Land & environment

Forestry Corporation has taken delivery of three new fire tankers to ensure New South Wales communities are safeguarded from bushfires. The state-of-the-art category one tankers have been supplied by the Rural Fire Service, as part of its new build program, to bolster the state’s firefighting arsenal.

Frogs are in trouble. While many of the world's animal species are now at risk from habitat loss, climate change and other human pressures, it is frogs that are particularly at risk ... "Farm dams, often overlooked in the conservation context, have emerged as potential lifelines for numerous species during dry spells, including frogs": Dr Martino Malerba.

Australia’s inaugural National Bushfire Preparedness Summit is a timely reminder that being bushfire ready is a 365-day a year job, the President of Forestry Australia Dr Michelle Freeman said. “It’s great to see the national spotlight on the critically important issue of bushfire preparedness, but this must be more than just a two-day flash in the pan,” Dr Freeman said.

Western Australia's prized western rock lobsters will be even more readily available to WA seafood lovers, with a major boost approved for direct Back-of-Boat lobster sales this 2023-24 fishing season. The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development has increased the landing limit for back-of-boat sales from 200 to 999 lobsters per fishing trip.

GWMWater, in partnership with Pyrenees Shire Council, has been investigating the feasibility of extending the Wimmera Mallee Pipeline to provide water to rural properties in parts of the Pyrenees, Northern Grampians and Central Goldfields Shires.

The Murray–Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) will call on water from the Menindee Lakes in the coming week to meet demands in the River Murray system.

October promises a revival of spirits and music along the Loddon River as the ‘Whole Loddon Love’ initiative orchestrates a series of live music events ... A bevy of talent is set to grace the Baringhup Hall stage, with performers like The Maes from Melbourne (ex Maldon), The Jess Parker Band from Castlemaine...

Farmers aspire to leave their farm to the next generation in a better condition they received it in. Improving and securing soil is an important part of achieving such an aspiration ... The University of Sydney and AFI are undertaking research to deliver a process to measure human connectivity to soil.

Adair Dunsford. With Spring in the air, the Naracoorte Art Gallery is supporting the local show this year with a targeted floral art workshop. Two designs from the Show catalogue will feature in an afternoon session with former florist, Lisa Caon on Saturday October 7.

This past weekend, the Kerang Memorial Hall hosted the annual show of the Mid-Murray Orchid Club. The event was a visual and olfactory delight with stunning colours and fragrances that could rival any high-end perfume. 

SOURCE Hydropanel technology is bringing reliable drinking water to the underserved community, Irrkerlantye (White Gate), in the Northern Territory. Children’s Ground – a First Nations community-led organisation – is working in partnership with SOURCE to improve drinking water access in remote communities.

A new handbook released by Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, will guide businesses – including farmers, forest growers, mining companies and non-governmental organisations – on how to report and account for their natural assets to better protect our environment. Much of the value and growth from our economy is drawn from natural resources as a variety of industries depend on, and profit, from them.

The National Management Group (NMG), of which Melons Australia represents industry on, confirmed at its meeting on 19 September 2023 that eradication of Varroa destructor (varroa mite) is no longer feasible based on technical grounds, following advice from the Consultative Committee on Emergency Plant Pests (CCEPP). The response will now enter a transition to management phase.

The Clarence Valley timber industry is still uncertain how many jobs could be lost due to the suspension of logging in the proposed Great Koala National Park as the NSW Government assesses the impact on the endangered marsupials and timber industry jobs ... “They still haven’t actually said what the areas are that they are going to not harvest in and where the actual koala hubs are, so it’s really hard to work out what the ramifications are going to be”: Donna Layton, Marshall Notaras Hardwoods GM and VP of Timber NSW.

Meet the Immortal River Red Gum – a heritage-listed tree on the Mallee Dam Road, adjoining Mount Elgin Swamp. It’s one of the thickest, tallest, and oldest River Red Gums (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) in Victoria and can be found 13 km south of Nhill. The National Trust estimates the tree is about 400 years old and has been listed as a significant tree because it is particularly old and because of its outstanding size.

Yorke Peninsula Council has isolated two sites on southern Yorke Peninsula after material containing asbestos was found at an unsanctioned Marion Bay dump ... The Marion Bay site has been used as an undocumented and unapproved community dumping area for decades, a practice dating back to before smaller councils amalgamated to form YPC in 1997.

Claims that prescribed burning will not assist with wildfire control are spurious. ... The EPA report on their review of the FMP failed to mention that a West Australian Parliamentary Committee, after hearing multiple evidence, recently concluded that an additional review of prescribed burning practices by Government was NOT warranted. This is a blatant and serious omission.

The Howitt Society are concerned at the lack of broadscale fuel management operations in East Gippsland over the past four years post the 2019/20 fires ... A public meeting has been convened at Mallacoota to discuss the issue of the long term protection of the townships and the forests of East Gippsland.

Prior to the Authority meeting, members had a very constructive visit to the Upper Murrumbidgee and were briefed on issues affecting the river ... The Authority also met with the First Nations Leadership Group who had travelled from Country to meet in Canberra. There was a constructive discussion on how to establish long-term productive relationships.

With a goal of achieving “the three Rs” of reducing emissions, removing greenhouse gases and repairing the climate, the Climate Foundation has developed an innovative technique for cultivating seaweed to regenerate lost kelp forests and sequester carbon in the ocean’s depths for hundreds of years.

A chance conversation with a landholder interested in the methane-reducing properties of red seaweed prompted a research team led by Deakin University to examine if there were freshwater alternatives. A mix of algae scooped out of a Victorian waterway and a species of amphibious grass plucked from a stream have both been found to reduce methane production by up to 24 per cent...