Hands up those who’ve heard of antimony. Now, keep them up if you can name its chemical symbol, list the world’s leading producers, or even name a single commercial product that contains the element. Most…
Can we continue to grow while still protecting our natural heritage?
jayspost
When my children are my age they will be living in a country with an economy that’s three times larger, and a population that’s twice as large as today. And, on current trends, my children will be living…
It’s a bleak picture, but there’s hope on the horizon.
Bill Laurance
What comes to mind when you think of Indonesia? For biologists like myself, Australia’s northern neighbour provokes visions of ancient rainforests being razed by slash-and-burn farmers, and endangered…
It’s true: many species will go extinct due to the direct and indirect impacts of climate change. We will have to make some hard decisions about where to invest conservation dollars for the best effect…
Fifteen frog species have been discovered in the Western Ghats region of India, including 12 completely new species and three that had not been spotted in nearly 100 years. The “night frogs”, so named…
Primary forest is best for biodiversity, but we should also look at second-best.
cknara/Flickr
We live in an age of vanishing rainforests. Half of the world’s tropical forests have disappeared since World War II and roughly another 10 million hectares are being felled each year — the equivalent…
Cosy, sure, unless your house is on fire.
sediger/Flickr
The issue of firewood management has recently attracted renewed attention in Victoria, where the State Government has changed the regulations on collecting firewood from State Forests. Firewood is cheap…
In India, species decline when they have to share land with agriculture.
flickrPrince
So, we have to feed an extra 2.5 billion people by 2050. For those of us interested in the future of biodiversity on this planet, this poses an uncomfortable challenge. It is also the topic of a recent…
We can’t run away from it: we need food, and we need biodiversity.
buiversonian
Our planet is on the precipice of a sixth mass extinction event. But unlike the five previous mass extinctions, this one is man-made: a global biodiversity crisis in which species are disappearing three…
Coral reefs may cease to exist – where will their inhabitants go?
Nick Hobgood
Human-induced climatic changes are altering ecosystems worldwide. Because of these ecosystem changes, the geographic range of species is shifting towards the poles or to higher elevations. The speed of…
Ocean acidification is most acute in the polar regions.
Enzofloyd/flickr
Ocean acidification is often referred to as the “evil twin” of climate change. Greenhouse gasses are doing more than just warming the globe. Increasing C0₂ levels are also changing the chemical make-up…
Scientists have discovered the largest surviving population of the critically endangered white-cheeked crested gibbon (Nomascus leucogenys), counting around 455 individuals in a Vietnamese national park…
A ‘rainbow toad’ not seen in 87 years has been spotted in the forests of Borneo and photographed for the very first time. The Sambas Stream Toad, or Bornean Rainbow Toad (Ansonia latidisca) was listed…
The plan provides nearly $100 million for our unique biodoversity.
pierre pouliquin/flickr
How effective will the carbon tax package’s biodiversity measures be in conserving Australia’s ecosystems? The carbon price package’s biodiversity measures are a pleasant surprise. To the extent that the…
Plant traits determine how plants compete for resources (light, water, soil nutrients), where and how fast they can grow…
Monitor lizard (Varanus macraei), Papua New Guinea. Found on the tiny islands off the Vogelkop (Bird’s Head) Peninsula of Papua in Indonesia and capable of reaching a metre in length.
WWF/Lutz Obelgonner
A giant river shark, rainbow fish and a lurid blue monitor lizard are among the 1,060 new species discovered in the relatively untouched forests of New Guinea, according to a new report by conservationist…
Matthew Flinders Professor of Global Ecology and Models Theme Leader for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Flinders University