Land & environment

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.

Council is seeking community input to help shape the future vision and management of Norries Headland at Cabarita Beach on the Tweed Coast.

A new exhibition that pays tribute to the resilience of the Scenic Rim region following the devastating bushfires that raged across the region during the Black Summer of 2019-2020 has opened at The Centre in Beaudesert.

Traditional Owner knowledge was shared among land managers in a Cultural Burning workshop held on Kabi Kabi Country at a Sunshine Coast Council environment reserve near Kenilworth recently.

Following some threatening fire seasons, the Territory Government allocated $2 million towards updating firefighting infrastructure to keep lives and properties safe. Recently, two new 350,000 litre water tanks were installed at both Batchelor and Hughes Airstrips, costing $150,000.

Shire of Gingin brigades will join City of Wanneroo brigades in having access to their own thermal imaging cameras this bushfire season ... The cameras help firefighters identify hotspots in bushfires, enabling them to target specific areas and deploy their resources accordingly. They are also an important tool to detect fires burning underground, which are a common threat in Western Australia and can cause bushfires to reignite after they have been extinguished.

September 1st 2021 saw the commencement of the Bush Fire Danger Period for Coastal NSW, including 21 Local Government Areas (LGAs). This brings the total number of LGAs currently experiencing heightened bush fire risk to 27 across NSW. Minister for Police and Emergency Services David Elliott said it is important that communities in these coastal areas are aware of their bush fire risk.

Budding citizen scientists are being called upon to help record and map sightings of the reclusive Albert’s Lyrebird as part of a project to help conserve the beautiful rare bird.

Forests across all tenures are declining and/or exploding from lack of sustainable management. A miniscule proportion is available for logging. Logging can have a beneficial effect on local fire behaviour, but no effect on a regional scale. The bushfires and logging debate is a dangerous distraction from our real major environmental issue – sustainable fire management.

Neil J Eagle AO. We now see communities and irrigators questioning why, when dams on the Murrumbidgee and Murray are now pre-releasing or spilling, the allocations remain so low – 30% NSW Murray and 52% Murrumbidgee. The cause dates back to the early 1990s when the anti-irrigation element imbedded in our bureaucracy and, egged on by groups like the ‘Wentworth Group’, began proclaiming our rivers in the Murray-Darling Basin were over-allocated and in dire decline.

CleanCo Queensland has signed on to take power from the Dulacca Renewable Energy Project, bringing 150 new jobs to the Western Downs. The publicly-owned renewable energy company has signed the agreement to take power from the Octopus Australia-owned Dulacca Wind Farm, which will see up to 180 megawatts of renewable energy generated.

Natural capital is set to be the path forward for the income and security of NSW farmers and for conservation of the environment, as the agricultural industry aims to reach its $30 billion by 2030 target, says the state's minister for energy and environment Matt Kean. As investors around the world and markets move towards decarbonisation as standard practice, NSW is looking to ensure more capital is invested outside its city centres.

The Massive Murray Paddle holds important significance within the paddling community, and for the charities and local causes the event supports. COVID-19 has taken a terrible toll on events and races over the past two years, and we felt it was very important not to cancel our event for the second time in its 52-year history ... The Massive Murray Paddle 2021 will now take place from 21-25 February, 2022 ... The event generates important funds for communities in the region. Between 2016 and 2019, the event has contributed $800,585 to local community causes ...

Deeply concerned about the impact of discarded fishing line and tackle on the environment, 2019 Tweed Sustainability Awards Youth category winner Josh Carpenter felt compelled to act. Josh came up with the Tackle Bin Project, an initiative to trial bait bins at 3 locations across the Tweed.