I have spent five years tracking down more than 10,000 accounts of wildlife by naturalists, travellers, historians and even poets, all written between 1529 and 1772
Many response decisions to crises cannot be made in advance because each event is unique and has its own specific characteristics. But it is still possible to prepare for the future.
The world’s oceans are getting hotter, quicker. And our marine species are seeking cooler waters. Keep your eyes peeled and you might spot one of these species on the move.
Less gold in the mines. Unrest in the camps. And a new fishery for the giant Murray cod which decimated their population. The 19th century gold rush has left a bad environmental legacy.
Urban rivers and creeks have bounced back from early colonial use as convenient waste dumps. But the restoration work isn’t done yet, as Melbourne’s Darebin Creek shows.
China and Russia have been blocking international plans to protect marine life in East Antarctica. Will next week’s special meeting in Chile break the deadlock? Australia hopes so.
The colonial era profoundly shaped natural history museums and collections. Herbaria, which are scientists’ main source of plant specimens from around the world, are no exception.
Maxime Thomas, Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT); Hugo Asselin, Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT); Mebarek Lamara, Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT), and Nicole Fenton, Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT)
Human activities can affect plants and have consequences for the human populations that consume them.
Matthew Flinders Professor of Global Ecology and Models Theme Leader for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Flinders University