Land & environment

Following months of record rainfall and vegetation growth residents are urged to start preparing their families and properties for the coming bushfire season. City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said a well prepared home and property is more likely to survive a bush fire and can also be easier to defend.

The birthday of the world's happiest animal, the quokka, will again be celebrated during the month of September at Rottnest Island ... The event program will offer families the perfect chance to see Spring quokka joeys emerging from the pouch.

A significant milestone in building a future for the commercial and recreational fishing industries has been reached with the next stage of the Queensland Government’s Sustainable Fisheries reforms coming into effect on September 1.

Visitors to the famous Mon Repos turtle-education and conservation centre will soon be able to book tickets to get up close to the ocean’s ‘heroes in a half shell’.

The Murray–Darling Basin Authority met on 30 August 2021 by video teleconference. The meeting was chaired by Sir Angus Houston with all members present ... the Authority released the mid-year  report card on the Basin Plan. This is the sixth report card produced by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority and responds to community feedback seeking short and succinct updates on water reform progress.

The Australian Government has today released for public consultation a draft soil carbon method for the Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF). Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor said the new method will support greater uptake of soil carbon projects by overcoming barriers to participating in the ERF by reducing costs and introducing new activities to store carbon.

Katter's Australian Party leader Robbie Katter says he is concerned that the state’s bid to buy Bramwell Station is leading to an inevitable locking up of Cape York ... “We don’t have the cash to be spending money on pointless environmental exercises, that will arguably deliver poorer outcomes than if the land were to remain in private hands,” the Mount Isa-based MP said.

Aaron Smith. A coroner's report on the worst maritime tragedy in the Torres Strait since the sinking of the Malu Sara in 2009 was publicly gazetted last week and community leaders have voiced concerns over a lack of connectivity, affordable transportation and boat safety.

Sawfish - one of the world's most endangered rays - have lost over half of their habitat worldwide and largely disappeared from the entire east coast of Australia. A collaborative study by the University of Southern Queensland and Sharks and Rays Australia will endeavour to fill in gaps in information about the ray’s ecology, biology and distribution.

World-first technology is being used to rebuild natural habitats destroyed by bushfires, creating more than 800 new hollows that will provide displaced animals with a space to nest and roost for an accumulated 56,000 years.

Richard Segal. The Lord Howe currawong is one of the most recognisable and commonly encountered native bird species on Lord Howe Island. They are often curious about people and always keen for a sultana or two. Until recently, little was known about the currawong, including where they prefer to nest and how many of them are breeding. For example, do all birds nest each year or only some of them? Do they nest across the island, or do they favour certain areas?

Illiam is a young Walmajarri Custodian. He describes the familial connection and spiritual sacredness of Martuwarra.

Gabrielle Duykers. Local residents have planted more than 2000 native tree species across Avenue Range to help rejuvenate land affected by the Blackford fire. Titled ‘green is the new black’, the revitalisation project has been organised by the newly-formed Avenue Tree Group.

Red meat producers are featuring in a series of new videos, sharing their stories to inform consumers on how red meat is produced in Australia.

Sydney-based private equity firm Roc Partners has bought a majority stake in the Murray River Land business, giving it control of more than 60 farms either side of the river. Mostly former dairy farms, the northern Victoria and southern New South Wales properties span a combined 10,000 hectares between Numurkah and Tocumwal.

In southern Australia, whether native forests are subject to harvesting or left untouched, if appropriate landscape scale forest fuel management is not undertaken, high intensity bushfires at a mega scale can occur in any summer, particularly when there are two or more years of below average rainfall. Any climate change effects are a reason to do more mitigation by fuel reduction.

We have a fire problem in Australia that is not being addressed. And it has nothing to do with climate change. Nor is logging a major contributing factor since very small areas are available for harvesting each year. It is about the decisions in the 1990s across most states, but particularly in NSW and Victoria to lock up millions of hectares of forest into national parks and manage them by benign neglect and allow the fuel levels to build up.

The frogs are singing and the harvesters ring in the Guttrum Forest. Reed Bed Swamp has been receiving a blessing of water across the forest floor ... Redgum saplings, salinity, midstorey and understorey condition are themes of contention between locals and government agencies ... I wonder what will happen if the Victorian Andrews Government continues with plans to end native forestry. Who will promote forest health and manage density?

In a cultural first for Australia, a sapling from a sacred tree revered by the world’s Buddhist community has been imported from Sri Lanka in what can only be described as a great biosecurity success story.

Frog scientists are concerned about a large number of sick, dying or dead frogs across eastern Australia. The mass deaths in NSW, Queensland and Victoria may be an indicator of a known fungal pathogen or a new strain.

Under the proposal, a portion of the site will be transferred to the Grafton Ngerrie LALC to support better outcomes for the Aboriginal community, and successfully resolve an Aboriginal land claim. Another parcel of land adjacent to Grafton Base Hospital will be transferred to NSW Health ... the SE portion, which comprises significant heritage items, will be set aside for future adaptive reuse with heritage protections in place ...