Virtual reality is enabling researchers to get first hand experience of remote environments, helping them make better decisions about their conservation.
Harvesting rooibos in South Africa’s Suid Bokkeveld.
Paul Weinberg
Good models have been developed to ensure benefit sharing in the biodiversity business. But major challenges prevent developing countries from translating this into social justice.
Clinging on: Carnaby’s black cockatoo has already lost much of its habitat.
Georgina Steytler
Plans for managing Perth’s rapid urban growth have been touted as green. But they still look like robbing the iconic Carnaby’s black cockatoo of yet more crucial habitat.
Western Australia’s few remaining giant jarrahs are increasingly lonely monuments to the forest’s towering past.
Amanda Slater/Wikimedia Commons
When Europeans first arrived in Australia’s Southwest, they found vast tracts of huge jarrah trees. Now, after logging and dwindling rainfall, only a handful of these giants remain.
DNA analysis reveals that there are three populations of Antarctic blue whales.
Paula Olson, courtesy of IWC
Antarctica’s blue whales all feed in the same place. But a new genetic analysis suggests they are actually three separate populations that breed in different parts of the globe.
Australian defence ranges, such as Shoalwater Bay, cover some 3 million hectares of the country.
DVIDSHUB/Flickr/Wikimedia Commons
Australia’s defence forces manage huge swathes of land which are home to valuable ecosystems. The new defence white paper finally acknowledges the importance of looking after them.
We’re going to have to adapt to climate change, but some of the options on the table could do more harm than good if they destroy the ecosystems that protect us.
New data have revealed a disturbing trend in forest loss: the hearts of the world’s forests are disappearing. To stop them bleeding out, we’ll have to say ‘no’ to some developments.
There are now six species roaming wild, and their numbers are increasing dramatically as their population expands and through human action. As they spread, they raise uncomfortable issues for conservation.
Kisses aren’t the only magic that happens under Australian mistletoe.
Margaret Donald/Flickr
In many parts of the world, Christmas and mistletoe are inextricably intertwined. But in the natural world, mistletoe has long fascinated naturalists and scientists.
You can see the spectacular regent bowerbird surprisingly close to Sydney.
Rochelle Steven
These unusual and endangered creatures now face a new threat.
The Nairobi-Thika highway is being built by China Wuyi, Sinohydro and Shengeli Engineering Construction, and is funded by Kenya, China and the African Development Bank.
Reuters/Thomas Mukoya
China offers an alternative to traditional donors and investors in low- and middle-income countries. Adding to its appeal is its focus on infrastructure projects.
Measuring a risk based approach to fuel management presents many difficulties.
bertknot/flickr