https://news.mongabay.com/list/australia/ Environmental science and conservation news Fri, 17 Nov 2023 04:37:44 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.3.2 https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2020/05/16160320/cropped-mongabay_icon-32x32.png https://news.mongabay.com/list/australia/ 32 32 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/glencores-coal-expansion-plans-face-shareholder-and-indigenous-opposition/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/glencores-coal-expansion-plans-face-shareholder-and-indigenous-opposition/#respond 17 Nov 2023 02:33:34 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275551 - Glencore, the largest coal producer in Australia, faces criticism from shareholders for its lack of transparency on how it plans to meet its climate targets, especially in light of proposed thermal coal mine expansions in the country.
- Listing the homestead, which is a culturally significant site for the Indigenous Wonnarua people, is now being reconsidered by heritage officials after a process that sources say has dragged on.
- The Glendell mine is one of several that could increase their emissions under a loophole in the government’s revised “safeguard mechanism” that’s intended to bind the mining sector to a reduction in emissions.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/glencores-coal-expansion-plans-face-shareholder-and-indigenous-opposition/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/lethal-or-not-australias-beaches-are-a-crucible-for-shark-control-methods/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/lethal-or-not-australias-beaches-are-a-crucible-for-shark-control-methods/#respond 16 Nov 2023 16:56:33 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=275468 - Recent figures published by the state of New South Wales reveal that almost all the animals caught in the nets during the 2022/23 summer season were “nontarget” species, including turtles, dolphins and endangered shark species, the majority of which died due to entanglement in the nets.
- In contrast, the west-coast state of Western Australia has abandoned a shark culling regime in favor of nonlethal alternatives, such as drone monitoring and “eco barriers,” swimming enclosures that keep marine life out but do not risk entanglement.
- Despite calls from environmental groups to exclusively adopt nonlethal technologies, shark control programs are continuing in both New South Wales and its northern neighbor, Queensland, during the 2023/24 Australian summer.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/lethal-or-not-australias-beaches-are-a-crucible-for-shark-control-methods/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/australia-crackdown-on-climate-protesters-grows-amid-fight-against-gas-project/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/australia-crackdown-on-climate-protesters-grows-amid-fight-against-gas-project/#respond 31 Oct 2023 14:43:43 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=274832 - As the company argues more gas is needed, direct action tactics by protesters, like releasing non-toxic stench gas or painting on art, have erupted across the state, as well as crackdowns by the police who have begun imposing the strongest form of charges on activists — some facing up to 20 years in prison.
- This is on trend with a general increasing intolerance toward environmental protesters in Australia and an uptick in the use of direct action by protesters who feel the time is running out to meet climate targets and protect endangered species.
- Environmentalists and researchers worry the project will endanger marine life through seismic blasting and say studies show it is not necessary to meet the country’s energy needs.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/australia-crackdown-on-climate-protesters-grows-amid-fight-against-gas-project/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/will-we-lose-most-of-the-great-barrier-reef-by-february/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/will-we-lose-most-of-the-great-barrier-reef-by-february/#respond 24 Oct 2023 21:28:44 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=274560 - On this edition of the Mongabay Newscast, multiple guests working in coral reef conservation, kelp reforestation and sustainable agriculture detail their projects and challenges they’re tackling.
- Like the catastrophic Great Barrier Reef bleaching event of 2016, if the current conditions line up just right, “we could lose a huge part of the reef by February,” says guest Dean Miller of the Forever Reef Project, which is now racing to add the final coral specimens to its “biobank.”
- Guests also include John “Charlie” Veron from the Forever Reef Project, Mic Black from Rainstick, and Adriana Vergés from the Kelp Forest Alliance.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/will-we-lose-most-of-the-great-barrier-reef-by-february/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/what-does-land-mean-to-australias-indigenous-groups-fighting-logging/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/what-does-land-mean-to-australias-indigenous-groups-fighting-logging/#respond 05 Oct 2023 15:57:29 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=273879 - This landscape, part of the Newry State Forest in New South Wales, Australia, is facing a logging project by the state-owned Forestry Corporation that threatens the habitat of the vulnerable koala species — also a cultural totem.
- Gumbaynggirr protesters resisting logging plans say they believe every part of the world is in deep relationship with each other, including humans to nature and the land. Their cultural duty to protect totems, they say, pushes them to try to stop extractive industries.
- In this piece, Indigenous Gumbaynggirr protesters explain what land — this piece of the Earth — means to them.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/what-does-land-mean-to-australias-indigenous-groups-fighting-logging/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/in-the-chain-of-species-extinctions-ai-can-predict-the-next-link-to-break/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/in-the-chain-of-species-extinctions-ai-can-predict-the-next-link-to-break/#respond 22 Aug 2023 11:04:49 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=272454 - Trained on data on how species interact with each other, the model could serve to alert conservation managers on which vulnerable species to focus on, the developers say.
- They tested the model successfully in Australia’s Simpson Desert, where it accurately predicted which species invasive foxes and cats preyed on.
- However, the shortage of data on species interactions, along with the possible biases that arise, are gaps that still need to be filled in the model.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/in-the-chain-of-species-extinctions-ai-can-predict-the-next-link-to-break/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/07/new-tree-tech-cutting-edge-drones-give-reforestation-a-helping-hand/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/07/new-tree-tech-cutting-edge-drones-give-reforestation-a-helping-hand/#respond 12 Jul 2023 15:07:42 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=270623 - Restoring hundreds of millions of hectares of lost and degraded forest worldwide will require a gigantic effort, a challenge made doubly hard by the fact that many sites are inaccessible by road, stopping manual replanting projects in their tracks.
- Manual planting is labor-intensive and slow. Drone seeding uses the latest in robotic technology to deliver seeds directly to where they’re needed. Drones can drop seeds along a predefined route, working together in a “swarm” to complete the task with a single human supervisor overseeing the process.
- Drone-dropped seed success rates are lower than for manually planted seedlings, but biotech solutions are helping. Specially designed pods encase the seeds in a tailored mix of nutrients to help them thrive. Drones are tech-intensive, and still available mostly in industrialized countries, but could one day help reseed forests worldwide.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/07/new-tree-tech-cutting-edge-drones-give-reforestation-a-helping-hand/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/07/degraded-but-not-defunct-modified-land-still-has-wildlife-value-study-says/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/07/degraded-but-not-defunct-modified-land-still-has-wildlife-value-study-says/#respond 07 Jul 2023 15:32:53 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=270679 - With much of the world’s intact ecosystems now modified by humans, the study warns that without careful management, species will be lost each time land is converted from one land-use type to another, such as when forestry is transitioned to plantation or agriculture.
- The researchers call for biodiversity impact assessments when land is proposed for conversion, regardless of whether it is intact primary habitat or considered “degraded” land.
- They also recommend the identification, preservation and restoration of natural features of landscapes, such as forest fragments, large and old trees, and wetlands, which can serve as vital refuges for species between successive land conversions.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/07/degraded-but-not-defunct-modified-land-still-has-wildlife-value-study-says/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/05/climate-change-is-no-joke-for-australians-says-award-winning-comedian-dan-ilic/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/05/climate-change-is-no-joke-for-australians-says-award-winning-comedian-dan-ilic/#respond 23 May 2023 21:29:36 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=268930 - Known widely for his epic billboards appearing in New York’s Times Square during the COP26 climate summit satirizing Australia’s lack of seriousness at the conference, Ilic is host of the award-winning Australian comedy/climate-focused podcast “A Rational Fear” and spoke with the Mongabay Newscast in Sydney about the landscape surrounding climate policy in the country today.
- He also shares his thoughts on victories for Indigenous communities in the Tiwi Islands and the Galilee Basin, both in Australia, where massive fossil fuel proposals were recently blocked.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/05/climate-change-is-no-joke-for-australians-says-award-winning-comedian-dan-ilic/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/05/australia-bushfires-may-have-caused-global-climate-phenomenon-la-nina-study/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/05/australia-bushfires-may-have-caused-global-climate-phenomenon-la-nina-study/#respond 11 May 2023 02:55:35 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=268450 - Volcanic eruptions that send vast ash plumes into the atmosphere are thought to trigger La Niña events, but this is the first time a fire has been recorded as doing so.
- La Niña can produce ruinous weather conditions in contrasting ways, from additional hurricanes in North America and droughts in the Horn of Africa, to crop failures in South America.
- The study’s findings call into question the assumption in current climate models that biomass emissions — including from bushfires — will decrease over time.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/05/australia-bushfires-may-have-caused-global-climate-phenomenon-la-nina-study/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/04/kelp-forests-contribute-500-billion-to-global-economy-study-shows/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/04/kelp-forests-contribute-500-billion-to-global-economy-study-shows/#respond 26 Apr 2023 20:03:36 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=267928 - The findings suggest that kelp forests are about three times more valuable than previously believed, contributing the equivalent of Sweden’s entire GDP to the global economy.
- However, experts say that kelp forests are generally overlooked and undervalued, and that many of these ecosystems are under threat worldwide.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/04/kelp-forests-contribute-500-billion-to-global-economy-study-shows/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/04/after-150-years-of-damage-to-people-and-planet-rio-tinto-must-be-held-to-account-commentary/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/04/after-150-years-of-damage-to-people-and-planet-rio-tinto-must-be-held-to-account-commentary/#respond 05 Apr 2023 22:27:59 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=267261 - As the company gathers on April 6 for its Annual General Meeting, advocates are pointing out that after all this time, its shareholders should grapple with the company’s legacy of damaging people and planet.
- “Companies like Rio Tinto must be held accountable for the harm they cause,” a new op-ed argues, and a new law proposed in the UK – the Business, Human Rights and Environment Act – would allow people to take companies like it to court more easily for environmental and human rights abuses committed abroad.
- This post is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/04/after-150-years-of-damage-to-people-and-planet-rio-tinto-must-be-held-to-account-commentary/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/03/as-oceans-warm-temperate-reef-species-edge-closer-to-extinction-study-shows/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/03/as-oceans-warm-temperate-reef-species-edge-closer-to-extinction-study-shows/#respond 24 Mar 2023 15:58:07 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=266863 - While scientists recorded species decline across Australian waters, some of the most pronounced changes occurred on the temperate reefs of southern Australia, a region that has received less conservation attention than tropical reefs.
- The authors say temperate reefs could be in greater danger of extinction than tropical species, leading to calls for increased conservation efforts for these threatened ecosystems.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/03/as-oceans-warm-temperate-reef-species-edge-closer-to-extinction-study-shows/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/03/plastic-consumption-is-killing-this-seabird-and-likely-other-species-too/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/03/plastic-consumption-is-killing-this-seabird-and-likely-other-species-too/#respond 09 Mar 2023 19:49:58 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=266339 - They found that plasticosis was even present in shearwaters with only a small quantity of plastic in their stomachs.
- While this plastic-related disease has thus far only been identified in flesh-footed shearwaters, experts say that nearly every organism — including humans — is being impacted by plastic in some way.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/03/plastic-consumption-is-killing-this-seabird-and-likely-other-species-too/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2022/12/the-netherlands-decides-to-stop-paying-subsidies-to-untruthful-biomass-firms/ https://news.mongabay.com/2022/12/the-netherlands-decides-to-stop-paying-subsidies-to-untruthful-biomass-firms/#respond 23 Dec 2022 17:52:31 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=264081 - On December 15, citing that article and recent scientific evidence that Enviva contributes to deforestation in the U.S. Southeast, The Netherlands decided it will stop paying subsidies to any biomass company found to be untruthful in its wood pellet production methods. The Netherlands currently offers sizable subsidies to Enviva.
- Precisely how The Netherlands decision will impact biomass subsidies in the long run is unclear. Nor is it known how this decision may impact the EU’s Sustainable Biomass Program (SBP) certification process, which critics say is inherently weak and unreliable.
- Also in December, Australia became the first major nation to reverse its designation of forest biomass as a renewable energy source, raising questions about how parties to the UN Paris agreement can support opposing renewable energy policies, especially regarding biomass — a problem for COP28 negotiators to resolve in 2023.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2022/12/the-netherlands-decides-to-stop-paying-subsidies-to-untruthful-biomass-firms/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2022/12/australia-rejects-forest-biomass-in-first-blow-to-wood-pellet-industry/ https://news.mongabay.com/2022/12/australia-rejects-forest-biomass-in-first-blow-to-wood-pellet-industry/#respond 21 Dec 2022 17:54:59 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=263978 - That decision comes as the U.S., Canada, Eastern Europe, Vietnam and other forest nations continue gearing up to harvest their woodlands to make massive amounts of wood pellets, in order to supply biomass-fired power plants in the UK, EU, Japan, South Korea and elsewhere.
- In the EU, forest advocates continue with last-ditch lobbying efforts to have woody biomass stripped of its renewable energy designation, and end the ongoing practice of providing large subsidies to the biomass industry for wood pellets.
- Science has found that biomass burning releases more carbon dioxide emissions per unit of energy produced than coal. Australia’s decision, and the EU’s continued commitment to biomass, creates a conundrum for policymakers: How can major economies have different definitions of renewable energy when it comes to biomass?
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2022/12/australia-rejects-forest-biomass-in-first-blow-to-wood-pellet-industry/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2022/11/negotiations-to-conserve-antarctic-ocean-end-in-stalemate-on-many-issues/ https://news.mongabay.com/2022/11/negotiations-to-conserve-antarctic-ocean-end-in-stalemate-on-many-issues/#respond 07 Nov 2022 21:21:16 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=262252 - In 2009 CCAMLR committed to creating a network of marine protected areas to preserve Antarctic ecosystems. It established one that year and another in 2016, but since then China and Russia have repeatedly blocked the creation of additional protected areas, as well as other conservation-related measures.
- The commission also failed to reach the consensus required to enact new regulations for the krill and toothfish fisheries, or to protect a vast nesting area for icefish discovered earlier this year.
- CCAMLR members did agree to designate eight new vulnerable marine ecosystems, areas home to slow-growing organisms such as corals, sponges, brittle stars and feather stars that are now permanently protected from bottom fishing.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2022/11/negotiations-to-conserve-antarctic-ocean-end-in-stalemate-on-many-issues/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2022/10/plastic-impacts-a-grossly-underestimated-one-two-punch-for-seabirds-study/ https://news.mongabay.com/2022/10/plastic-impacts-a-grossly-underestimated-one-two-punch-for-seabirds-study/#respond 20 Oct 2022 14:39:12 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=261713 - A new study investigated plastic ingestion by flesh-footed shearwaters and found that — as was determined in past research — initial consumption can harm the stomach. New evidence also showed that impacts are far more expansive, and may cause ongoing health problems distributed throughout body organs.
- Some forms of tissue damage detected by the new research suggest that plastic particles may also act as chemical pollutants, though this requires further study.
- Plastic pollution is a massive growing problem for the world’s oceans and marine life. Earlier this year, researchers announced that the global planetary boundary for novel entities — including plastics — has been surpassed, threatening Earth’s operating systems and life as we know it.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2022/10/plastic-impacts-a-grossly-underestimated-one-two-punch-for-seabirds-study/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2022/09/indigenous-leaders-court-win-halts-one-of-australias-dirtiest-gas-projects/ https://news.mongabay.com/2022/09/indigenous-leaders-court-win-halts-one-of-australias-dirtiest-gas-projects/#respond 23 Sep 2022 18:44:00 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=260662 - A federal court threw out the approval granted by Australia’s offshore energy regulator, noting that all relevant stakeholders were not consulted.
- The drilling to develop the $3.6 billion Barossa gas project could threaten the Tiwi peoples’ food sources, culture and way of life, opponents say.
- If the Barossa project goes ahead, it could become one of Australia’s dirtiest gas projects emitting around 5.4 million metric tons of carbon dioxide yearly, estimates from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis show.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2022/09/indigenous-leaders-court-win-halts-one-of-australias-dirtiest-gas-projects/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2022/08/amped-up-citizen-science-to-save-the-world-qa-with-conservation-ai-hubs-grant-hamilton/ https://news.mongabay.com/2022/08/amped-up-citizen-science-to-save-the-world-qa-with-conservation-ai-hubs-grant-hamilton/#respond 19 Aug 2022 08:43:21 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=259402 - The initiative is now working with communities in Australia to train them on using the technology by themselves.
- Director Grant Hamilton says it’s imperative to make technology more accessible so that more citizens can engage and participate in global conservation efforts.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2022/08/amped-up-citizen-science-to-save-the-world-qa-with-conservation-ai-hubs-grant-hamilton/feed/ 0