocal or generally accepted evidence that forestry operations increase fire risk.

“The IFA/AFG is concerned that professional forest scientists, researchers and managers do not appear to have been consulted to inform this decision, and also questions whether the views and aspirations of Traditional Owners have been considered,” IFA/ AFG VP Dr Freeman said. “This thought-bubble policy is out of step with the rest of the world, which views well-regulated, sustainable native forest management and biodiverse plantings as the preferred source of timber, because of their positive contribution to climate change mitigation, biodiversity and forest resilience."

Rocky the conservation dog will be sniffing out fox dens this month as part of an expanded Coastal Fox Control Program. Rocky and his handler Tom Garrett  will survey coastal areas south of the Maroochy River to detect fox dens between September 10 and September 27, 2021. Previously Rocky worked in areas north of the Maroochy River.

The Murray-Darling Basin Authority has increased daily releases from Hume Dam to 31GL to manage airspace. The flow rate will keep Murray River levels similar to what they have been in the past few days – a little above channel capacity but well below minor flood level at Albury. The release rate is likely to change in response to changing conditions in the catchment.

Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor said the 100 millionth ACCU (Australian Carbon Credit Unit) has been issued for the Wilinggin Fire Project, which manages savanna burning in Western Australia’s Kimberley region and is managed by the Ngarinyin people. “The Wilinggin Fire Project is supported and led by the local Indigenous community, and one which returns substantial environmental and economic benefits,” Minister Taylor said ... Savanna fire management projects apply strategic early dry season burning with the aim of reducing the frequency and extent of late dry season fires. This results in fewer greenhouse gas emissions ... ACCUs from savanna fire projects command a premium in the private market.

A charter boat skipper has been hit with more than $33,000 in fines and costs after being found guilty in the Mackay Magistrates Court of two charges, including a major black marketing offence.

In a significant step toward joint land management between the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service (PWS) and Tasmanian Aboriginal people, PWS Aboriginal Fire Rangers employees have completed their first cultural burn at Dempster Plains on the West Coast.  

Mark Knowles. The wilderness of Cape York is one of the last refuges for Australia’s rarest bird of prey, the Red Goshawk, according to findings emerging from the most comprehensive study of the bird to date. The study, a collaboration between the Queensland Department of Environment & Science, Australian Wildlife Conservancy and Rio Tinto, commenced following a sighting of a Red Goshawk nest on a mining lease near Mapoon in 2015.

Australia’s biosecurity detector dog unit has evolved over many years, with the dogs now being trained to detect specific cargo pests and taking part in trials to screen passengers for COVID-19.

Surf Life Saving WA's (SLSWA) shark mitigation services begin for another season this weekend - with the McGowan Government providing longer term certainty for the program with funding in the State Budget until 2024-25.