Only a third of Australia’s forests remain

New analysis from the Australian Conservation Foundation has highlighted the enormous scale of deforestation in Australia, exacerbated by ‘deforestation loopholes’ and weak nature laws that provide special carve outs to industry and allow rampant destruction of the bush.

Reforming Australia’s nature laws

Australia’s environment policies lack ambition, integration and guardrails that risk undermining both climate and biodiversity outcomes.

Save the whales

Australian scientists have noticed a troubling rise in the number of whales caught and tangled in ropes, nets and fishing lines, so what can be done about the problem?

How humans reshaped the natural world

Humanity’s current impact on the natural world is vast but nothing new, with fossil evidence tracing the destruction of the world’s eco-systems and wild animals in the wake of human hunting and farming, not least in Australia.

How do flowers know it’s spring?

You’ve probably been spotting the sudden springtime explosion of flowers everywhere on your neighbourhood walks, your commute or in your own garden, but how to plants know when it’s time to spring into action?

Marine games

The ocean is central to our climate future. It absorbs heat, stores carbon, and sustains life. But it is also vulnerable — and increasingly, a site of experimentation. If we are to harness the promise of ocean-based climate action, we must do so with care, humility, and foresight.

Sea change for plastic pollution?

Global efforts to curb plastic pollution are nearing a decisive moment, with negotiations for a binding international treaty entering their final stage. Regardless of the outcome, Australia has a vital opportunity to lead the Indo-Pacific in creating a regional action plan to combat marine plastics.

Plastic planet

Rising levels of plastic waste are breaking down in every part of Earth’s land, sea and air, leading to the proliferation of micro-plastic pollution.

In praise of citizen science

Online citizen science programmes are driving research. iNaturalist, for example, allows members of the public to snap a picture of a beetle, a leaf or a bit of moss and upload it to the database where other users can identify it.

Les Fleurs du mal

Microscopic algae in the ocean generate half the oxygen we breathe but off South Australia’s coast, these same organisms have unleashed a toxic bloom that’s closed beaches, shut down oyster farms and devastated marine life.

Hungry bugs and bioplastics

Scientists are working with microbes found in Australia’s unique ecosystem to create bioplastics which break down in land, soil and water. The research aims to tackle one of the most pressing global issues – single-use plastic food packaging: a significant feature of the plastic waste crisis and a special focus for Plastic Free July.

Co-infections in young bats may drive coronavirus mutations

New research by the University of Sydney offers important insights into how and when new coronavirus variants arise in bats.