Lily van Eeden, Monash University; Emily McLeod, Queensland University of Technology; Fern Hames, Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, and Zoe Squires, Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research
Roaming pet cats can kill more than 180 animals each year. But most people who keep cats inside do so for the welfare of their pet.
Meet the parma wallaby: for decades it was presumed extinct, until it turned up in New Zealand. Today, its failure to charm Australians may have doomed it – for good.
This fluffy-eared marsupial was listed as ‘vulnerable’ under the national environment law in 2016. Five years later, it meets the criteria to be listed as ‘endangered’. Australia must do better.
We’ve identified three frog species very likely to already be extinct. Another four species on our list are still surviving, but not likely to make it to 2040 without help.
To many people, Australia’s spider diversity is a source of fear. To arachnologists, it’s a goldmine, with most Australian spider species still yet to be discovered.
It’s typically rare to see a dead frog. Yet, we’ve received a flurry of emails from people coming across them in this truly unusual, and tragic, mass death event.
New research reviewed more than 200 studies, and found the science underpinning artificial refuges — think nest boxes and artificial burrows — must be improved.
There have been just six verified sightings of the pygmy blue whale off Sydney in 18 years. Rare sightings like these are crucial, because the giants are considered ‘data deficient’.
The Convention on Biological Diversity aims to achieve a world “living in harmony with nature”. This won’t happen if the plan goes ahead in its current form.
The broad-toothed rat rarely, if ever, gets its own story, so I want to introduce you properly to this fascinating, unique and beautiful species. It really needs our help.
The remaining populations are threatened by a lack of genetic diversity, which makes them less likely to bounce back from new pressures such as climate change.
Australia has one of the worst track records in the world for species extinctions. The federal government’s proposed changes could weaken our already inadequate environment law.
Tassie devils are notorious scavengers, eating everything from echidnas to stranded whales. Understanding how their teeth wear down can help us feed and protect captive populations.
For phascogales, tree hollows are getting harder to find. I venture into forests and study how well artificial hollows made with chainsaws can replace them.
It’s hard to preserve national parks “unimpaired,” as US law directs, when they’re overrun with tourists who stray off paths, strew trash and harass wildlife. A parks scholar calls for crowd control.
Timber company VicForests won its appeal last week and logging is set to resume. Let’s take a look at the dramatic implications for wildlife and the law.