A warm spring ahead

Australia are likely to have warmer spring temperatures this year as El Niño strengthens in the Pacific, says the latest Global Seasonal Climate update from the World Meteorological Organisation.

Where have all the reptiles gone?

Australia’s lizards and snakes are facing a far more precarious future than previously understood, with a new review led by Monash University researchers revealing that around 127 species, or just over 13 per cent of Australia’s terrestrial lizards and snakes, are now likely to be threatened with extinction – almost double previous estimates.

Leave it to mother nature

As nations race to restore ecosystems and curb climate change, research has shown that letting nature do the work is a cost-effective and viable solution. The Australian team has found that natural forest regeneration deliveres substantial carbon and biodiversity benefits and could be up to 96 per cent cheaper than traditional tree-planting programs.

Green over grey

A new “Global Justice Report”, launched by French economist Thomas Piketty, best known for “Capital in the Twenty–First Century” argues that our world can provide enough material comfort for everyone while staying within its ecological limits.

Stitching nature’s wounds

The federal government signed a global pledge in 2022 to protect and restore Australia’s degraded natural environment, but how much progress towards this laudable goal is really being made?

Acting locally doesn’t stop people thinking globally

UNSW Sydney behavioural scientists, in collaboration with researchers from Griffith University, say they found no evidence for claims that climate action at the individual level distracted from wanting meaningful action on climate change.

Where are the wombats?

Wombats are an iconic and unique species under thread from habitat destruction, disease and culling by landowners, so knowing where the remaining populations live is a vital step towards protecting them.

Rewilding

The battle to save Earth’s environment is full of bad news, but inspiring success stories from around the world show that species can be brought back from the brink to make the world a better place for all its inhabitants.

The price of salt

Irrigating farmland tends to increase salinity can stunt growth, reduce yields and leave plants less able to cope with other challenges such as drought and extreme heat.

Mitigating Maribyrnong River floods

The Maribyrnong River is a perennial river in the Port Phillip catchment which runs through Melbourne’s north–western suburbs and, for all its wildlife and beauty, can also pose a flood risk as ever more housing is built on the plain.

Don’t panic!

The prospect of a strong El Niño during the Southern summer may mean lower rainfall for south-eastern Australia but may not condemn the rest of the continent to another ‘big dry’.

This is our home

Children are watching, thinking and feeling things about the future of the environment and those feelings deserve to be taken seriously.