According to a new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change late last month, sequestering carbon dioxide is only one of the crucial climate-regulating attributes inherent to the world’s forests.
According to a new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change late last month, sequestering carbon dioxide is only one of the crucial climate-regulating attributes inherent to the world’s forests.
We did not know it was coming until a spot fire blazed red a hundred metres away. Flames crackled through wattle and blackberry thickets; gum trees exploded with a woomph; and a dog and a black mountain possum dashed towards us in terror. The inferno raged for hours around our mud brick cottage at Granton, …
This could explain why there seem to be fewer birds than before the 2014 Goongerah/Deddick fires, even in the areas where the fire didn’t reach. The thick smoke lasted for almost 8 weeks. Smoke impacts birds respiratory system, which is more efficient than mammals’ so they can absorb more oxygen (this allows them to fly) …
All gardeners know that turning and aerating a compost pile decomposes it far more quickly. The resulting rich humus is a soil conditioner, encourages good fungi and invertebrates, holds water and provides nutrients to the garden. This is a simple example of how our forests function when the many players are healthy and in balance.The …
Aren’t we told planned burns are done to save lives? How come so many people are dying and suffering from the smoke they generate then? In November, 14 people died from the burns smoke that blanketed Sydney. Many more suffered asthma attacks and were hospitalised. How long has this been hidden from the public, with …
Echidnas may not seem the most active of animals. Waddling around, they spend much of their time dozing and hiding. But in research published today in the Journal of Experimental Biology, we show that echidnas dig huge amounts of soil, and play a crucial role in Australia’s ecosystems. By attaching miniature GPSs and accelerometers to …
Bushfires in Australia can have a devastating impact on an environment and destroy homes and lives, so any effort to prevent them is a welcome move. But the way that we have traditionally understood bushfires and forest flammability in Australia is not up to the challenges of our changing climate. Thankfully, a new approach is …
The Clarence Environment Centre is also witnessing and questioning the arson being carried out in their local area. The immense damage being done to wildlife and ecosystems, under guise of ‘public safety’ is galling. So many of our rare and threatened wildlife are dependent on large old trees with hollows for nesting and sheltering. “Knowing …
Decline and extinction of Australian mammals since European settlement The island continent of Australia harbors much of the world’s most distinctive biodiversity, but this review describes an extent of recent and ongoing loss of its mammal fauna that is exceptionally high and appreciably greater than previously recognized. With the dwindling abundance, range, and diversity of …
A new study into the movement and behaviour of feral cats could have implications for the way bushfires are managed across the country. There is an “unholy alliance” between feral cats and wildfire, according to Australian Wildlife Conservancy chief executive Atticus Fleming. The large research project, undertaken by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, involved radio tracking …
Last week… Jaala Pulford threw more of our money at destroying Victoria’s biodiversity…at the same time as Lisa Neville is drafting a strategy to protect it. $6.2M for yet more pointless and indiscriminate aerial baiting of wildlife (A Robley’s report 2011– showed it was ineffective against wild dogs). http://www.jaalapulford.com.au/media-releases/fox-bounty-extended-wild-dog-control-measures-doubled/ $5.3M to assist the hunting lobby. …
