In praise of pardalotes

Australia’s four species of pardalotes are unique in the world, but these beautiful small birds are now threatened by forest clearance and the fragmentation of their habitat.

Counterpoint by Mark Nicol – Aquaculture: Poaching on the last ecological frontier

Over-fishing of wild fish has devastated stocks around the world, but the farming of fish can also have severe ecological impacts.

The bee’s knees for pollinators

Researcher at Western Sydney University looking into flowering plant pollination have shown that native bees and exotic European honeybees can support plant pollination together, with different crops and plants attracting different varieties of insect pollinators.

Australian carp virus plan ‘dead in the water’?

UK researchers say that the Aussie government’s plan to release a virus into our waterways to kill off non-native carp is unlikely to work, and should be tossed overboard.

Confessions – Visions of beauty: Petaurus breviceps

The sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps) is one of Australia’s most iconic marsupials. Threatened by habitat destruction across its diminishing range, author Mark Nicol recalls encounters with these and other Australian fauna on a once idyllic South Australian wildlife haven.

Counterpoint by Mark Nicol – The degradation of the environmentalist movement

The protection of our threatened biosphere remains the vital issue of our times, but the modern environmentalist movement is hampered by its lack of moral grounding, and its hijacking by a range of other causes.

Drought increases threat to global wetlands

University of Adelaide scientists have shown how droughts are threatening the health of wetlands around the world.

Bilbies return to Sturt National Park

An iconic nocturnal marsupial has been reintroduced into a feral-free area created by a UNSW-led project. Bilbies create a whole range of habitats by digging for insects, seeds and plant roots, and helping water and carbon infiltrate the soil.

Nature cure

Australians want a government that takes the health of the natural environment seriously and understands the wellbeing of all of us depend upon it.  

Rise of the scorpions

Researchers from La Trobe University have found that, in the absence of natural predators such as bilbies, native scorpions are thriving in Australia’s damaged sandy landscapes.

All hands to the pump to curb plastic pollution

At least one billion people worldwide would be needed to take part in a global clean-up to reduce plastic waste, according to an international group of researchers including The University of Western Australia.

The fraying patchwork of nature

Relentless land clearing for agriculture, mining and urbanisation is isolating and disconnecting Earth’s protected natural areas from each other, a new study shows.