Offshore drilling debates boil down to “Drill, baby, drill” versus “spill, baby, spill.” But economists say the right question is when we know enough to drill safely – and often that means waiting.
Spiny water flea (Bythotrephes longimanus).
Jake R. Walsh
Invasive species cause some $120 billion in damages across North America yearly – and that’s just direct costs. A study of one species in one Wisconsin lake indicates the real toll is much higher.
QUT researcher Kerrie Mengersen with hardware used to capture Amazon footage.
Vanessa Hunter/Flickr
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
Matthew Flinders Professor of Global Ecology and Models Theme Leader for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Flinders University