Australia’s southern coastal wetlands are more diverse than most people realise. In a recent paper, Paul Boon suggests they provide valuable ecological services that exceed those of inland wetland ecosystems. But these wetlands face enormous pressures from urban development and climate change. Fifty per cent of coastal wetlands have been lost from the east coast of Australia.
The Federal Government has published a new interactive online map that shows the extent of investment in clean energy projects across Australia.
Technology developed by CSIRO that makes use of satellite data to provide the most detailed maps yet of changes to Australia's forest and land-cover is enabling more accurate measurements of the carbon emissions prevented through preserving forest or replanting cleared land.
Will Australia's biodiversity benefit from the new carbon economy designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions? Or will bio-'perversities' win the day?
Recent moves by the Queensland Government to open national parks to cattle grazing and to open bushland to land-clearing have drawn criticism from environmental groups.
The authors of Australia's first significant study into providing 100 per cent renewable energy have welcomed a new report from the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), which has found that it is technically feasible and affordable to run the National Electricity Market with 100 per cent renewable energy.
Rolling fields dotted with sheep and majestic old gum trees form a quintessential part of the Australian landscape. These paddock trees perform a critical, under-appreciated role in improving farm viability and conserving biodiversity. Through the power of social media, a volunteer army of citizen scientists has been helping in the research effort to preserve these icons.
The Urban Coalition, a new coalition of built environment and conservation groups, has launched a wide-ranging national plan to tackle emerging urban challenges and improve the liveability of Australian cities.
Every year millions of birds make heroic migratory journeys across oceans and continents guided by the Earth's magnetic field. How they detect those magnetic fields has puzzled scientists for decades.
Big ‘boss crocs' – large dominant males that keep subordinate males out of their territory – could be the key to safer management of Northern Australia's crocodile populations.
Three new published studies, each looking at a different aspect of humankind's impact on climate, all carry the same sobering message. The first study concludes that recent warming is unprecedented in 2000 years. A second reports climate zones are shifting faster due to warming temperatures. The third argues impacts from greenhouse gas emissions are not caused solely by warming temperatures.
A new project based on a collaboration between Australia’s
Tilapia, one of North Queensland's most invasive species of introduced freshwater fish, may be tracked by its own DNA, in a new collaborative project between researchers from James Cook University and the Queensland Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
In the second of six international Indigenous ranger exchange visits funded by the Australian Government, five Torres Strait Island rangers and traditional owners have travelled to the Solomon Islands to work alongside their Pacific Island counterparts.
A new global-scale modelling study that takes into account nitrogen – a key nutrient for plants – estimates that carbon emissions from human activities on land were 40 per cent higher in the 1990s than was estimated in studies at the time, which did not account for limited nitrogen availability for plant growth.
Imagine you're a disaster manager and a large earthquake has just struck off the Australian coast. You know that part of the Australian coastline is about to be inundated by a tsunami but you need more information – and quickly. But what information do you need, and how do you get it?
CSIRO has just announced the deployment of a $150,000 mooring off Tasmania's Maria Island, to further Australia's research on climate change. The mooring is equipped to measure the chemistry of the Tasman Sea, specifically its acidity. So, then, what has seawater chemistry to do with climate change?
A community of scientists came together online to create a vision for the future of biodiversity research, which puts technological innovation at its heart and calls for greater openness in data sharing, standardisation and citizen science.
The latest State of the World (2013) report – which features contributions from experts at the Worldwatch Institute and other disciplines – sets out to answer the question, is sustainability still possible?
Leading international marine scientists have called for the protection of more, large marine wilderness areas in a bid to shield the world's dwindling stocks of fish from destruction.
A study based in the WA wheat belt is investigating whether increasing soil carbon in grain production to offset greenhouse gas emissions may also increase nitrous oxide emissions, which are nearly 300 times more damaging than carbon dioxide.
Norway's government pension fund – one of the world's largest – has withdrawn US$314 million in investments from a string of companies that it says produce palm oil ‘unsustainably' – a move environmental advocates are likely to welcome because of links between the industry and deforestation.
The Australian Government has released a discussion paper proposing amendments to the regulations governing the administration of the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme.
Scientists in Western Australia warn that the future of one of Australia's most extraordinary temperate seagrass ecosystems – the iconic Shark Bay – may be under threat from warmer seas, heavier floods and sea-level rise associated with climate change.
In an Australian-led, world-first genome mapping project, a multi-agency Australian research team has discovered how and why koalas respond to infectious diseases.
A recent report from The Climate Institute concludes that Australia has staged a fragile reversal in its previously declining low-carbon competitiveness, with Asia, especially China, now taking centre stage in preparedness for the low-carbon economy.
Figures from the Clean Energy Regulator show the number of Australian homes with solar power systems passed the one million mark in March. According to the Clean Energy Council (CEC), this means more Australians are getting cheaper power and saving some half a billion dollars a year on their electricity bills.
Kerbside recycling needs expansion and consistency across local government areas to help lift Australia's recycling rate, according to the Australian Packaging Covenant (APC).
New research show that potential global crop yield losses from wheat stem-rust – a disease that stops grains forming – are unlikely to be as catastrophic as past predictions, but that sustained research investment is needed to ensure crops are resistant to new strains of the disease.