Land & environment

The sun and the sea – both abundant and free – are being harnessed in a unique project to create vertical sea farms floating on the ocean that can produce fresh water for drinking and agriculture. In what is believed to be a world first, UniSA researchers have designed a self-sustaining solar-driven system that evaporates seawater and recycles it into freshwater, growing crops without any human involvement.

Wingecarribee’s Aboriginal community had an exciting opportunity to take part in a cultural burn within Gibbergunyah Reserve last weekend. The burn was conducted by Gundungurra Traditional Owners and our First Nations community in partnership with Yarrabin Cultural Connections Fire Practitioner Den Barber and his team, also supported by the NSW RFS and Wingecarribee Shire Council.

What would it cost? And what is the carbon footprint of the physical effort to remove the footing of one of the many 200m tall wind turbine towers soon to be seen scattered across the Wheatbelt? ... I wonder how many of the Greenpeace activist types have watched the doco Thrown to the Wind about the whale deaths off the East Coast of the United States?

A water bill proposed by the Federal Government, which could see buybacks take 450GL of water from local irrigators, will have detrimental effects on the Greater Shepparton region and its horticulture industry … Known for being the food bowl of Australia, Cr Sali said Greater Shepparton would feel the brunt of the Water Amendment (Restoring Our Rivers) Bill 2023...

Victorians are now able to collect free firewood for personal use from state forest firewood collection areas until Thursday 30 November, 2023. Forest Fire Management Victoria, Acting Deputy Chief Fire Officer, Jarrod Hayse, said firewood collection is only allowed in designated firewood collection areas during a firewood season.

The mass frog mortality event occurred at the lagoon last week, prompting the immediate closure of the popular nature park near Naracoorte. While DEW has confirmed a suspected chytrid fungus outbreak in the area, it has cautioned the public to stay on paths and help reduce the potential spread of the disease.

The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) has slammed the legislative changes to the Murray-Darling Basin Plan introduced by the Albanese Government in Federal Parliament … “This move tears up the agreement made by Basin states over 10 years ago and is trying to re-write history on what the Basin Plan actually is”: VFF Water Council Chair Andrew Leahy.

A number of fires which have severely impacted sugarcane crops in the Lower Clarence during the past week are being treated as suspicious. Around 11:45pm on August 25, emergency services were called to three properties along Serpentine Channel South Bank Road, Bewleys Lane, and Beckmans Lane in Harwood, following reports of fires in sugarcane crops.

Farmers are warning that a bill introduced today by Water Minister Tanya Plibersek would obliterate consensus on the Basin Plan and give the Government unchecked power to shut down irrigation farms in Australia’s food bowl. NFF Chief Executive Tony Mahar said the proposal would blow up the Basin Plan and destroy trust and livelihoods in Basin communities.

Recently, two mature peppercorn trees in White Cliffs were removed to make way for water pipes. Shirley Evans (nee Riley), who now lives in Wilcannia, was born under one of those trees in 1937. She says, 'When I was an adult I went back to that tree a few times with Mum ... I was really disappointed to think that they'd cut that tree down.'

The globally unique extraordinary biodiversity of the Clarence Valley has been on show for 30 of the world’s top botanists who have sampled the region’s spectacular flora from the headwaters of the Clarence River to Yuraygir National Park. The botanists have descended on the region to attend the International Association for Vegetation Science 65th Annual Symposium...

In response to a new bill allowing water purchases being introduced to federal parliament, environment groups from across four states have welcomed progress on the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, but warn that delays will be costly to the health of our rivers … “While it’s great to see the Basin Plan moving again, it’s important to remember how far behind the Plan is...": Nature Conservation Council of NSW Water Campaigner Mel Gray.

Beekeepers are urged to be vigilant in monitoring for Varroa mite and keep up-to-date with permits, as Agriculture Victoria strengthens it surveillance in response to a detection over the border ... This comes as Victoria’s almond pollination season in the Sunraysia region is coming to an end, and beekeepers are moving their hives to pollinate other Victorian fruit and crops.

An aquatic root mat community found in caves in the Yanchep National Park and ironstone soil areas featuring massed everlastings in spring are included among the first 65 threatened ecological communities listed under WA’s Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 … the aquatic root mat … is a threatened ecological community, which also supports a critically endangered cave shrimp.

In the wake of IPBES' release of the Invasive Alien Species Assessment, CSIRO's Dr Andy Sheppard explains why invasive species are of urgent concern, providing key insights with a focus on Australia. The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES; often described as the IPCC for biodiversity) released its Invasive Alien Species Assessment in Bonn, Germany, on 4 September 2023.

Australian agriculture, fisheries and forestry are set to have the third-highest yearly gross value on record in 2023-24, with production value predicted to reach $86 billion. Executive Director of ABARES Dr Jared Greenville said release of the ABARES Agricultural Commodities and Crop Reports shows the sector is remaining strong despite challenging conditions.

In a monumental leap towards a greener future, AgriFutures Australia proudly presents the outcomes of the Carbon Initiative Program, a $2 million commitment fueling 15 pioneering research projects. The 15 projects have not only enriched current industry-specific endeavours towards a net-zero future but have also forged new frontiers in cross-industry carbon research.

Cuttlefest has proven a success again this year, with more than 10,000 people from across the globe enjoying the natural spectacle and associated events! Themed around the return of the Cuttlefish to Spencer Gulf waters, Cuttlefest provided an abundance of opportunities and experiences from May to August.

With help from recreational anglers, long term tag-and-release programs ... have revealed a level of connectivity of kingfish between states across mainland Australia, as well as offshore sites such as LHI and NZ. However, the frequency of such long-distance movements and the whereabouts of spawning-sized kingfish ... between release and recapture remain a mystery ... Project Kingfish aims to fill these knowledge gaps.