Environment News: May 2025 - Issue 642

Week Two May 2025 (May 5 -11)

Tide's terning: little terns continue remarkable comeback - Central Coast site a standout

Monday May 5, 2025

Little terns in NSW have experienced another great breeding season, with more than 900 nests counted across the state, the second-highest number in 24 years.

Each spring, many of these tiny seabirds migrate thousands of kilometres across the ocean to nest on Australian shores.

During the most recent breeding period, nests were spotted at 24 sites along the coast, ranging from Wilsons Head in Yuraygir National Park north of Coffs Harbour, right down to Merimbula on the far NSW south coast.

Counts of active nests in the 2024-25 season suggest at least 485 breeding pairs of little terns nested in NSW, a jump from last year’s number of around 430.

This incredible number of breeding pairs resulted in an estimated 510 fledglings, making it the highest count of fledglings recorded and a substantial jump from last year’s figure of around 370.

Each year, there are standout colonies across the state and Karagi Point on the Central Coast led the way again, where almost 45 per cent of the state’s little tern fledglings were hatched. Lake Conjola on the South Coast had outstanding results, while Shoalhaven Heads and Corrie Island Nature Reserve in Port Stephens did well.

Despite uplifting results, little terns and other beach-nesting birds remain vulnerable to a wide range of threats, including native and introduced predators, crushing and disturbance from vehicles, humans and domestic dogs, flooding of nesting sites and adverse weather conditions.

Beach-nesting birds, like little terns, lay eggs directly on the sand where they are so well camouflaged, they become almost invisible, making them vulnerable to beach visitors.

It’s important beach goers understand the impact they can have on the breeding season of these endangered birds over spring and summer every year. 

When attending beaches during breeding season, beach users should:

  • Make sure dogs are only walked on an approved dog-beach and always kept on a leash.
  • Reduce your chances of stepping on an egg or chick by walking to the water line.
  • Keep an eye out for bird nesting signs and fenced-off nesting areas on the beach.
  • Only drive on designated 4WD beaches, with the relevant permit, and obey all beach-driving rules including staying out of nesting areas.
  • Every year, birds die from entanglement in fishing line or from ingesting rubbish. Take all fishing lines and rubbish with you when you leave.

For more information on beach-nesting birds in NSW, visit Share the Shore.

Acting Deputy Secretary NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service Trish Harrup said:

“To see an increase in numbers of a threatened species for two consecutive years is an incredible achievement and it’s not possible without a cast of hundreds to lend their time to this important cause.

"I’d like to thank all those across the state who give their time, including volunteers, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service staff, local councils, land managers, contractors and stakeholders who conducted over 5000 observations at nest sites this season.

“Despite these promising numbers, these birds remain on the edge, and continued efforts are vital to protect them along our coast, and every person can play a role in making a difference.”

Little tern chick (Sternula albifrons). Image Credit: Andrew Robinson/Central Coast Council

Catch a glimpse of giants as the annual humpback whale migration starts in New South W(h)ales

May 1, 2025

The much-anticipated whale watching season has officially begun in NSW, marking the start of a spectacular natural event that brings joy and wonder to residents and visitors.

Avid whale watchers recently spotted the first handful of whales at locations including Shellharbour, Port Macquarie and Pittwater.

Around 40,000 humpback whales, known for their acrobatic breaches and enchanting songs, will leave the krill-rich waters of Antarctica in autumn, swimming north to warmer waters off Queensland and NSW to find mates, calve after 11 months gestation, or simply socialise before returning. This journey spans approximately 10,000 kilometres and is one of the longest migrations of any mammal.

These gentle giants, which can grow up to 17 metres in length and weigh as much as 40 metric tonnes captivate onlookers with their playful behaviour and sheer size.

For some whales, the annual migration along the NSW coast can lead to entanglement in fishing gear and marine debris. When this occurs, the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) Large Whale Disentanglement Team is called into action. Operating only when conditions are safe, this highly trained team works from small boats in open seas to undertake the complex and dangerous task of rescuing 25–40 tonne wild animals from tangles of ropes and floats.

Ongoing scientific research is helping to shed light on whale migration patterns and the factors that increase entanglement risk. NPWS is collaborating with the University of NSW, DPIRD Fisheries, Sea World Foundation, Wild Sydney Harbour, and OceanWatch Australia to better understand how oceanographic conditions and migration routes intersect with human activity.

Funding through the NSW Marine Estate Management Strategy has positioned NSW as a national leader in whale disentanglement response and research.

While the sight of these magnificent creatures is awe-inspiring, it is important to observe them from a safe distance to ensure their well-being and your safety. NPWS reminds everyone that drones and watercraft, including surf craft, kayaks and boats, must stay at least 100m from a whale, or 300m if watching from a jetski or there is a calf present, to help protect these species.

For those keen to witness the humpback whale migration, some of the best viewing spots in national parks can be found here: Top whale watching spots | NSW National Parks

These locations offer excellent vantage points to see the whales as they travel close to the coast during their migration.

For more information about the best whale watching locations in New South Wales visit the NPWS whales' webpage.

If you see a distressed or entangled whale, please contact the NPWS on 13000PARKS (1300 072 757) or ORRCA on 02 9415 3333 immediately.

NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service Marine Wildlife Team Leader, Melissa Tan said:

“Let’s celebrate the start of whale watching season by appreciating the beauty of the humpback whales while ensuring their safety and protection.

“We’re incredibly fortunate to have a front-row seat to this extraordinary annual migration we can all observe, right up and down the coast.

“Thanks to funding from the NSW Marine Estate Management Strategy, we’re able to work with a huge range of agencies, professionals and volunteers, to undertake research and get the best outcomes for these incredible marine mammals.

“It’s fantastic that humpback whale numbers have bounced back to around 40,000 whales since the 1960s, when commercial whaling had reduced the east coast Australian population to potentially as few as 100 individuals.”

Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) breaching. Image Credit: Jonas Liebschner/DCCEEW

Weed of the Week: Spanish Moss - please get it out of your garden

Spanish Moss has been found to spread over mature trees across the Sydney Basin and in doing so, prevent photosynthesis, killing the trees. 

A recent study by STEP, over Cowan to Marrickville, ascertained what tree species it grew on and found the critically endangered  Turpentine (Syncarpia glomulifera) is the most severely affected of all the 76+ species of plants STEP recorded Spanish Moss growing in. 

Fragments carried by birds to line nests in bushland have spread this weed into more and more areas, but the tips can also be blown by the wind to another plant.

See: https://www.step.org.au/index.php/item/702-spanish-moss-a-serious-environmental-weed

STEP is a community-based environmental organisation with over 500 members from Ku-ring-gai, Hornsby and surrounding suburbs. Their primary aim is to work for the conservation of bushland in northern Sydney.

Many of these are termed 'garden escapees'.

STEP's Recommendations:

  • Gardeners remove all moss they can reach, put it in their green bin and prevent spread.
  • Local authorities such as local councils and NPWS remove it from all public places, including trees on nature strips.
  • Add Spanish Moss to the next iteration of the Greater Sydney Regional Strategic Weed Management Plan and all other relevant regional strategic weed management plans.
  • Classify Spanish Moss at a level that enables its eradication and containment, prohibition of sale and distribution, e.g. as a regional priority weed.
  • Undertake research into why Turpentines are a favoured host and the ecological effects of Spanish Moss on bushland.
  • Undertake research into control methods.

Swaying veils of grey in dead or dying trees and simplified bushland is not something to look forward to. Let’s not risk it.

Read STEP's full report.

Spanish Moss infestation killing Australian trees: STEP photo

Urgent repairs to Fisher Bay and Castle Rock sections of Manly to Spit Scenic Walkway

Council will be doing critical repairs along the Manly to Spit Scenic walkway over the next three months and is urging the community and visitors to plan ahead and follow signs.

Northern Beaches Mayor Sue Heins emphasised the importance of these repairs, stating, " while sections of this popular walk have been repaired over the years, it is now essential to undertake works that will ensure the area is safe for everyone and help us reduce costs on repairs in the long run."

The works will comprise of two stages, stage 1 at Castle Rock and stage 2 at Fisher Bay, near the Spit Bridge end.

The works will start at the Castle Rock boardwalk after Anzac Day and will include a 500m signposted detour to direct walkers up Barrabooka Street and onto Ogilvy Road before rejoining the scenic walk.

After the completion of the first section, works will commence on the Fisher Bay section, which requires the reconstruction of the wooden staircase so walkers will need to follow the signposted path between Ellery’s Punt Reserve at the Spit Bridge and Sandy Bay near Clontarf. 

It’s recommended that if travelling by bus to the Spit Bridge to commence the walk that you alight at Heaton Ave if travelling south and if travelling north you alight at the Spit Bridge and follow the signs.

Full details of the closures and detours can be found at www.northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/recreation-area/manly-scenic-walkway

Mayor Heins added, "We understand that these closures may cause some inconvenience, but the safety of our community is our top priority. We appreciate everyone's patience and cooperation as we work to enhance the quality and safety of our beloved Manly to Spit walkway."

The Council encourages all track users to plan ahead and visit Council’s website for detour maps and up to date information on the status of each section.

These works are part of Council's ongoing commitment to maintaining and improving the safety and accessibility of local tracks and trails across the Northern Beaches.

Works are scheduled to take place from the end of April through to June 2025, weather permitting.

Photo: Kevin Murray 

Solar for apartment residents: Funding

Owners corporations can apply now for funding to install shared solar systems on your apartment building. The grants will cover 50% of the cost, which will add value to homes and help residents save on their electricity bills.

You can apply for the Solar for apartment residents grant to fund 50% of the cost of a shared solar photovoltaic (PV) system on eligible apartment buildings and other multi-unit dwellings in NSW. This will help residents, including renters, to reduce their energy bills and greenhouse gas emissions.

Less than 2% of apartment buildings in NSW currently have solar systems installed. As energy costs climb and the number of people living in apartments continue to increase, innovative solutions are needed to allow apartment owners and renters to benefit from solar energy.

A total of $25 million in grant funding is available, with up to $150,000 per project.

Financial support for this grant is from the Australian Government and the NSW Government.

Applications are open now and will close 5 pm 1 December 2025 or earlier if the funds are fully allocated.

Find out more and apply now at: www.energy.nsw.gov.au/households/rebates-grants-and-schemes/solar-apartment-residents 

Have your say: NSW Sustainable Communities Program - Support to minimise the socio-economic impacts of the Restoring Our Rivers 450 GL target

The NSW Sustainable Communities Program (NSW SCP) will provide $160 million to create jobs, establish industry, and support existing industry to innovate and stimulate economic development.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development is delivering the Sustainable Communities Program for NSW under the Australian Government's Restoring Our Rivers Framework, as part of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.

The objective of this consultation is to complement the existing evidence base and provide additional insights to assist in the design and delivery of the NSW SCP to minimise the socio-economic impacts of water recovery.

We are seeking information from Basin communities on their challenges, opportunities and concerns associated with the potential impacts of water purchasing and how we could prioritise investment under the program to respond to identified needs.

We are taking a 3-stage approach to deliver the NSW SCP. Further information about this approach and our consultation activities can be found at the NSW SCP website.

Tell us what you think

You can take part by completing the survey by 5pm Friday 13 June 2025.

Have your say: Improving camping in NSW national parks

Share your feedback on fairer camping fees, simpler bookings, and tackling campground issues in national parks.

The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service is seeking community feedback on proposed changes to camping in NSW national parks and reserves.

Proposed changes include:

  • the introduction of consistent state-wide camping fees
  • simplified bookings to deliver fairer camping experiences for national park visitors
  • improved management of persistent campground issues such as people booking space and not cancelling or turning up.

More than 200,000 campers and national park visitors were consulted to develop the proposal. Further community feedback will help the NSW Government to decide on next steps and whether proposed changes are adopted and implemented.

Tell NSW NPWS what you think

Please read the consultation paper outlining details of the proposal and share your feedback by 11.59pm on Sunday 25 May 2025.

All submissions to this consultation, including online written submissions, online survey responses and postal submissions, may be published on the Environment and Heritage website after the closing date unless you request otherwise. When lodging your submission (either online, by post or through the online survey) you can request that your submission remains confidential.

There may be circumstances where the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service may be required by law to release the information in your submission. For example, in accordance with requirements of the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009.

Complete the survey

Complete the online survey 

Submit your response online

Upload a submission 

Post your submission

Post your submission 

Avalon Community Garden's screening of Climate Changers - Tim Flannery's search for climate leadership

When: Fri, 30 May, 6pm - 9pm
Where:  Pittwater Palms Retirement Village - The Lounge, Avalon beach

You are invited to a special screening of the film Climate Changers at Pittwater Palms, 82 Avalon Parade on Friday 30 May 2025. 

Climate Changers follows acclaimed scientist Tim Flannery as he searches for the missing ingredient in our fight against climate change – leadership. It is an inspiring and thought-provoking film that offers a blueprint for effective climate leadership. It charts the different qualities, challenges and triumphs of diverse leaders around the world working at both grassroots and systems levels to create positive change.

Doors open at 6pm, light refreshments available. Screening at 7pm, run time approx 1.5 hour.       
This is a fundraising event for Avalon Community Garden.   
Tickets: $15 each HERE

'Warringah and Pittwater Garden Heritage'

Saturday, 7 June, 2025 11am - 1pm
The Annex, Dunbar Park, Avalon

All are welcome to attend this special talk on significant local heritage gardens presented by expert Stuart Read, Chair, Sydney Branch of the Australian Garden History Society. Stuart is a landscape architect focusing on garden history, cultural landscapes and dry stone walls.

Photos: Jeanne Villani's Waterfall Cottage at Bayview. 

Bob Storey's Tarrangaua at Lovett Bay (formerly Dorothea MacKellar's home)

The talk is presented by the Avalon Armchair Gardeners club. No charge to attend.

Enquiries:  Fran Colley - francescolley@me.com

nSW Government’s call to action on illegal tree clearing

The Minns Labor Government has stated it is responding to calls from local government to help address the growing number of cases of illegal tree clearing in NSW.

An Explanation of Intended Effect (EIE) has been released today and offers stakeholders the opportunity to help shape reforms to the urban tree clearing framework.

A new resource to help planners, developers and builders tackle urban heat has also been released.

The EIE is aimed at protecting tree canopy by proposing stronger penalties for illegal tree and vegetation clearing.

Under the proposed policy changes, additional enforcement powers would be given to councils and exemptions would be tightened for dead, dying and dangerous vegetation to close loopholes that have been open to abuse.

The EIE responds to growing concerns among councils, the community and stakeholders that the current framework needs to be updated.

In addition to the EIE, the new Cooler Places hub has also been launched today to help address urban heat.

The NSW Government’s Cooler Places online resource has also been released to assist councils, residents and developers in accessing practical guidance to incorporate cooling measures into their homes and designs.

Urban heat can have negative effects on communities’ wellbeing, creating hotter homes and streetscapes. Some features of our urban landscape, such as the large areas of hard and dark surfaces, contribute to rising temperatures and amplify heatwaves.

The resource encourages cooling through low cost and innovative measures such as water saving features, trees, shrubs awnings and the use of materials and colours that absorb less heat.

In 2020, a study from Macquarie University found shade provided by urban trees can lower temperatures at ground level by up to 6°C.

Similarly, research from Wollongong University in 2019 showed that areas with at least 30 per cent tree canopy cover experience improved mental and physical health outcomes.

Cooler Places will help deliver cooler, more resilient cities, precincts, streets, parks and homes.

To read the illegal tree and vegetation clearing EIE and make a submission visit the Vegetation in non-rural areas web page.

The consultation period closes on 5pm on Wednesday, 4 June 2025. HAVE YOUR SAY HERE

For more information on Cooler Places visit the Cooler Places web page.

Minister for Environment and Climate Change Penny Sharpe said:

“NSW records some of the hottest temperatures on the planet and we need to minimise the impacts of urban heat and build climate resilience.

“Tackling illegal tree clearing is an essential part of this.

“Working with councils on these proposed measures will increase the ability to crack down on illegal activity.”

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said:

“Communities have become increasingly frustrated by the growing number of instances of illegal tree clearing in urban areas, particularly on public land.

“Our housing reforms have leant on the development of infill housing, near existing infrastructure and services because constant urban sprawl is not sustainable. These proposed changes will better protect the existing tree canopy as we deliver more homes in developed areas.

“I encourage everyone to have their say on the proposed changes.

“The Cooler Places resource contains tips and advice on how to design and build cooler homes and neighbourhoods, delivering better communities.”

A Win for Councils - Crackdown on illegal tree clearing!

April 23, 2025

The state’s peak body for local government has welcomed the NSW Government’s proposed crackdown on illegal tree and vegetation clearing as a major win for councils, communities and the environment in urban areas across the state.

Local Government NSW (LGNSW) President Mayor Phyllis Miller OAM congratulated the NSW Government on its announced consultation proposing stronger penalties. 

Mayor Miller said the announcement showed the State Government had heard and acted upon councils’ calls for stronger protections. 

“LGNSW and councils have long called for action to address illegal tree clearing, with this matter raised at our 2022, 2023 and 2024 Annual Conferences. One of our advocacy priorities for the current year is for the NSW Government to legislate to increase protection of trees, with increased penalties for illegal destruction and vandalism,” Mayor Miller said. 

“The NSW Government’s proposed changes would strengthen councils’ ability to protect their communities’ urban canopy and natural environment," she said.

The Government has said the proposed changes would:

  • Increase fines and penalties for illegal tree and vegetation clearing.
  • Ensure existing restrictions on complying development where illegal clearing has occurred and can be enforced.
  • Improve compliance and enforcement outcomes by making the policy clearer, giving councils the power to issue orders relating to vegetation clearing.
  • Close potential loopholes associated with the removal of dead, dying and dangerous vegetation.
  • Require tree clearing permits to include a condition to replace cleared vegetation.

Mayor Miller thanked the NSW Government for listening to councils and communities.

“Councils invest millions in planting and maintaining trees and urban greenery, making our communities cooler, greener and more liveable. Trees are also critical to protecting biodiversity,” Mayor Miller said. 

“We know our communities love their trees, but we need to ensure that penalties for illegal clearing act as a sufficient deterrent for the small minority who think they're above the law,” she said. 

“LGNSW looks forward to carefully reviewing the proposed reforms in consultation with councils and contributing to this important step forward,” Mayor Miller said.

To read the details on the proposed measures to combat illegal tree and vegetation clearing and to make your submission, visit the State Government's website here. The consultation period closes at 5pm on Wednesday 4 June 2025.

Forgotten Flora: Exploring the Plant Communities of a Mabi Remnant on the Atherton Tablelands

Video by The School For Field Studies | Australia, 29 Apr 2025

Mabi forests are a highly fragmented forest type, only found in the Wet Tropics of Australia. As an endangered ecosystem, housing endangered and endemic species, Mabi fragments are vital for protecting remnant biodiversity. These fragments have not been extensively surveyed, and thus little is known about plant communities that occupy these forests. To bridge this gap in knowledge, we completed a survey of ferns, flowering plants, and miniature plants (or bryophytes) of a Mabi fragment in East Barron. We identified 101 bryophyte samples under the microscope and 212 ferns and flowering plants in the field, creating a species list of the plants specific to this fragment. By offering the species list to the landowners, they get a comprehensive look at the plants present in their fragment – aiding in their ability to maintain and manage their remnant forest. The rich plant communities found at this site emphasizes the need for further surveys of additional Mabi fragments to get a more complete understanding, and help land stewards create effective management plans of Mabi fragments. This video was part of a Directed Research project by Spring Semester 2025 students Ellery Stanzel, Caelon Shugrue, Sophie Colbert, and Jaly Sanchez. 

Supervised by Dr Deborah Apgaua, and Dr David Y. P. Tng

We want to acknowledge the traditional owners of the forest fragment where we conducted our study, the Ngadjon-jii. We express our deepest respect to the Ngadjon-jii elders - past, present, and emerging.

NSW Government delivers $10 million to target high-risk weeds control and eradication

May 7, 2025

The Minns Government has announced it is delivering $10 million to local councils to target high-risk weeds across the state to protect the state’s primary production and public land.

The NSW Government Weeds Action Program funds local councils, known as Local Control Authorities (LCA), to detect and respond quickly to incursions of new high-risk weeds.

The program focuses on prevention and early intervention to stop the spread of problem weeds by providing practical resources and on-ground support to ensure a proactive and coordinated response by LCAs.

Under the NSW Government the Weeds Action Program is focused on efforts to reduce the spread of invasive weeds to support healthy landscapes and strong agricultural productivity.

The NSW Government’s program commissions LCAs to undertake services such as surveillance, and rapid response to prevent, eradicate or contain new infestations of priority weeds.

In addition, the program funds training for LCA biosecurity officers so they can effectively respond to biosecurity emergencies across NSW.

LCAs make applications for funding under the program and need to demonstrate they are focusing on high-risk weeds to gain approved funding. This year the NSW Government has approved 92 funding applications from 86 LCAs.

High-risk weeds targeted by the NSW Government’s Weeds Action Program include:

  • Parthenium weed causes allergies and respiratory issues in people, liver damage in livestock and outcompetes pastures and crops. The program works to keep NSW Parthenium weed free through collaborative action and surveillance programs.
  • Rubber vine can invade pastures, waterways and natural areas, climbing up to 30 metres high. A major threat to grazing industries can cause livestock deaths. Found in Queensland, it could become a major weed in Western NSW.
  • Tropical Soda Apple (TSA), an aggressive, prickly, perennial shrub, invades open and semi-shaded areas in pastures, along rivers and in forests. It reduces biodiversity, displaces native plants and disrupts ecological processes. Its foliage is unpalatable to livestock. TSA is found on the North Coast, Mid-Coast, Hunter and New England areas.
  • Alligator weed has been found in the Namoi Valley, Griffith and Woomargama areas. It’s a significant risk to irrigation and poses a threat to the Murray Darling Basin.
  • Harrisia cactus is a highly invasive weed which poses a serious threat to agriculture and native ecosystems. It reduces pasture productivity, hinders livestock movement and outcompetes native plants. Harrisia cactus is found in the North West and Hunter regions.

The program is funding significant face-to-face support from local councils to farmers and other land managers with expert advice, weed identification and management options.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development through its biosecurity and Local Land Services teams has a strong working partnership with the LCAs and communities, which supports protection of NSW’s farmland, native bushland and waterways for future generations.

Minister for Regional NSW Tara Moriarty said:

“Weeds are a serious threat to our environment and economy, and our government is focused on investing this $10 million to empower LCAs who work with community groups and farmers to protect their lands and livestock.

“This investment helps communities tackle invasive weed species head-on by supporting local management efforts, improving detection of these weeds and then responding with know-how and strong coordination between government agencies, councils and landholders.

“The Minns Government is committed to supporting our primary producers and regional communities manage these high-risk weeds, so we keep our landscapes healthy and productive.”

Eastern quolls released into NSW bushland

15 quolls released into feral-proof site near New South Wales' South Coast.

Conservation organisation Aussie Ark and the University of Sydney have collaborated on a science-based reintroduction of eastern quolls on mainland Australia into a controlled bushland environment near Nowra.

The two organisations released 15 endangered eastern quolls (Dasyurus viverrinus) into a 68-hectare feral-proof site, on the Scots College’s Bannockburn property near Nowra on the NSW South Coast. Jerrinja Traditional Owners also partnered the project, with tribal leader Ron Carberry, among others, attending the event and conducting a Welcome to Country in mid-April 2025.

It is the first time the eastern quoll has been released on this site; a significant step towards rewilding for a species is otherwise extinct on mainland Australia. 

The University of Sydney’s Global Ecology Lab in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences manages the project, headed by Associate Professor Thomas Newsome with project lead Dr Patrick Finnerty and on-the-ground research conducted by PhD student Pat Bragato. 

Associate Professor Newsome said the priority is to undertake long-term scientific research to better understand how to bolster the success of eastern quoll rewilding. This will involve intensive post-release monitoring, including the deployment of very-high frequency (VHF) radio and global positioning system (GPS) tail transmitters, camera observation with a network of 54 camera traps across the site, and quarterly cage trapping to collect data. 

“This long-term research project provides us with a wonderful opportunity not only to establish a meta-population of eastern quolls on mainland Australia but also deep-dive into the ecology of the species,” Associate Professor Newsome said. 

“We need to better understand the quolls’ role in an ecosystem from which it has been absent from for almost 70 years.

The Scots College Bannockburn has been modelled on Aussie Ark’s 400-hectare feral-proof Barrington Wildlife Sanctuary, where 10 of the eastern quolls released at Bannockburn were born and bred.

Aussie Ark Operations Manager Dean Reid said these quolls were in top health. 

“The release is another powerful step toward one day rewilding the eastern quoll to the mainland of Australia,” Mr Reid said. “It follows last year’s historic release of our Eastern Quolls into Booderee Botanical Gardens, when Federal Minister for the Environment Tanya Plibersek personally released one of our quolls.”

Alongside Booderee, Bannockburn now joins the SE NSW Eastern Quoll Hub; a network of sanctuaries participating in a genetic metapopulation management plan to ensure the long-term genetic and demographic health of eastern quoll populations in feral-free areas.

The University of Sydney’s Dr Finnerty said: “The Bannockburn release is an important step in exploring a multi-faceted approach to improving the success of ‘beyond-the-fence’ rewilding of the eastern quoll.”

It’s an ambition that captures the mind and heart of Jerrinja tribal leader Ron Carberry, who reflected on a time not so long ago when his ancestors walked on Country with this “magic little animal”.

“What is happening today is a magnificent moment,” Mr Carberry said. “It’s about healing Country.”

An Eastern quoll prior to release. Photo: Aussie Ark

Mountain pygmy-possum bouncing back in the Snowy Mountains

Wednesday May 7, 2025

The critically endangered mountain pygmy-possum is showing signs of recovery in Kosciuszko National Park, with 107 marsupials found at a single site – the highest on record.

78 were females and most had four young in their pouch, which is the maximum number that can be accommodated in a pouch. They weighed between 30 and 40 grams.

Prior to the 2019-2020 summer bushfires, Kosciuszko National Park had an estimated 1,000 possums in two main population areas. Drought had led to a decline in their main food source, bogong moths, and in 2020, fire decimated their habitat at all northern sites of the park. This resulted in the population dropping to around 700 animals.

To save the remaining population, Saving Our Species Program Threatened Species Officers and the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) launched an emergency project to supply ‘bogong bickies’ and water at the northern sites. The recipe for the biscuit was created by NPWS staff and volunteers, with the assistance of students from schools including Berridale Public School, Cooma Public School, Adaminaby Public School and Jindabyne Central School in the NSW Snowy Mountains.

These feeding efforts have resulted in the record number of possums being trapped and assessed at the largest boulder field in the park, Snow Ridge Hill. It’s believed the population across the two main sites is now more than 940.

The count of possums was led by Dr Linda Broome, who has dedicated nearly half her life to securing a future for this little marsupial. Dr Broome was assisted by NPWS staff and volunteers.

While the results of the latest count are very positive, this is just one site, and the road to recovery for this marsupial is ongoing. In contrast, some unburnt sites in the park’s south showed below average numbers of female possums, despite good bogong moth numbers. It is hoped these numbers will recover in time with favourable conditions.

This coming winter, skiers and snowboarders can support the conservation of the mountain pygmy possum in Kosciusko National Park by staying out of the closed habitat at Blue Cow, where numbers are still low.

The Minns Labor Government has stated it is protecting a range of native species in Kosciuszko National Park by removing invasive animals, including more than 6,400 wild horses. Wild horse control has occurred in areas where mountain pygmy-possums are known to live.

Minister for the Environment, Penny Sharpe said:

“It’s wonderful to see the population of mountain pygmy-possums showing signs of recovery thanks to important conservation work.

“Thank you to Dr Linda Broome and the National Parks and Wildlife staff and volunteers who are working hard to protect this precious animal found nowhere else in the world.

“The mountain pygmy-possum perfectly illustrates the natural biodiversity in Kosciuszko National Park the Minns Labor Government is working hard to protect from climate change and predation.”

Member for Monaro, Minister Steve Whan said:

“It’s great news that this local, iconic species is bouncing back after the catastrophic fires that affected our community five years ago.

“The bogong bickies, made by local school students who are passionate about helping to save this species, clearly made a critical contribution to the survival of this species by imitating the nutritional value of this species’ natural food source, the bogong moth. These students should be proud of their significant contribution helping this species survive.”

Dr Linda Broome, Threatened Species Officer with the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water said:

“It is heartening to see mountain pygmy-possum numbers thriving again following the devastation of the 2019-2020 summer bushfires.

“Their resilience, combined with the dedication of NPWS and SoS teams, has been critical to their survival.

“This is a positive step towards restoring the ecological balance in the area.

While this is an encouraging milestone, recovery efforts are far from over. We will continue our work to support these possums and strengthen their population, ensuring these iconic marsupials have the best chance of long-term survival.”

Mountain pygmy possum (Burramys parvus) trapping. Image Credit: Alex Pike/DCCEEW

‘1080 pest management’

Applies until Friday August 1st 2025. 

NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service will be conducting a baiting program using manufactured baits, fresh baits and Canid Pest Ejectors (CPEs) containing 1080 poison (sodium fluroacetate) for the control of foxes. The program is continuous and ongoing between 1 February 2025 and 31 July 2025 in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. Don’t touch baits or ejector devices. Penalties apply for non-compliance.

All baiting locations are identifiable by signs.

Domestic pets are not permitted in NSW national parks and reserves. Pets and working dogs may be affected (1080 is lethal to cats and dogs). In the event of accidental poisoning seek immediate veterinary assistance.

Fox baiting in these reserves is aimed at reducing their impact on threatened species.

For more information, contact the local park office on:

  • Forestville 9451 3479 or Lane Cove 8448 0400 (business hours)
  • NPWS after-hours call centre: 1300 056 294 (after hours).

Volunteers for Barrenjoey Lighthouse Tours needed

Details:

Johnson Brothers Mitre 10 Recycling Batteries: at Mona Vale + Avalon Beach

Over 18,600 tonnes of batteries are discarded to landfill in Australia each year, even though 95% of a battery can be recycled!

That’s why we are rolling out battery recycling units across our stores! Our battery recycling units accept household, button cell, laptop, and power tool batteries as well as mobile phones! 

How To Dispose Of Your Batteries Safely: 

  1. Collect Your Used Batteries: Gather all used batteries from your home. Our battery recycling units accept batteries from a wide range of products such as household, button cell, laptop, and power tool batteries.
  2. Tape Your Terminals: Tape the terminals of used batteries with clear sticky tape.
  3. Drop Them Off: Come and visit your nearest participating store to recycle your batteries for free (at Johnson Brothers Mitre 10 Mona Vale and Avalon Beach).
  4. Feel Good About Your Impact: By recycling your batteries, you're helping support a healthier planet by keeping hazardous material out of landfills and conserving resources.

Environmental Benefits

  • Reduces hazardous waste in landfill
  • Conserves natural resources by promoting the use of recycled materials
  • Keep toxic materials out of waterways 

Reporting Dogs Offleash - Dog Attacks to Council

If the attack happened outside local council hours, you may call your local police station. Police officers are also authorised officers under the Companion Animals Act 1998. Authorised officers have a wide range of powers to deal with owners of attacking dogs, including seizing dogs that have attacked.

You can report dog attacks, along with dogs offleash where they should not be, to the NBC anonymously and via your own name, to get a response, at: https://help.northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au/s/submit-request?topic=Pets_Animals

If the matter is urgent or dangerous call Council on 1300 434 434 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week).

If you find injured wildlife please contact:
  • Sydney Wildlife Rescue (24/7): 9413 4300 
  • WIRES: 1300 094 737

Plastic Bread Ties For Wheelchairs

The Berry Collective at 1691 Pittwater Rd, Mona Vale collects them for Oz Bread Tags for Wheelchairs, who recycle the plastic.

Berry Collective is the practice on the left side of the road as you head north, a few blocks before Mona Vale shops . They have parking. Enter the foyer and there's a small bin on a table where you drop your bread ties - very easy.

A full list of Aussie bread tags for wheelchairs is available at: HERE 


Stay Safe From Mosquitoes 

NSW Health is reminding people to protect themselves from mosquitoes when they are out and about.

NSW Health states Mosquitoes in NSW can carry viruses such as Japanese encephalitis (JE), Murray Valley encephalitis (MVE), Kunjin, Ross River and Barmah Forest. The viruses may cause serious diseases with symptoms ranging from tiredness, rash, headache and sore and swollen joints to rare but severe symptoms of seizures and loss of consciousness.

A free vaccine to protect against JE infection is available to those at highest risk in NSW and people can check their eligibility at NSW Health.

People are encouraged to take actions to prevent mosquito bites and reduce the risk of acquiring a mosquito-borne virus by:
  • Applying repellent to exposed skin. Use repellents that contain DEET, picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus. Check the label for reapplication times.
  • Re-applying repellent regularly, particularly after swimming. Be sure to apply sunscreen first and then apply repellent.
  • Wearing light, loose-fitting long-sleeve shirts, long pants and covered footwear and socks.
  • Avoiding going outdoors during peak mosquito times, especially at dawn and dusk.
  • Using insecticide sprays, vapour dispensing units and mosquito coils to repel mosquitoes (mosquito coils should only be used outdoors in well-ventilated areas)
  • Covering windows and doors with insect screens and checking there are no gaps.
  • Removing items that may collect water such as old tyres and empty pots from around your home to reduce the places where mosquitoes can breed.
  • Using repellents that are safe for children. Most skin repellents are safe for use on children aged three months and older. Always check the label for instructions. Protecting infants aged less than three months by using an infant carrier draped with mosquito netting, secured along the edges.
  • While camping, use a tent that has fly screens to prevent mosquitoes entering or sleep under a mosquito net.
Remember, Spray Up – Cover Up – Screen Up to protect from mosquito bite. For more information go to NSW Health.

Mountain Bike Incidents On Public Land: Survey

This survey aims to document mountain bike related incidents on public land, available at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/K88PSNP

Sent in by Pittwater resident Academic for future report- study. 

Report fox sightings

Fox sightings, signs of fox activity, den locations and attacks on native or domestic animals can be reported into FoxScan. FoxScan is a free resource for residents, community groups, local Councils, and other land managers to record and report fox sightings and control activities. 

Our Council's Invasive species Team receives an alert when an entry is made into FoxScan.  The information in FoxScan will assist with planning fox control activities and to notify the community when and where foxes are active.



marine wildlife rescue group on the Central Coast

A new wildlife group was launched on the Central Coast on Saturday, December 10, 2022.

Marine Wildlife Rescue Central Coast (MWRCC) had its official launch at The Entrance Boat Shed at 10am.

The group comprises current and former members of ASTR, ORRCA, Sea Shepherd, Greenpeace, WIRES and Wildlife ARC, as well as vets, academics, and people from all walks of life.

Well known marine wildlife advocate and activist Cathy Gilmore is spearheading the organisation.

“We believe that it is time the Central Coast looked after its own marine wildlife, and not be under the control or directed by groups that aren’t based locally,” Gilmore said.

“We have the local knowledge and are set up to respond and help injured animals more quickly.

“This also means that donations and money fundraised will go directly into helping our local marine creatures, and not get tied up elsewhere in the state.”

The organisation plans to have rehabilitation facilities and rescue kits placed in strategic locations around the region.

MWRCC will also be in touch with Indigenous groups to learn the traditional importance of the local marine environment and its inhabitants.

“We want to work with these groups and share knowledge between us,” Gilmore said.

“This is an opportunity to help save and protect our local marine wildlife, so if you have passion and commitment, then you are more than welcome to join us.”

Marine Wildlife Rescue Central Coast has a Facebook page where you may contact members. Visit: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100076317431064


Watch out - shorebirds about

Summer is here so watch your step because beach-nesting and estuary-nesting birds have started setting up home on our shores.
Did you know that Careel Bay and other spots throughout our area are part of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP)?

This flyway, and all of the stopping points along its way, are vital to ensure the survival of these Spring and Summer visitors. This is where they rest and feed on their journeys.  For example, did you know that the bar-tailed godwit flies for 239 hours for 8,108 miles from Alaska to Australia?

Not only that, Shorebirds such as endangered oystercatchers and little terns lay their eggs in shallow scraped-out nests in the sand, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) Threatened Species officer Ms Katherine Howard has said.
Even our regular residents such as seagulls are currently nesting to bear young.

What can you do to help them?
Known nest sites may be indicated by fencing or signs. The whole community can help protect shorebirds by keeping out of nesting areas marked by signs or fences and only taking your dog to designated dog offleash area. 

Just remember WE are visitors to these areas. These birds LIVE there. This is their home.

Four simple steps to help keep beach-nesting birds safe:
1. Look out for bird nesting signs or fenced-off nesting areas on the beach, stay well clear of these areas and give the parent birds plenty of space.
2. Walk your dogs in designated dog-friendly areas only and always keep them on a leash over summer.
3. Stay out of nesting areas and follow all local rules.
4. Chicks are mobile and don't necessarily stay within fenced nesting areas. When you're near a nesting area, stick to the wet sand to avoid accidentally stepping on a chick.


Possums In Your Roof?: do the right thing

Possums in your roof? Please do the right thing 
On the weekend, one of our volunteers noticed a driver pull up, get out of their vehicle, open the boot, remove a trap and attempt to dump a possum on a bush track. Fortunately, our member intervened and saved the beautiful female brushtail and the baby in her pouch from certain death. 

It is illegal to relocate a trapped possum more than 150 metres from the point of capture and substantial penalties apply.  Urbanised possums are highly territorial and do not fare well in unfamiliar bushland. In fact, they may starve to death or be taken by predators.

While Sydney Wildlife Rescue does not provide a service to remove possums from your roof, we do offer this advice:

✅ Call us on (02) 9413 4300 and we will refer you to a reliable and trusted licenced contractor in the Sydney metropolitan area. For a small fee they will remove the possum, seal the entry to your roof and provide a suitable home for the possum - a box for a brushtail or drey for a ringtail.
✅ Do-it-yourself by following this advice from the Department of Planning and Environment: 

❌ Do not under any circumstances relocate a possum more than 150 metres from the capture site.
Thank you for caring and doing the right thing.



Sydney Wildlife photos

Aviaries + Possum Release Sites Needed

Pittwater Online News has interviewed Lynette Millett OAM (WIRES Northern Beaches Branch) needs more bird cages of all sizes for keeping the current huge amount of baby wildlife in care safe or 'homed' while they are healed/allowed to grow bigger to the point where they may be released back into their own home. 

If you have an aviary or large bird cage you are getting rid of or don't need anymore, please email via the link provided above. There is also a pressing need for release sites for brushtail possums - a species that is very territorial and where release into a site already lived in by one possum can result in serious problems and injury. 

If you have a decent backyard and can help out, Lyn and husband Dave can supply you with a simple drey for a nest and food for their first weeks of adjustment.

Bushcare in Pittwater: where + when

For further information or to confirm the meeting details for below groups, please contact Council's Bushcare Officer on 9970 1367 or visit Council's bushcare webpage to find out how you can get involved.

BUSHCARE SCHEDULES 
Where we work                      Which day                              What time 

Avalon     
Angophora Reserve             3rd Sunday                         8:30 - 11:30am 
Avalon Dunes                        1st Sunday                         8:30 - 11:30am 
Avalon Golf Course              2nd Wednesday                 3 - 5:30pm 
Careel Creek                         4th Saturday                      8:30 - 11:30am 
Toongari Reserve                 3rd Saturday                      9 - 12noon (8 - 11am in summer) 
Bangalley Headland            2nd Sunday                         9 to 12noon 
Catalpa Reserve              4th Sunday of the month        8.30 – 11.30
Palmgrove Park              1st Saturday of the month        9.00 – 12 

Bayview     
Winnererremy Bay                 4th Sunday                        9 to 12noon 

Bilgola     
North Bilgola Beach              3rd Monday                        9 - 12noon 
Algona Reserve                     1st Saturday                       9 - 12noon 
Plateau Park                          1st Friday                            8:30 - 11:30am 

Church Point     
Browns Bay Reserve             1st Tuesday                        9 - 12noon 
McCarrs Creek Reserve       Contact Bushcare Officer     To be confirmed 

Clareville     
Old Wharf Reserve                 3rd Saturday                      8 - 11am 

Elanora     
Kundibah Reserve                   4th Sunday                       8:30 - 11:30am 

Mona Vale     
Mona Vale Beach Basin          1st Saturday                    8 - 11am 
Mona Vale Dunes                     2nd Saturday +3rd Thursday     8:30 - 11:30am 

Newport     
Bungan Beach                          4th Sunday                      9 - 12noon 
Crescent Reserve                    3rd Sunday                      9 - 12noon 
North Newport Beach              4th Saturday                    8:30 - 11:30am 
Porter Reserve                          2nd Saturday                  8 - 11am 

North Narrabeen     
Irrawong Reserve                     2nd Saturday                   2 - 5pm 

Palm Beach     
North Palm Beach Dunes      3rd Saturday                    9 - 12noon 

Scotland Island     
Catherine Park                          2nd Sunday                     10 - 12:30pm 
Elizabeth Park                           1st Saturday                      9 - 12noon 
Pathilda Reserve                      3rd Saturday                      9 - 12noon 

Warriewood     
Warriewood Wetlands             1st Sunday                         8:30 - 11:30am 

Whale Beach     
Norma Park                               1st Friday                            9 - 12noon 

Western Foreshores     
Coopers Point, Elvina Bay      2nd Sunday                        10 - 1pm 
Rocky Point, Elvina Bay           1st Monday                          9 - 12noon

Friends Of Narrabeen Lagoon Catchment Activities

Bush Regeneration - Narrabeen Lagoon Catchment  
This is a wonderful way to become connected to nature and contribute to the health of the environment.  Over the weeks and months you can see positive changes as you give native species a better chance to thrive.  Wildlife appreciate the improvement in their habitat.

Belrose area - Thursday mornings 
Belrose area - Weekend mornings by arrangement
Contact: Phone or text Conny Harris on 0432 643 295

Wheeler Creek - Wednesday mornings 9-11am
Contact: Phone or text Judith Bennett on 0402 974 105
Or email: Friends of Narrabeen Lagoon Catchment : email@narrabeenlagoon.org.au

Gardens and Environment Groups and Organisations in Pittwater


Ringtail Posses 2023

Australia is set to be a renewables nation. After Labor’s win, there’s no turning back

bmphotographer/Shutterstock
Wesley MorganUNSW Sydney and Ben NewellUNSW Sydney

An emphatic election victory for the incumbent Labor government means Australia’s rapid shift to renewable energy will continue. As Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen said on Saturday:

In 2022, the Australian people voted to finally act on climate change. After three years of progress […] in 2025 they said keep going.

The election result also means the debate about energy policy is now, in broad terms, over. Australia’s energy future is wind and solar, backed by storage.

Coal and gas will have a fast-declining role to play and nuclear energy will have none at all. Australia is set to be a renewables nation. There is no turning back now.

Cementing renewables investment

By continuing to build renewables capacity, the returned Labor government can position Australia on the world stage as a genuine leader on clean energy.

The Albanese government has set a national target of more than 80% of the main national electricity grid running on renewables by 2030. With such a large majority in parliament, Labor may well be in government at that time.

Australia already has the world’s highest per-capita solar uptake, with about 300,000 solar systems installed each year. One in three Australian homes now has rooftop solar.

Labor is complementing this boom with a new home battery discount scheme, which aims to have more than one million batteries installed by 2030. This will help stabilise the grid by reducing demand at peak times.

But more investment in renewables is needed. The policy certainty of a returned Labor government should help to attract international capital. This is important, because more than 70% of investment in renewables in Australia comes from offshore.

Securing climate consensus

Labor’s win also means it can finally bed down a national consensus on climate policy.

A recent survey on Australian attitudes to climate action suggested community views can shift if people see action is taken by governments and big business.

This does not mean community opposition to renewable energy will evaporate – especially in regional Australia. The federal government must work with industry players and other levels of government to ensure proper public consultation. The new Net Zero Economy Authority will play an important role in ensuring the regions and their workers benefit from the energy transition.

For its part, the Coalition needs to do some soul-searching. Australian voters returned a number of climate-friendly independents in key seats. The Coalition also failed to win support from younger Australians, who typically view renewables favourably.

All this suggests continued opposition to renewables is unlikely to help the Coalition form government anytime soon. What’s more, continuing to promote nuclear power – which some in the Coalition are pushing for – makes little sense in an increasingly renewables-dominated grid.

Doubling down on international climate cooperation

Labor’s plans to rapidly expand renewable energy strengthen Australia’s credentials to host the COP31 UN climate talks with Pacific island countries next year.

Australia’s bid has strong support from other nations. Turkey – the only other nation with its hand up to host – has so far resisted pressure from Australia to withdraw its bid. In support of their own bid, Turkish representatives pointed to uncertainty in Australia ahead of the May election – however that uncertainty has now passed.

Adelaide will host the talks if Australia’s bid succeeds. This will be a chance to share our world-beating renewables story – including in South Australia, which is set to achieve 100% clean electricity by 2027.

Australia could also use the talks in South Australia to promote new export industries that use renewable energy, especially plans to produce green iron and green steel at Whyalla.

Hosting rights could attract investment in Australia’s renewables rollout and help promote exports of critical minerals and green metals. And it would enable Australia to cement its place in the Pacific during a time of increased geo-strategic competition, by promoting a renewables partnership for the whole region.

Australia must move fast and secure the COP31 bid at climate talks in Germany next month. Any delay risks a less ambitious summit next year, because building consensus for new initiatives takes time.

South Australia has made a bold bid to host COP31 (SA Government)

Seizing our economic opportunities

As Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said during his victory speech on Saturday, renewable energy is “an opportunity we must work together to seize for the future of our economy”.

Australia is the world’s largest exporter of raw iron ore and metallurgical coal, both used extensively in offshore steelmaking.

But Australia can create jobs and reduce emissions by refining iron ore in Australia using renewables and green hydrogen.

The potential export value of green iron is estimated at A$295 billion a year, or three times the current value of iron ore exports. More broadly, our clean energy exports – including green metals, fertilisers and fuels – could be worth six to eight times more than our fossil fuel exports, analysis suggests.

A key challenge for the returned government is assuring markets such as Japan that Australia is a long-term strategic partner, even while redirecting trade and investment away from coal and gas exports and toward long-term clean energy industries.

Embracing Australia’s future

Australians have delivered a strong mandate for climate action. The returned Labor government must ensure this support is not squandered, and voter trust is not lost.

This means seizing the opportunity, once and for all, to shift Australia from our past as a fossil fuel heavyweight to our future as a renewables superpower.The Conversation

Wesley Morgan, Research Associate, Institute for Climate Risk and Response, UNSW Sydney and Ben Newell, Professor of Cognitive Psychology and Director of the UNSW Institute for Climate Risk and Response, UNSW Sydney

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

5 huge climate opportunities await the next parliament – and it has the numbers to deliver

Anna SkarbekMonash University and Anna MalosMonash University

Australians have returned an expanded Labor Party to government alongside a suite of climate-progressive independents. Meanwhile, the Coalition – which promoted nuclear energy and a slower renewables transition – suffered a historic defeat.

Labor also looks set to have increased numbers in the Senate, where the Greens are likely to hold the balance of power.

These numbers mean support for progressive climate and energy policy in Australia’s 48th parliament is shaping as stronger than the last. So what does this mean as Australia seeks to position itself as a leader in the global net zero economy?

In its first term in government, Labor laid the groundwork for stronger climate action, including legislating an emissions-reduction target and putting crucial policies and organisations in place. The next parliament will be well-placed to build on these foundations. Here, we explain where key opportunities lie.

1. National emissions target for 2035

By September this year, all signatories to the global Paris Agreement must set emissions reduction targets out to 2035.

Labor is waiting on advice from the Climate Change Authority before setting its target. The authority’s initial advice last year suggested a target between 65% and 75%, based on 2005 levels.

Some countries have already set their targets. The United Kingdom, for example, will aim for a reduction of at least 81% by 2035, based on 1990 levels.

2. A firm plan for net-zero

Australia has committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. Getting there will require innovation and investment across the economy. In the last term of government, Labor began developing net-zero plans for each economic sector. They comprise energy, transport, industry, resources, the built environment, and agriculture and land.

The plans are due to be finalised this year. They will act as a tangible map for Australia to meet both net zero and the 2035 emissions-reduction target, and are keenly awaited by state governments, industry and investors.

This policy area presents the broadest opportunity for the crossbench to exert influence for greater ambition, scale and pace. Neither the 2035 target nor the sector plans need to go through parliament – however they could feature in broader parliamentary negotiations.

Separately, the Safeguard Mechanism will be reviewed in 2027, during this parliament. The policy aims to reduce emissions reductions from Australia’s biggest greenhouse-gas polluters. It is key to reaching net zero in Australia’s industrial sector, and an important moment to ensure the policy reduces emissions at the rate needed.

3. Bidding to host COP31

Australia is bidding to host next year’s United Nations global climate talks, or COP, in partnership with Pacific Island nations. The bid was opposed by the Coalition.

A decision on the COP host is expected in June. If Australia succeeds, the federal government will seek to use the high-profile global gathering to showcase its climate credentials – and there will be high expectations from Pacific co-hosts. So all policy between now and then really matters.

4. An energy system to make Australia thrive

Energy produces about 70% of Australia’s emissions. Tackling this means reducing emissions from electricity through renewable generation. Elsewhere in the economy, it means switching from gas, petrol and diesel to clean electricity.

The government’s plan to reach 82% renewable energy by 2030 remains crucial. Australia’s electricity system is expected to reach around 50% renewable energy this year. But there is more work to do.

A review of the National Electricity Market is due this year. It is expected to recommend ways to promote greater investment in renewable generation and storage. This includes what policy might follow the Capacity Investment Scheme, a measure to boost renewables investment which will be rolled out by 2027.

Faster action on the renewable shift can also be achieved through the Australian Energy Market Operator’s next Integrated System Plan – the nation’s roadmap for guiding energy infrastructure and investment.

Labor also has scope to improve energy efficiency, and better match energy demand and supply – especially at times of peak energy use. The government’s commitments to subsidise home batteries, and expand the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, will help achieve this. The crossbench, including the Greens, is likely to seek greater investments to reduce household energy use and costs.

Beyond this, Australia’s electricity grid needs to be double the size of what’s currently planned, to power the entire economy with clean energy.

5. Leverage clean energy export advantages

Australia generates about a quarter of its GDP from exports – many of them emissions-intensive such as fossil fuels, minerals and agricultural products.

In his election victory speech, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese urged Australia to seize the moment at a time of global economic disruption. Key to this will be building on the Future Made in Australia agenda and ensuring Australia makes the most of its competitive advantages as the world transitions to net-zero.

This will include:

  • leveraging a strong reputation as a reliable trade partner
  • capitalising on our world-leading solar and wind energy resources to produce low-emissions goods for export
  • developing the industry around critical minerals and rare earths needed in low-emissions technologies
  • helping metals and minerals sectors achieve net-zero emissions pathways.

This will be central to trade negotiations in the years to come. Realising Australia’s green exports aspiration requires action abroad as well as at home.

A game-changing decade

This decade is crucial to Australia’s future economy, and to the success of Australia’s long-term transition to net zero emissions. Our work has shown Australia can slash emissions while the economy grows.

The question now is how quickly the re-elected government – indeed, the next parliament – can realise Australia’s ambition as a renewable energy superpower.

The next three years will provide vital opportunities and they must be seized – for the sake of our energy bills, our economic prosperity and Australia’s reputation on the world stage.The Conversation

Anna Skarbek, Climateworks CEO, Monash University and Anna Malos, Climateworks Country Lead, Australia, Monash University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Old drains and railways are full of life. Here’s how to make the most of these overlooked green spaces

Much of the old circular railway line in Paris, La Petite Ceinture, or Little Belt, has been turned into a public park. ldgfr photos, Shutterstock
Hugh StanfordRMIT University

Across Australian cities, leftover and overlooked green spaces are everywhere. Just think of all the land along stormwater drains, railway lines and vacant lots. While often dismissed as useless or unsightly, there’s a growing understanding of the value these spaces bring to cities.

These informal green spaces can support biodiversity and offer rare freedom to explore, play or connect with nature in a less controlled way than formal spaces such as parks. They also help to cool our cities.

My new research looks at how cities globally are rethinking overlooked green spaces. I identified three ways to unlock the value of these areas: leaving spaces intentionally unmanaged, supporting temporary or informal uses, or formalising them as parks or other public places. Each approach offers different benefits and challenges for cities trying to create greener, more liveable neighbourhoods.

Local councils are under increasing pressure to create more formal green space, with residents, at times, calling on councils to buy land for new parks. But let’s start with what’s already there.

1: Hands off: the case for doing less

In some cases, doing nothing can be surprisingly powerful.

When governments step back, communities and nature can step in, with potentially joyful, creative and ecologically rich results. In the Belgian capital of Brussels, for example, disused railway land, left unmanaged, has become a haven for biodiversity, offering valuable insights into how ecosystems can regenerate without human interference.

Closer to home, there are many examples of railway land being used informally as green space. One site, in the Melbourne suburb of Northcote, has become a makeshift trail used by walkers, dog owners and children on bikes. Though not officially a park, it functions like one, with its informal character fostering a sense of ownership and spontaneity among users. In the past few months, local residents have started planting native vegetation and putting up makeshift art installations, and even a swing.

But this hands-off approach has limitations. It works best where a strong sense of community, or ecological value, already exists. And while nature can bounce back in surprising ways, it often needs a helping hand.

A tree adorned with public art stands to the right of a railway line in north Melbourne.
Locals have embraced a small patch of land in a railway reserve near Dennis Station in Northcote, Melbourne. Hugh Stanford

2. Helping out: supporting informal or temporary uses

Where informal installations already exist – such as art installations or unauthorised plantings known as guerrilla gardens – councils can support and even help grow these initiatives.

Some councils may see local-led efforts as a liability, but these efforts represent an opportunity to bring life to underused land at minimal cost. By recognising and supporting such activities, including financially, councils can empower residents to shape their own neighbourhoods in meaningful ways. This can include expanding existing installations or establishing new installations on other underused sites.

There is also benefit in local councils creating their own temporary installations such as pop-up parks. This has been shown to be an effective way to activate underused space and trial initiatives before more permanent plans are developed.

Examples include the creation of a temporary park in Ballarat Street, Yarraville in 2012. Community support for the temporary park led to the construction of a permanent park in 2014.

A colourful art installation sprouts from the grass near a railway line in Melbourne.
Local councils can offer support to communities seeking to revitalise disused green space. Hugh Stanford

3. Stepping in: when formalising makes sense

There are times where formal intervention is warranted – for example, where land is contaminated or supports invasive weeds. In such cases, transforming a site into a fully developed park can deliver significant benefits. Land alongside a river, road or railway line, can be readily transformed into a long “linear park” with walking trails and bike paths.

In Paris, the conversion of a former industrial railway line into a linear park is a great example, attracting both locals and tourists.

Melbourne, too, has its own success in revitalising disused infrastructure. The Greening the Pipeline project in Melbourne’s west involves converting a disused sewer main into a vibrant linear park. These projects demonstrate the benefits that can be achieved from developing high-quality, permanent public green spaces from underused land.

But formalising public use of urban green space comes at a cost, financially and otherwise: a highly designed park can crowd out the quirky, unplanned character that makes many informal spaces feel special. That’s why it’s crucial to see formalising green space as one option among many, and to reserve it for sites where potential benefits justify the investment.

A linear park formed around a disused sewer main in the west of Melbourne, showing a bike path and new community infrastructure.
The Greening the Pipeline project in Melbourne’s west highlights what can be achieved. Hugh Stanford

A call to action

If you work in urban planning or local government, resist the urge to control and replace. Look at what’s already available. Sometimes the best thing you can do is observe, step back and support. Not all public spaces need a master plan.

If you’re a resident, get out there. Start small: plant something native, or set up a swing (where safe to do so). By engaging with the green spaces already around you, you might help create your own slice of urban paradise – no land purchase required.The Conversation

Informal green space between a road and rail line, with a swing hanging from a tree and art installation in the background.
Start small and set up a swing, where safe to do so. Hugh Stanford

Hugh Stanford, Researcher Associate, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Cheap overseas, ruinous in Australia: here’s how to make double-glazed windows the norm

New Africa/Shutterstock
Trivess MooreRMIT UniversityLisa de KleynLa Trobe UniversityRalph HorneRMIT University, and Tom SimkoRMIT University

In Europe, double-glazed windows are standard. But in Australia, these energy-saving windows are remarkably uncommon.

Correctly installed, the effect of double-glazing is remarkable. Instead of a house losing or gaining huge amounts of heat through its windows, double-glazed windows help keep the indoor temperature at a consistent temperature – reducing the need to crank up the air-con or heater.

In hot parts of Australia, these windows would keep out heat. In cold, they would keep heat in. They also slash outside noise. Houses with double-glazing can add resale value and even improve occupant health.

Why are they not standard? There are several reasons. But our research in Victoria found the main one is cost – double-glazing costs much more than a standard single-glazed window.

Heat loss and gain through windows is responsible for about 1.5% of Australia’s total energy use. As climate change intensifies, making double-glazing standard in Australia would cut household energy bills and make life indoors more pleasant. Other countries are moving to even higher performance triple-glazed windows. But Australia is stuck.

Why does double glazing work so well?

Windows let light and often air into a home. But they can also be the main way heat enters or leaves. Double-glazing works by adding a gap between two panes, often filled with dense argon gas, which doesn’t transfer heat well. The window frame material is important, too, to reduce heat transfer.

We measure the insulating quality of a window with a U-value – essentially, how much heat can be transferred through the glass. The lower this value, the more insulating the window.

A basic single-glazed window has a U-value of about 6. On a typical Australian home, these windows mean significant air conditioning is often required to maintain a comfortable temperature indoors during summer and winter.

Double-glazed windows with advanced design features common in North America and Europe typically have a U-value of 2.4 or less. When combined with wall and roof insulation, they can significantly reduce the need for heating or cooling. Triple-glazed are better still, with a U-value of 0.8 or less.

double glazed window snow outside
Many countries with snowy winters have taken to double-glazed windows as a way to reduce heating costs. brizmaker/Shutterstock

Standard overseas, rare in Australia

In the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and much of Europe, double-glazed windows have been the norm for several decades. Commonly, these windows use argon gas between the two sheets and improve insulation further with low emittance coatings, thin transparent layers of metal which block solar rays.

In many of these countries, single-glazed windows have largely disappeared and retrofitting older houses with double-glazing is routine.

Anyone embarking on a renovation in Australia will soon discover double-glazing tends to be seen as a specialist eco-retrofit measure rather than something done as standard.

In 2016, only 6% of windows installed in new houses in Australia had U-values below 4. In 2024, that figure was 19%, indicating high performance windows are slowly becoming more common. But there’s still much to do to make them the norm.

Why is progress slow? We spoke to stakeholders in window manufacturing and building in Australia.

These industry experts explained why Australia is lagging:

  • historically low-cost energy means the typical response to heat or cold is to install air conditioning

  • single-glazed windows have long been the norm

  • Australians often haven’t heard of high-performance windows or understand why they matter

  • only a few companies make these windows in Australia, meaning competition is limited and costs remain high

  • at present, there’s no requirement to include double-glazed windows in new builds or renovations

  • housing affordability issues mean owners want to keep upfront construction costs as low as possible.

factory workers making windows.
Window manufacturers in Australia are interested in moving into double-glazing, but the demand isn’t there yet. Anatoliy Cherkas/Shutterstock

What should be done?

In our research, many windows industry insiders told us they were ready to scale up production of higher performance windows. The skills and technologies needed are here. What’s missing was the demand.

When we interviewed builders, they told us the choice of windows wasn’t simple. They had to weigh up material costs, existing supplier relationships and industry practices. Some told us it was cheaper at times to import from Europe or Asia than to buy Australian-made.

In part, this is a chicken and egg problem. Prices are high because there’s little demand and demand is limited because prices are high.

So what should be done?

Overseas experience has shown boosting demand is the key. If double-glazed windows become more common, more manufacturers will enter the Australian market and prices will drop.

The quickest way to do this would be to require their use in new construction and renovation.

At first, the industry might struggle to meet this demand. But that would create clear incentives for new players here or overseas to meet the demand.

Government support could help window manufacturers upgrade machinery and processes to be able to meet new demand.

Subsidies could help offset the costs to households, if designed to sunset after a set period. Any subsidies should target groups such as vulnerable older Australians affected by energy poverty as well as renters on low incomes.

Making this a reality is doable. After all, New Zealand did exactly this. In 2007, policymakers introduced new minimum performance requirements for windows. It took about four years to shift the market from single-glazed to predominantly double-glazed. Australia could do the same.The Conversation

Trivess Moore, Associate Professor in Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT UniversityLisa de Kleyn, Research Fellow in Climate Change Adaptation, La Trobe UniversityRalph Horne, Associate Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research & Innovation, College of Design & Social Context, RMIT University, and Tom Simko, Senior Lecturer, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Australia and North America have long fought fires together – but new research reveals that has to change

Doug RichardsonUNSW Sydney and Andreia Filipa Silva RibeiroHelmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ

Climate change is lengthening fire seasons across much of the world. This means the potential for wildfires at any time of the year, in both hemispheres, is increasing.

That poses a problem. Australia regularly shares firefighting resources with the United States and Canada. But these agreements rest on the principle that when North America needs these personnel and aircraft, Australia doesn’t, and vice versa. Climate change means this assumption no longer holds.

The devastating Los Angeles wildfires in January, the United States winter, show how this principle is being tested. The US reportedly declined Australia’s public offer of assistance because Australia was in the midst of its traditional summer fire season. Instead, the US sought help from Canada and Mexico.

But to what extent do fire seasons in Australia and North America actually overlap? Our new research examined this question. We found an alarming increase in the overlap of the fire seasons, suggesting both regions must invest far more in their own permanent firefighting capacity.

What we did

We investigated fire weather seasons – that is, the times of the year when atmospheric conditions such as temperature, humidity, rainfall and wind speed are conducive to fire.

The central question we asked was: how many days each year do fire weather seasons in Australia and North America overlap?

To determine this, we calculated the length of the fire weather seasons in the two regions in each year, and the number of days when the seasons occur at the same time. We then analysed reconstructed historical weather data to assess fire-season overlap for the past 45 years. We also analysed climate model data to assess changes out to the end of this century.

And the result? On average, fire weather occurs in both regions simultaneously for about seven weeks each year. The greatest risk of overlap occurs in the Australian spring – when Australia’s season is beginning and North America’s is ending.

The overlap has increased by an average of about one day per year since 1979. This might not sound like much. But it translates to nearly a month of extra overlap compared to the 1980s and 1990s.

The increase is driven by eastern Australia, where the fire weather season has lengthened at nearly twice the rate of western North America. More research is needed to determine why this is happening.

Longer, hotter, drier

Alarmingly, as climate change worsens and the atmosphere dries and heats, the overlap is projected to increase.

The extent of the overlap varied depending on which of the four climate models we used. Assuming an emissions scenario where global greenhouse gas emissions begin to stabilise, the models projected an increase in the overlap of between four and 29 days a year.

What’s behind these differences? We think it’s rainfall. The models project quite different rainfall trends over Australia. Those projecting a dry future also project large increases in overlapping fire weather. What happens to ours and North America’s rainfall in the future will have a large bearing on how fire seasons might change.

While climate change will dominate the trend towards longer overlapping fire seasons, El Niño and La Niña may also play a role.

These climate drivers involve fluctuations every few years in sea surface temperature and air pressure in part of the Pacific Ocean. An El Niño event is associated with a higher risk of fire in Australia. A La Niña makes longer fire weather seasons more likely in North America.

There’s another complication. When an El Niño occurs in the Central Pacific region, this increases the chance of overlap in fire seasons of North America and Australia. We think that’s because this type of El Niño is especially associated with dry conditions in Australia’s southeast, which can fuel fires.

But how El Niño and La Niña will affect fire weather in future is unclear. What’s abundantly clear is that global warming will lead to more overlap in fire seasons between Australia and North America – and changes in Australia’s climate are largely driving this trend.

Looking ahead

Firefighters and their aircraft are likely to keep crossing the Pacific during fire emergencies.

But it’s not difficult to imagine, for example, simultaneous fires occurring in multiple Australian states during spring, before any scheduled arrival of aircraft from the US or Canada. If North America is experiencing late fires that year and cannot spare resources, Australia’s capabilities may be exceeded.

Likewise, even though California has the largest civil aerial firefighting fleet in the world, the recent Los Angeles fires highlighted its reliance on leased equipment.

Fire agencies are becoming increasingly aware of this clash. And a royal commission after the 2019–20 Black Summer fires recommended Australia develop its own fleet of firefighting aircraft.

Long, severe fire seasons such as Black Summer prompted an expansion of Australia’s permanent aerial firefighting fleet, but more is needed.

As climate change accelerates, proactive fire management, such as prescribed burning, is also important to reduce the risk of uncontrolled fire outbreaks.The Conversation

Doug Richardson, Research Associate in Climate Science, UNSW Sydney and Andreia Filipa Silva Ribeiro, Climate Researcher, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Moving towns: 4 stories of communities facing relocation show the complex realities of managed retreat

Shutterstock/Emagnetic
Stacy VallisAuckland University of TechnologyAndrew BurgessAuckland University of TechnologyAnn MorrisonAuckland University of TechnologyImelda PiriAuckland University of Technology, and Priscila BesenAuckland University of Technology

With large parts of New Zealand having recently been pummelled by ex-tropical Cyclone Tam and ongoing bouts of heavy rain, it is important to remember that natural hazards have long shaped our cities.

Two townships in particular – Westport and Kumeū – have featured in national stories about floods since the 19th century.

They are now among a growing number of places where flooding infrastructure is losing effectiveness and drastic actions have to be considered, including managed retreat.

This raises understandable concerns about anticipated drops in land value and loss of social connection to a place. But managed or planned retreat is not a new concept nationally or globally. International examples can serve as useful references.

These stories from four communities in three countries show how connection to culture and place can be either challenged or sustained when relocation becomes necessary.

Tallangatta, Australia: six decades later

Back in 1956, the Australian township of Tallangatta in north-eastern Victoria was forced to move eight kilometres west because of the expansion of the Hume Weir.

Originally, “old” Tallangatta was located at the meeting point of the Mitta Mitta River and the Tallangatta Creek. But this was subsumed by a significant water-storage facility, the Hume Dam (Lake Hume).

During periods of low water levels, it is still possible to view the remains of the old town from a lookout.

About a hundred houses and a few shops were relocated, including some Victorian buildings. Residents said there was no cost to the relocation, with relocated houses repainted and given modern plumbing facilities that did not previously exist.

New public and commercial buildings were designed in the modernist architectural style of the era, and in 2016 Tallangatta was acknowledged as a “notable town” by the National Trust of Victoria.

The blend of Victorian and mid-century modernist buildings characterises the new township and represents different eras in its history, including the physical and social upheaval of relocation.

But while it can be possible to physically move timber buildings to a new site, characteristics such as original township layout and social connection to the surrounding landscape can be lost.

An aerial view of the Swedish town Kiruna, with an iron ore mine towering over it in the background.
Mining for iron ore has led to land subsidence, forcing the relocation of the Swedish town of Kiruna. ImgurCC BY-SA

Kiruna, Sweden: cultural history, industrial growth

Sweden’s northernmost town of Kiruna faces a similar situation due to land subsidence caused by a huge iron ore mine. Its 18,000 inhabitants now have to move about three kilometres east.

The town’s rich cultural heritage includes a long Indigenous Sami history and a long period of industrial growth driven by the mine which saw it given national heritage recognition in the 1980s.

The relocation process has not been without its challenges. One big question was how many historic buildings to move to help retain authentic connections to place.

It was proposed that new building design would use the aesthetic qualities of the historic buildings. And there was discussion about either creating an “old town” within the site, or dispersing relocated buildings around the town.

Eventually, local representatives and the mining company (which funded the relocation) decided about 50 of the oldest buildings would be relocated while the remainder would be demolished.

Demolition has now taken place, along with construction of a new town hall to replace its predecessor, a heritage-listed building dating to 1964.

Such decisions call for careful balancing of the impacts on local Indigenous cultural heritage, the economic role the mine has played in the town’s expansion, and its contribution to iron production in Europe in general.

Westport's clock tower and council chambers
Westport council chambers: floods in July 2021 damaged more than 500 houses. Shutterstock/Lakeview Images

Parallel narratives: Westport and Kumeū

Climate change is making floods more intense and frequent. New Zealand’s South Island town of Westport is a 19th-century coal mining and trading settlement that experienced severe flooding in July 2021 and again in February 2022.

Although these floods were no larger than ones recorded in the past, their impact on homes and infrastructure was significantly greater due to Westport’s expansion over the years. The July 2021 flood damaged more than 500 houses, resulting in a NZ$54 million flood protection plan.

In 2023, the Buller District Council initiated a master plan to guide Westport’s future growth and development. It focuses on the controlled expansion of the township to higher ground on government-owned Pāmu farmland one kilometre southwest of Westport.

The council endorsed Westport’s master plan in March this year, but some residents are still apprehensive about the changes.

In the North Island, the township of Kumeū is close to Auckland, the country’s biggest city, but still reflects its farming history. Following recent floods, as well as several major floods since 1926Auckland Council and local leaders joined forces to devise a plan to improve the town’s resilience.

While the prospect of managed retreat has been raised, proactive river maintenance seems the preferred option, including regular debris clearance by local contractors to optimise storm water drainage.

Managed retreat presents opportunities for improvement to Kumeū’s infrastructure. But the long-established cultural relationships between people and landscapes in Aotearoa New Zealand also need to inform inclusive decisions about major relocations.

Connection to heritage rests on relationships with place and setting. These can include buildings, landscapes and views, as well as the historical and cultural values associated with a given site.The Conversation

Stacy Vallis, Lecturer in Architecture and Emerging Technologies, Auckland University of TechnologyAndrew Burgess, Senior Lecturer in Architecture, Auckland University of TechnologyAnn Morrison, Associate Professor in Interactive Design, Auckland University of TechnologyImelda Piri, Lecturer in Built Environments Engineering, Auckland University of Technology, and Priscila Besen, Lecturer in Sustainable Architecture, Auckland University of Technology

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Used EV batteries could power vehicles, houses or even towns – if their manufacturers share vital data

EV batteries are made of hundreds of smaller cells. IM Imagery/Shutterstock
Daryoush HabibiEdith Cowan University and Yasir ArafatEdith Cowan University

Around the world, more and more electric vehicles are hitting the road. Last year, more than 17 million battery-electric and hybrid vehicles were sold. Early forecasts suggest this year’s figure might reach 20 million. Nearly 20% of all cars sold today are electric.

But as more motorists go electric, it creates a new challenge – what to do with the giant batteries when they reach the end of their lives. That’s 12 to 15 years on average, though real-world data suggests it may be up to 40% longer. The average EV battery weighs about 450 kilograms.

By 2030, around 30,000 tonnes of EV batteries are expected to need disposal or recycling in Australia. By 2040, the figure is projected to be 360,000 tonnes and 1.6 million tonnes by 2050.

Is this a problem? Not necessarily. When a battery reaches the end of its life in a vehicle, it’s still got plenty of juice. Together, they could power smaller vehicles, houses or, when daisy-chained, even whole towns.

For this to work, though, we need better information. How healthy are these batteries? What are they made of? Have they ever been in an accident? At present, answers to these questions are hard to come by. That has to change.

EV battery with meter measuring voltage.
Gauging the health and reliability of a used EV battery is harder than it should be. Fahroni/Shutterstock

Huge potential, challenging reality

Old EV batteries have huge potential. But it’s not going to be easy to realise this.

That’s because it’s hard to get accurate data on battery performance, how fast it’s degrading and the battery’s current state of health – how much capacity it has now versus how much it had when new.

Unfortunately, vehicle manufacturers often make it difficult to get access to this crucial information. And once a battery pack is removed, we can’t get access to its specific data.

This comes with real risks. If a battery has a fault or has been severely degraded, it could catch fire when opened or if used for an unsuitable role. Without data, recyclers are flying blind.

Reusing EV batteries will only be economically viable if there’s sufficient confidence in estimates of remaining capacity and performance.

Without solid data, investors and companies may hesitate to engage in the repurposing market due to the financial risks involved.

Extracting minerals from a battery

EV batteries are full of critical minerals such as nickel, cobalt, lithium and manganese. Nearly everything in an EV battery can be recycled – up to 95%.

Here, too, it’s not as easy as it should be. Manufacturers design batteries focusing on performance and safety with recyclability often an afterthought.

Battery packs are often sealed shut for safety, making it difficult to disassemble their thousands of individual cells. Dismantling these type of EV batteries is extremely labour-intensive and time-consuming. Some will have to be crushed and the minerals extracted afterwards.

EV batteries have widely differing chemistries, such as lithium iron phosphate and nickel manganese cobalt. But this vital information is often not included on the label.

lithium salt pond
EV batteries require significant quantities of critical minerals. Pictured: lithium salt evaporation ponds in Argentina. Freedom_wanted/Shutterstock

Better ways of assessing battery health

Used EV batteries fall into three groups based on their state of health:

High (80% or more of original capacity): These batteries can be refurbished for reuse in similar applications, such as electric cars, mopeds, bicycles and golf carts. Some can be resized to suit smaller vehicles.

Medium (60-80%): These batteries can be repurposed for entirely different applications, such as stationary power storage or uninterruptible power supplies.

Low (below 60%): These batteries undergo shredding and refining processes to recover valuable minerals which can be used to make new batteries.

Researchers have recently succeeded in estimating the health of used EV batteries even without access to the battery’s data. But access to usage and performance data would still give better estimates.

What’s at stake?

An EV battery is a remarkable thing. But they rely on long supply chains and contain critical minerals, and their manufacture can cause pollution and carbon emissions.

Ideally, an EV battery would be exhausted before we recycle it. Repurposing these batteries will help reduce how many new batteries are needed.

If old batteries are stockpiled or improperly discarded, it leads to fire risk and potential contamination of soil and water.

Right now, it’s hard for companies and individuals to access each battery’s performance data. This means it’s much harder and more expensive to assess its health and remaining useful life. As a result, more batteries are being discarded or sent for recycling too early.

Recycling EV batteries is a well-defined process. But it’s energy-intensive and requires significant chemical treatments.

What needs to change?

At present, many battery manufacturers are wary of sharing battery performance data, due to concerns over intellectual property and other legal issues. This will have to change if society is to get the fullest use out of these complex energy storage devices. But these changes are unlikely to come from industry.

In 2021, California introduced laws requiring manufacturers to give recyclers access to data and battery state of health. Likewise, the European Union will require all EV batteries to come with a digital passport from January 2027, giving access to data on the battery’s health, chemistry and records of potentially harmful events such as accidents or charging at extreme temperatures.

Australia should follow suit – before we have a mountain of EV batteries and no way to reuse them.The Conversation

Daryoush Habibi, Professor and Head, Centre for Green and Smart Energy Systems, Edith Cowan University and Yasir Arafat, Senior Research Associate (Electric Vehicle Batteries and Batteries Recycling), Edith Cowan University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

A rubbish election: voting in Australia produces mountains of waste - but there’s a better way

Lisa M. GivenRMIT UniversityGary RosengartenRMIT University, and Matt DuckhamRMIT University

More than 18 million Australians voted on Saturday, after walking past countless corflutes, reading campaign flyers and reviewing how-to-vote cards.

The 2025 federal election was Australia’s biggest yet, with 710,000 more people on the electoral roll than in 2022. The Australian Election Commission amassed 250,000 pencils, 240,000 vests, 80,000 ballot boxes and 5,000 rolls of tamper-proof tape to stock some 7,000 polling places.

So, what happens to these materials after polling day? Some are warehoused, ready for reuse next time around. Others are repurposed. But every election also generates a mountain of waste for landfill.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Australia needs to mandate a cradle-to-grave approach to creating, using, recycling and disposing of election materials. Meanwhile, electronic machines and online voting can reduce the need for paper ballots, just as social media campaigns can reduce paper mail drops.

Reams of lightweight plastic posters adorn a tennis court on the way into the polling booth at Magill School, with a person taking down posters.
Magill School in the Sturt electorate, like most polling centres, was wrapped in lightweight plastic posters. Clare Peddie

Where do election materials go after the polls close?

In response to inquiries from The Conversation, the Australian Election Commission said most AEC materials, such as tamper-proof tape, vests and pencils, are stored between elections at counting centres. Other materials, such as cardboard voting booths, are recycled or donated to schools or charities.

Most councils require corflutes to be collected within seven days of an election. But no rules govern reuse or disposal. Corflutes are made from polypropylene, a lightweight plastic that is technically recyclable. But it’s not a straightforward process, so most recycling facilities reportedly cannot accept this waste.

Some candidates donate corflutes to schools, childcare centres and charities, because the white reverse side can be used to mount artworks.

Second-hand corflutes have also been used as shelters for homeless peopleheat shields for bee hives, or to repair damaged skylights. But no doubt many end up in landfill.

Are there alternatives?

Many countries are “greening” their elections. In 2019, India’s election commission directed parties to eliminate single-use plastic including corflutes. In 2024, the United Kingdom’s Westminster Foundation for Democracy outlined strategies for reducing election “pollution”, addressing supply chains and packaging.

Australia relies heavily on disposable election materials. While many of these can be recycled, it’s better to avoid single-use materials.

Parties could also display how-to-vote instructions on posters at election sites, rather than handing out individual flyers that are recycled or thrown away.

In 2022, the AEC introduced plain brown cardboard screens and ballot boxes, saying they are easier to recycle and reuse than previous versions “wrapped” in purple-and-white branded paper. However, Australian Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers says elections will probably always be “highly manual and resource-intensive exercises”. We disagree.

Could Australia use electronic or online voting to reduce waste?

Other countries are introducing online voting to reduce waste. One study in Estonia found the carbon footprint of paper-based voting was 180 times greater than internet-based voting. More than 50% of the population voted online in 2023.

India introduced electronic voting machines in 1982 and mandated them, nationwide, in 2004. In 1999 alone this saved 7,700 tonnes of waste.

The United States introduced mechanical voting machines in the 1890s, punch cards and scanned ballots in the 1960s, and “direct-recording” electronic voting machines in the 1970s. Today, touch screens are used in many voting booths, with paper records for auditing. Now just 7% of districts rely on paper ballots and hand-counted ballots are rarely used.

Yet electronic voting machines are not without controversy. Security concerns after the 2016 US election resulted in 94% of districts shifting to optical scanning, and use of “direct-recording” electronic voting machines almost halved.

Ireland invested €50 million (A$88 million) into electronic voting machines in 2002, but they were never used due to concerns about potential tampering.

Australia should explore secure options for electronic voting machines and online voting. In its response to The Conversation, the AEC said this would be a matter for parliament to consider, because the law currently demands that elections are in-person events.

Can social media campaigning help?

Social media enables candidates and voters to engage in new ways. For instance, Labor senators Katy Gallagher and Penny Wong took part in a Facebook “pop quiz” on April 29, which had 55,000 views. But social media can amplify misinformation, so consumers need to fact-check what they see and hear online.

Combined, the parties and affiliated groups spent more than A$39 million on advertisements on YouTube, Facebook and Google during the 2025 campaign. The AEC had to update its authorisation guidelines to cover podcasters and other content creators.

This mirrors global shifts towards social media campaigning. During Canada’s 2025 campaign, Liberal leader Mark Carney (who went on to be elected prime minister) created a video with celebrity Mike Myers, reaching 10 million views.

While such creative approaches may engage voters, they still carry a carbon footprint. Carney and Myers’ video likely produced about six tonnes of CO₂ emissions due to the energy and electricity used in production, streaming and viewing.

Mike Myers and Mark Carney used social media creatively in Canada’s 2025 election campaign.

Text messages also connect candidates with voters. Clive Palmer’s Trumpet of Patriots party sent 17 million texts the election campaign. This equates to 240kg of CO₂ emissions from energy-hungry data centres and personal devices.

This is less than the emissions the average Australian produces in a week. However, the unsolicited texts riled many voters, many concerned about privacy and who wanted to opt out.

What’s the solution?

Australia should mandate a reduction in the disposal of election materials.

Some print materials may always be needed, because not all voters can access digital content or vote online. But the current situation is unsustainable.

Global experiences show innovation is possible. Australia can reduce its reliance on new, physical materials, while maintaining public trust.

Australia’s newly elected officials have an opportunity to green future elections, adopting a more sophisticated approach to voting in a digital age. There’s no excuse for producing mountains of plastic and paper waste every three or four years. Our nation deserves better.The Conversation

Lisa M. Given, Professor of Information Sciences & Director, Social Change Enabling Impact Platform, RMIT UniversityGary Rosengarten, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Sustainable Technologies and Systems Enabling Impact Platform., RMIT University, and Matt Duckham, Professor, RMIT University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Newly discovered tropical oyster reefs are thriving across northern Australia – they deserve protection

Marina Richardson
Marina RichardsonGriffith University

Oysters are so much more than a seafood delicacy. They’re ecosystem engineers, capable of building remarkably complex reefs. These structures act as the kidneys of the sea, cleaning the water and keeping the coast healthy, while providing homes for millions of other animals.

Oyster reefs were once thought to be restricted to southern, cooler coastal waters where they’re the temperate equivalent of tropical coral reefs. But now, oyster reefs are being found right across Australia’s tropical north as well.

These tropical oyster reefs are bigger and more widespread than anyone expected. In fact, they are some of the largest known intertidal oyster reefs (exposed at low tide) left in Australia. And they’re everywhere – from the southern limit of the Queensland tropics across to the northern coast of Western Australia – yet we know almost nothing about them.

In our recent research, my colleagues and I completed the first detailed study of Australian tropical oyster reefs. These reefs are so new to science that until now, the species responsible for building them remained a mystery.

Using DNA, we identified the main reef-building oyster species in tropical Australia as “Saccostrea Lineage B”, making it a new addition to our national list of known reef-builders.

Lineage B is a close relative of the commercially important Sydney rock oyster (Saccostrea glomerata), but so little is known about this tropical reef-building species that it is yet to be assigned a scientific name.

Closeup of _Saccostrea_ Lineage B oysters
The Saccostrea Lineage B oysters we found in Australia’s tropical north are related to Sydney rock oysters. Marina Richardson

Hiding in plain sight

So why are we only learning about tropical oyster reefs now?

Across the globe, oyster reefs have been decimated by human activity. These reefs declined in most tropical regions long ago, even as far back as 1,000 years ago. Most oyster reefs disappeared without a trace before scientists even knew they were there.

However, Australia’s tropical oyster reefs haven’t just survived, in some cases they have thrived.

Despite being delicious to many, the species we now know as Lineage B was not very attractive to the aquaculture industry, due to its small size. And while oyster reefs near Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne were dredged and burned to produce lime for mortar, used in the early construction of roads and buildings, this practice was not widespread in tropical regions. This lack of commercial interest is probably the reason why tropical oyster reefs have persisted unnoticed for so long in northern Australia.

A photo of tropical oyster reef growing on both rock and muddy sediment, with green leafy vegetation on land in the distance against a blue sky.
Here the tropical oyster reefs were found growing on a combination of both rock and muddy sediment. Marina Richardson

What we did and what we found

We assessed three tropical oyster reefs in Queensland, Australia. At Wilson Beach, near Proserpine and Turkey Beach, near Gladstone, reefs were surveyed in late winter 2022. The reef at Mapoon in the Gulf of Carpentaria was surveyed in early spring 2023.

Using drone footage, we measured reef area and structure. We then collected oysters for genetic analysis.

Oysters are notoriously difficult to identify, because their shape, size and colour varies so much. Oysters from the same species can look completely different, while oysters from different species can look identical. That’s why it’s necessary to extract DNA.

We found almost all reef-building oysters across the three locations were Saccostrea Lineage B.

At Gladstone reefs, several other reef-building species were also present, including leaf oysters, pearl oysters and hairy mussels.

Locator map showing the three survey sites in Queensland alongside oyster reef images from those locations
We compared three tropical oyster reefs in Queensland. Richardson, M., et al (2025) Marine Environmental Research

An ecosystem worthy of protection

In southern Australia, oyster reefs are critically endangered. But we don’t really know how threatened their tropical counterparts are, although there is some evidence of decline. Further research is underway.

A new project has begun to map oyster reefs across tropical Australia. Since the project launched in June 2024, more than 60 new reefs have been found across Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia – including some as large as 5 hectares.

These unexpected discoveries provide a beacon of hope in a world currently overwhelmed by habitat decline and ecological collapse. But tropical oyster reefs are not yet protected. It’s crucial we include them in assessments of threatened ecosystems, to understand how much trouble they’re in and what we can do to protect them into the future.

By locating and understanding these overlooked ecosystems, we can ensure they’re not left behind in the global oyster reef restoration movement.

Scientists and others involved in reef restoration are now inviting everyday people across Australia to get involved as citizen scientists in The Great Shellfish Hunt. Anyone can upload tropical oyster reef sightings to this mapping project. It’s more important than ever to work together and ensure tropical oyster reefs receive the protection they deserve, so they continue to thrive for generations to come.The Conversation

Marina Richardson, Research Fellow in Marine Science, Griffith University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Despite Supreme Court setback, children’s lawsuits against climate change continue

Young Montanans, including Rikki Held, center, sued their state government and won a key ruling forcing the state government to consider greenhouse gas emissions when reviewing proposed development projects. William Campbell/Getty Images
Alexandra KlassUniversity of Michigan

An ancient legal principle has become a key strategy of American children seeking to reduce the effects of climate change in the 21st century. A defeat at the U.S. Supreme Court in March 2025 has not stopped the effort, which has several legal actions continuing in the courts.

The legal basis for these cases is called the “public trust doctrine,” the principle that certain natural resources – historically, navigable waters such as lakes, rivers and streams and the lands under them – must be maintained in government ownership and held in trust for present and future generations of the public.

Although the origins of the doctrine remain in some dispute, most scholars cite its first mention in ancient Roman law. Over the centuries the principle made its way to England and later to the United States.

For the past decade, a nonprofit called Our Children’s Trust has argued for a 21st-century interpretation of the public trust doctrine to support lawsuits against state and federal agencies and officials, seeking to force them to take specific actions to fight climate change. Our Children’s Trust has focused on children, saying they are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change because their futures, which the public trust doctrine protects, will be lived in an unsafe and unhealthy climate unless governments take action. Children around the world have filed similar lawsuits against their governments on alternate legal grounds, including claims of constitutional and human rights violations.

Initial uses of the public trust doctrine in the US

The U.S. Supreme Court first endorsed the public trust doctrine in 1892, when it ruled that the doctrine prevented the Illinois legislature from selling virtually the entire Chicago harbor in Lake Michigan to a private railroad company. In the 20th century, state courts have ruled that the doctrine bars states and local governments from selling off lakefront property or harbors to private owners and protects public access to beaches, lakes and oceans.

The public trust doctrine had little to do with environmental protection until the 1970s, however, after law professor Joseph Sax wrote an influential article arguing that the doctrine could form the basis for lawsuits to protect water and other natural resources from pollution, destruction and other threats.

Over the past five decades, some states’ courts have expanded the public trust doctrine’s application beyond access to water-based resources, ruling it can also require governments to protect parks and wildlife from development. And Montana, Minnesota and several other states followed Sax’s recommendation to pass laws or amend their state constitutions to impose broader obligations on states to protect natural resources.

A group of young people march together, holding their fists in the air.
Young people have taken part in many protests seeking action to prevent or reduce the effects of climate change, including this 2017 rally in Colorado. Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post via Getty Images

A new approach

In 2011, Our Children’s Trust argued for the first time that governments had a legal obligation to protect the atmosphere as a public trust resource. The group filed lawsuits in all 50 states on behalf of children. Most state courts dismissed the lawsuits quickly, holding that there were no court decisions in their states that supported extending the public trust doctrine to claims involving the climate or the atmosphere.

In 2015 the group filed a similar lawsuit in federal court in Oregon, this time against the federal government. That lawsuit, Juliana v. United States, alleged that the federal government’s inaction to address climate change violated the public trust doctrine as well as the 21 young plaintiffs’ rights to life, liberty and property under the U.S. Constitution.

The plaintiffs asked the court to order the federal government to prepare an inventory of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions and to implement a national plan to phase out fossil fuels to “stabilize the climate system and protect the vital resources on which Plaintiffs now and in the future will depend.”

The federal lawsuit survived an early effort from the government to dismiss the case but never reached a full trial. In 2016 an Oregon federal judge ruled that the U.S. government had an obligation to protect the climate under both the public trust doctrine and the U.S. Constitution. However, this ruling was reversed on appeal. After years of back-and-forth in the court system, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the case’s dismissal in March 2025.

A talk with one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the U.S. government seeking to force regulatory action to reduce the effects of climate change.

An updated strategy

Since the initial wave of litigation, Our Children’s Trust has continued to file lawsuits to force governments to address climate change. These newer ones are more narrowly tailored to state-specific constitutional and statutory provisions that protect environmental and public trust resources. And, so far, they have been more successful.

In a 2020 Montana lawsuit, for example, the plaintiffs relied on a 1972 amendment to the state constitution declaring that the state and every person “shall maintain and improve a clean and healthful environment in Montana for present and future generations” and that the legislature shall “provide adequate remedies to prevent unreasonable depletion and degradation of natural resources.” Montana Supreme Court decisions prior to the 2020 lawsuit had held that the framers of the 1972 amendment had intended it to contain “the strongest environmental protection provision found in any state constitution.”

Relying on these court decisions, the Montana plaintiffs argued that a state law preventing state agencies from considering the effects of greenhouse gases in issuing permit applications for projects such as power plants or mines violated the state constitution.

The plaintiffs won at trial, and in a landmark opinion in 2024 the Montana Supreme Court upheld the trial court’s finding that greenhouse gases were harmful to the state’s “climate, rivers, lakes, groundwater, atmospheric waters, forests, glaciers, fish, wildlife, air quality, and ecosystem.” The court similarly found that “a stable climate system … is clearly within the object and true principles” of the state’s constitution.

Children in Hawaii filed a similar lawsuit in 2022 against the state Department of Transportation, alleging that its failure to reduce transportation emissions in the state violated the state public trust doctrine and the state’s constitution. The lawsuit relied on Hawaii courts’ previous rulings that the state’s public trust doctrine and state constitution broadly protect natural resources for present and future generations. In 2024, days before trial was to begin, the parties reached a landmark settlement in which the state agreed to take concrete actions to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector.

In the Montana lawsuit, a U.S. court ruled that the government had failed to protect the rights of children by failing to take action to reduce or prevent climate change.

The road ahead

Looking back, it was perhaps not surprising that a one-size-fits-all nationwide legal strategy based on a doctrine that varies widely state by state would face long odds. But the public trust doctrine itself has been historically incremental, expanding and contracting as society and the needs of its citizens change over time. And Our Children’s Trust has several cases still pending, including in Alaska and Utah state courts, and in a federal court in California.

The campaign’s successes broke new legal ground: Montana courts held the first trial in the United States that examined evidence of the effects of climate change and states’ obligations to address them. The Hawaii settlement set concrete benchmarks and included provisions for continued feedback on state policies by the youth plaintiffs.

More broadly, Our Children’s Trust’s campaign demonstrates that a combination of legal advocacy and nationwide publicity over the plight of young people in a rapidly changing climate have the potential to result in real change, both in the law and in public perception of the importance of addressing climate change.The Conversation

Alexandra Klass, James G. Degnan Professor of Law, University of Michigan

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Week One May 2025 (April 28 - May 4)

Catch a glimpse of giants as the annual humpback whale migration starts in New South W(h)ales

May 1, 2025

The much-anticipated whale watching season has officially begun in NSW, marking the start of a spectacular natural event that brings joy and wonder to residents and visitors.

Avid whale watchers recently spotted the first handful of whales at locations including Shellharbour, Port Macquarie and Pittwater.

Around 40,000 humpback whales, known for their acrobatic breaches and enchanting songs, will leave the krill-rich waters of Antarctica in autumn, swimming north to warmer waters off Queensland and NSW to find mates, calve after 11 months gestation, or simply socialise before returning. This journey spans approximately 10,000 kilometres and is one of the longest migrations of any mammal.

These gentle giants, which can grow up to 17 metres in length and weigh as much as 40 metric tonnes captivate onlookers with their playful behaviour and sheer size.

For some whales, the annual migration along the NSW coast can lead to entanglement in fishing gear and marine debris. When this occurs, the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) Large Whale Disentanglement Team is called into action. Operating only when conditions are safe, this highly trained team works from small boats in open seas to undertake the complex and dangerous task of rescuing 25–40 tonne wild animals from tangles of ropes and floats.

Ongoing scientific research is helping to shed light on whale migration patterns and the factors that increase entanglement risk. NPWS is collaborating with the University of NSW, DPIRD Fisheries, Sea World Foundation, Wild Sydney Harbour, and OceanWatch Australia to better understand how oceanographic conditions and migration routes intersect with human activity.

Funding through the NSW Marine Estate Management Strategy has positioned NSW as a national leader in whale disentanglement response and research.

While the sight of these magnificent creatures is awe-inspiring, it is important to observe them from a safe distance to ensure their well-being and your safety. NPWS reminds everyone that drones and watercraft, including surf craft, kayaks and boats, must stay at least 100m from a whale, or 300m if watching from a jetski or there is a calf present, to help protect these species.

For those keen to witness the humpback whale migration, some of the best viewing spots in national parks can be found here: Top whale watching spots | NSW National Parks

These locations offer excellent vantage points to see the whales as they travel close to the coast during their migration.

For more information about the best whale watching locations in New South Wales visit the NPWS whales' webpage.

If you see a distressed or entangled whale, please contact the NPWS on 13000PARKS (1300 072 757) or ORRCA on 02 9415 3333 immediately.

NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service Marine Wildlife Team Leader, Melissa Tan said:

“Let’s celebrate the start of whale watching season by appreciating the beauty of the humpback whales while ensuring their safety and protection.

“We’re incredibly fortunate to have a front-row seat to this extraordinary annual migration we can all observe, right up and down the coast.

“Thanks to funding from the NSW Marine Estate Management Strategy, we’re able to work with a huge range of agencies, professionals and volunteers, to undertake research and get the best outcomes for these incredible marine mammals.

“It’s fantastic that humpback whale numbers have bounced back to around 40,000 whales since the 1960s, when commercial whaling had reduced the east coast Australian population to potentially as few as 100 individuals.”

Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) breaching. Image Credit: Jonas Liebschner/DCCEEW

 

Australia Post Community Grant to First Hand Solutions' IndigiGrow - Grevillea Caleyi propagators - Continues the Saving of Critically Endangered Species

Australia Post announced its latest round of Community Grants on April 30 2025, listing among the New South Wales Recipients ''First Hand Solutions Aboriginal Corporation, Grevillea Caleyi Revival''

IndigiGrow's "Grevillea Caleyi Revival" project aims to revive the critically endangered Grevillea Caleyi plant species in Sydney. Funds will be used for soil, pots and trays and water to support propagation.

This will be great news to the Ingleside Grevillea Caleyi Baha’i Temple Bushcare Group, with members stemming from Pittwater Natural Heritage Association, who have worked for years to save Grevillea Caleyi as well.

Grevillea caleyi, now critically endangered. Image taken in Bush at Ingleside/Terrey Hills verges - picture by A J Guesdon, 31.10.2014.

George Caley wrote in his 'An Account of a Journey to the Sea in the month of February 1805', of the plants discovered along his route. According to his diary, Caley set out from Macarthur’s farm at Pennant Hills on Monday February 18th 1805. He headed east northeast. As he approached the coast, the date not precisely recorded, he collected near a place he called ‘Seasight Hill’, later established as near Belrose, a Grevillea to which he gave the name ‘E. [Embothrium] pinnatum’. 

Caley's four-day journey, ‘An Account of a Journey to the Sea in the month of February, 1805’, took him  through present day St Ives to Belrose and then down through the bush to come out above where the Narrabeen Fitness camp now is. He reached Narrabeen Lagoon and the sea on February 20th, 1805. He returned by the upper reaches of Middle Harbour (Caley 1805).

He was accompanied by 'Daniel' or 'Moowat''tin' (c1791-1816) an Aboriginal Australian Darug man from the Parramatta area. There are a number of other spellings of his name, including Mow-watty, Mowwatting, Moowatting and Moowattye, which is said to mean 'Bush Path' and clearly infers how George Caley managed to find his way to Narrabeen from Pennant Hills. 

Mr. Caley (June 10, 1770- May 23, 1829) was sent to Australia by Joseph Banks as a botanical collector on the "Speedy." He arrived in 1800 and settled at Parramatta, and soon afterwards set out the Botanical Gardens, becoming Superintendent. Some records indicate he sent over 10, 000 specimens back to Sir Joseph Banks in England. Many of those specimens have the annotation in Caley's hand of "got by Dan".

Robert Brown, considered ‘the father of Australian botany’, had a great admiration for Caley and had collected with him while in Australia. He wrote - 

‘Grevillea is probably the most extensive genus of Proteaceae in New Holland. Besides the Proteaceae described or noticed in this paper, I am acquainted with several very beautiful species chiefly of Grevillea and Persoonia, discovered in New Holland by Mr George Caley, a most assiduous and accurate botanist, who, under the patronage of Sir Joseph Banks, has for upwards of eight years been  engaged in examining the plants of New South Wales, and whose numerous discoveries will, it is hoped, be soon given to the public, either by himself, or in such a manner as to obtain for him that reputation among botanists to which he is well entitled.’ (Brown 1810a: 170).

Robert Brown, in a paper published in 1830, after first giving consideration to the name Grevillea blechnifolia’, a name recorded on several specimen sheets at the time, ultimately named a plant Grevillea caleyi in his honour, (Brown 1830: 22). 

Mr. Caley is also recognised in the orchid genus Caleana (the Flying Duck Orchid) and in Viola caleyanaBanksia caleyi, and Eucalyptus caleyi.


Grevillea caleyi, drawn 1832 by William Jackson Hooker (1785-1865)

At Ingleside and in some areas surrounding Grevillea caleyi is still present although it is now listed as a critically endangered species in New South Wales and at the Commonwealth level (gazetted May 30th, 2014). 

The Pittwater Natural Heritage Association was coordinating a project funded by Greater Sydney Local Land Services and the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage Saving Our Species program. 

First Hand Solutions Aboriginal Corporation (FHS), based at La Perouse, was established October 2012 with a mission to build empowered, resilient indigenous communities through cultural reconnection, education, employment and enterprise.   

FHS combines social innovation, cultural protection, education and social enterprises to bring significant positive change to a variety of social indicators including reducing prisoner reoffending, caring for children and the elderly, community regeneration, financial inclusion, employment and building pathways to further education, and employment (including self-employment through small business).  

It has three projects Blak Markets, IndigiGrow and National Indigenous Art Fair.

Their latest update on their Grevillea Caleyi project shares:



The latest research commissioned by Australia Post found that 40% of regular-giving Australians have donated less in the past 12 months due to cost-of-living pressures, with half of Australians saying they give less to charity because of the increased cost of groceries and essentials1. 

To help address growing financial pressures faced by community groups nationwide, Australia Post is awarding over $400,000 in grants across 200 grassroots community and not-for-profit groups around Australia through its People of Post grants program.

Now in its eighth year, the People of Post program is a unique employee-led community grant initiative that enables Australia Post team members, including Posties and Post Office workers, to nominate local community or not-for-profit groups for a grant of up to $2,000. To date, the program has supported 2,158 not-for-profit community organisations across Australia, delivering a total of nearly $2 million in grants.

The research, which explores shifting donation trends, also found that over half (57%) of Australians want to support local causes which address immediate community needs, with a third agreeing they have seen the direct impact and benefit these causes have had on the community or someone close to them.

In response to falling donations from the community, Australia Post significantly increased its grants for this year. The 2025 program has provided 224 grants to initiatives spanning metro, regional and remote areas, a 47% increase on last year’s program. Community groups in Victoria received the highest number of grants this year with 35% of grants issued, followed by Queensland (25%) and New South Wales (20%), with remaining recipients from Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, the Northern Territory and the ACT.

Over half (54%) of the grant recipients focus on initiatives supporting mental health, with environment and sustainability making up 25%, disaster support and resilience 12%, and indigenous children's literacy and learning 3%. A further 5% combined mental health with other areas.

Australia Post General Manager Community and Stakeholder Engagement, Nicky Tracey said, “Being part of a community and feeling connected is more important than ever before. That’s why Australia Post continues to support local communities through the People of Post grants.

“We know that people want to continue to support their local not-for-profit, but with cost of living impacting both households and communities, many people are finding it increasingly difficult. We’re proud to continue supporting our team members to champion the causes they see making a real difference at a local level and strengthen Australia Post’s commitment to creating a culture of giving for our people.”

Melbourne based Australia Post team member Hannah Meyer nominated local grant recipient Brunswick Neighbourhood House and said: “The People of Post grants are such a meaningful way for team members like me to give back to the community groups we’re personally connected to and champion the causes we care about.

“Through Australia Post’s support, I was able to nominate the Brunswick Neighbourhood House’s Chatty Café program, a local organisation doing incredible work creating a safe, welcoming space for vulnerable people to connect. I knew this substantial grant could make a real difference; one I couldn’t have made on my own. With increasing financial pressures this initiative is more important than ever.”

Employee-led corporate social responsibility is common practice throughout the country and increasingly valued by employees. Australia Post’s research found almost half of Australians (47%) would be more likely to work for an organisation that supports a charity in their local area, and over a quarter (26%) stated it would positively influence their perception of the organisation.

Since its launch in 2018, People of Post grants have supported many causes, including delivering intergenerational programs to tackle social isolation and loneliness in Victoria and planting initiatives to restore the habitat and healthy eco-systems for native animals in Queensland.

The full list of Australia Post’s 2025 People of Post Grants recipients, listed by state/territory, and more information about the People of Post Grants program is available at auspost.com.au/popgrants.

1. Methodology: This research was conducted in April 2025 and engaged 1,000 Australian consumers. The survey was distributed through independent research platform, Pollfish. 

Bush Regenerators and PNHA volunteers of the Baha'i Grevllia Caleyi Bushcare Group in 2013. Image courtesy Erica Mahon. 

Weed of the Week: Cassia - please get it out of your garden

Cassia (Senna pendula). Also known as Senna and Arsenic Bush. Originating in South American, Cassia is a perennial sprawling multi-stemmed shrub or tree up to 5m tall. 

This weed replaces native vegetation and establishes in a wide range of native plant communities, including coastal heath and scrubland, hind dunes and riparian corridors. The large seed pods are eaten by birds and other animals. You may be seeing this bright burst of yellow everywhere as it is currently flowering - please pull out and get rid of if you have in your garden.

Photo: Joe Mills, taken at Warriewood wetlands.

Solar for apartment residents: Funding

Owners corporations can apply now for funding to install shared solar systems on your apartment building. The grants will cover 50% of the cost, which will add value to homes and help residents save on their electricity bills.

You can apply for the Solar for apartment residents grant to fund 50% of the cost of a shared solar photovoltaic (PV) system on eligible apartment buildings and other multi-unit dwellings in NSW. This will help residents, including renters, to reduce their energy bills and greenhouse gas emissions.

Less than 2% of apartment buildings in NSW currently have solar systems installed. As energy costs climb and the number of people living in apartments continue to increase, innovative solutions are needed to allow apartment owners and renters to benefit from solar energy.

A total of $25 million in grant funding is available, with up to $150,000 per project.

Financial support for this grant is from the Australian Government and the NSW Government.

Applications are open now and will close 5 pm 1 December 2025 or earlier if the funds are fully allocated.

Find out more and apply now at: www.energy.nsw.gov.au/households/rebates-grants-and-schemes/solar-apartment-residents 

Habitat restoration win for koalas in Guula Ngurra National Park

April 30, 2025

In a heart-warming habitat restoration win, staff from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water and National Parks and Wildlife Service rangers recently spotted a koala in Guula Ngurra National Park. The koala was found in a tree planted in 2020 as part of a large-scale habitat restoration project in the state’s Southern Highlands.

The finding is significant as it’s the first koala sighted in restored habitat at Guula Ngurra National Park. This discovery highlights the vital role habitat restoration plays in supporting koalas and other threatened species that rely on healthy ecosystems to survive.

In 2020, National Parks and Wildlife Service acquired Guula Ngurra National Park as an action under the NSW Koala Strategy to conserve koala habitat. The park complements the surrounding national park estate by improving habitat connectivity and boosting the resilience of local koala populations.

Since the acquisition, National Parks and Wildlife Service has undertaken a significant restoration effort. Over 100 hectares of cleared land has been restored, transforming former paddocks into healthy forests with more than 20,000 native seedlings. The restoration efforts will continue with the goal to restore 600 hectares of land, providing vital habitat for koalas and other threatened species.

The 2018–19 drought significantly affected Guula Ngurra and the western Southern Highlands koala population. There have been few records of koala sightings since then, reinforcing the need for habitat restoration initiatives to support koala recovery in the area.

The tree planting event has been a collaborative effort between National Parks and Wildlife Service, the NSW Koala Strategy, Gundungurra Traditional Owners, Mullyang Bushcare and the Wingecarribee Council's Southern Highlands Koala Conservation Project.

Koala sighted in Guula Ngurra National Park restored habitat. Photo: Margot Law/DCCEEW

Avalon Community Garden's screening of Climate Changers - Tim Flannery's search for climate leadership

When: Fri, 30 May, 6pm - 9pm
Where:  Pittwater Palms Retirement Village - The Lounge, Avalon beach

You are invited to a special screening of the film Climate Changers at Pittwater Palms, 82 Avalon Parade on Friday 30 May 2025. 

Climate Changers follows acclaimed scientist Tim Flannery as he searches for the missing ingredient in our fight against climate change – leadership. It is an inspiring and thought-provoking film that offers a blueprint for effective climate leadership. It charts the different qualities, challenges and triumphs of diverse leaders around the world working at both grassroots and systems levels to create positive change.

Doors open at 6pm, light refreshments available. Screening at 7pm, run time approx 1.5 hour.       
This is a fundraising event for Avalon Community Garden.   
Tickets: $15 each HERE

nSW Government’s call to action on illegal tree clearing

The Minns Labor Government has stated it is responding to calls from local government to help address the growing number of cases of illegal tree clearing in NSW.

An Explanation of Intended Effect (EIE) has been released today and offers stakeholders the opportunity to help shape reforms to the urban tree clearing framework.

A new resource to help planners, developers and builders tackle urban heat has also been released.

The EIE is aimed at protecting tree canopy by proposing stronger penalties for illegal tree and vegetation clearing.

Under the proposed policy changes, additional enforcement powers would be given to councils and exemptions would be tightened for dead, dying and dangerous vegetation to close loopholes that have been open to abuse.

The EIE responds to growing concerns among councils, the community and stakeholders that the current framework needs to be updated.

In addition to the EIE, the new Cooler Places hub has also been launched today to help address urban heat.

The NSW Government’s Cooler Places online resource has also been released to assist councils, residents and developers in accessing practical guidance to incorporate cooling measures into their homes and designs.

Urban heat can have negative effects on communities’ wellbeing, creating hotter homes and streetscapes. Some features of our urban landscape, such as the large areas of hard and dark surfaces, contribute to rising temperatures and amplify heatwaves.

The resource encourages cooling through low cost and innovative measures such as water saving features, trees, shrubs awnings and the use of materials and colours that absorb less heat.

In 2020, a study from Macquarie University found shade provided by urban trees can lower temperatures at ground level by up to 6°C.

Similarly, research from Wollongong University in 2019 showed that areas with at least 30 per cent tree canopy cover experience improved mental and physical health outcomes.

Cooler Places will help deliver cooler, more resilient cities, precincts, streets, parks and homes.

To read the illegal tree and vegetation clearing EIE and make a submission visit the Vegetation in non-rural areas web page.

The consultation period closes on 5pm on Wednesday, 4 June 2025. HAVE YOUR SAY HERE

For more information on Cooler Places visit the Cooler Places web page.

Minister for Environment and Climate Change Penny Sharpe said:

“NSW records some of the hottest temperatures on the planet and we need to minimise the impacts of urban heat and build climate resilience.

“Tackling illegal tree clearing is an essential part of this.

“Working with councils on these proposed measures will increase the ability to crack down on illegal activity.”

Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said:

“Communities have become increasingly frustrated by the growing number of instances of illegal tree clearing in urban areas, particularly on public land.

“Our housing reforms have leant on the development of infill housing, near existing infrastructure and services because constant urban sprawl is not sustainable. These proposed changes will better protect the existing tree canopy as we deliver more homes in developed areas.

“I encourage everyone to have their say on the proposed changes.

“The Cooler Places resource contains tips and advice on how to design and build cooler homes and neighbourhoods, delivering better communities.”

A Win for Councils - Crackdown on illegal tree clearing!

April 23, 2025

The state’s peak body for local government has welcomed the NSW Government’s proposed crackdown on illegal tree and vegetation clearing as a major win for councils, communities and the environment in urban areas across the state.

Local Government NSW (LGNSW) President Mayor Phyllis Miller OAM congratulated the NSW Government on its announced consultation proposing stronger penalties. 

Mayor Miller said the announcement showed the State Government had heard and acted upon councils’ calls for stronger protections. 

“LGNSW and councils have long called for action to address illegal tree clearing, with this matter raised at our 2022, 2023 and 2024 Annual Conferences. One of our advocacy priorities for the current year is for the NSW Government to legislate to increase protection of trees, with increased penalties for illegal destruction and vandalism,” Mayor Miller said. 

“The NSW Government’s proposed changes would strengthen councils’ ability to protect their communities’ urban canopy and natural environment," she said.

The Government has said the proposed changes would:

  • Increase fines and penalties for illegal tree and vegetation clearing.
  • Ensure existing restrictions on complying development where illegal clearing has occurred and can be enforced.
  • Improve compliance and enforcement outcomes by making the policy clearer, giving councils the power to issue orders relating to vegetation clearing.
  • Close potential loopholes associated with the removal of dead, dying and dangerous vegetation.
  • Require tree clearing permits to include a condition to replace cleared vegetation.

Mayor Miller thanked the NSW Government for listening to councils and communities.

“Councils invest millions in planting and maintaining trees and urban greenery, making our communities cooler, greener and more liveable. Trees are also critical to protecting biodiversity,” Mayor Miller said. 

“We know our communities love their trees, but we need to ensure that penalties for illegal clearing act as a sufficient deterrent for the small minority who think they're above the law,” she said. 

“LGNSW looks forward to carefully reviewing the proposed reforms in consultation with councils and contributing to this important step forward,” Mayor Miller said.

To read the details on the proposed measures to combat illegal tree and vegetation clearing and to make your submission, visit the State Government's website here. The consultation period closes at 5pm on Wednesday 4 June 2025.

Here’s how to make your backyard safer and cooler next summer

Varavin88, Shutterstock
Pui Kwan CheungThe University of Melbourne and Stephen LivesleyThe University of Melbourne

Our backyards should be safe and inviting spaces all year round, including during the summer months.

But the choices we make about garden design and maintenance, such as whether to have artificial turf or real grass for a lawn, can have serious consequences. Children, elderly people and pets are particularly susceptible to burns from contact with artificial turf on a hot day.

Watering your lawn or planting a shady tree can also dramatically change how hot your backyard feels in summer. Ultimately, these factors will influence how much time you and your family spend outside.

No matter where in the world you live, it is never too late to find out how to make your backyard safer and cooler next summer.

The case against artificial turf

Artificial turf or synthetic grass, commonly used on sports fields, has become popular in private outdoor spaces such as backyards.

People may think it’s cheaper and easier to maintain than real turf. Perhaps they like the idea of saving water and having the look of lawn without the hassle of mowing and fertilising it.

But this type of plastic surface is known to become very hot on a sunny day.

We wanted to find out just how hot artificial turf can get in a suburban backyard over summer.

So we set up an experiment to compare the temperatures of artificial turf, dry natural turf, and watered natural turf in Melbourne. We took surface temperature measurements continuously for 51 days during the summer of 2023–24.

The research was part of a project demonstrating the benefits of green space in residential properties. The project received funding from Horticulture Innovation Australia, a grower-owned not-for-profit research and development corporation. That funding, in part, came from three water authorities.

Thermal infrared images comparing the surface temperature of real turf (left, 34.7C) to artificial turf (right, 53C) at the same location.
Thermal imaging reveals artificial turf is hotter than natural turf on a hot sunny day. Pui Kwan Cheung

Feeling the heat

In adults, irreversible burns occur when the skin is in contact with a surface that is 48°C or hotter for ten minutes.

The temperature needed to cause skin burns in children is approximately 2°C lower, because their skin is thinner and more sensitive.

Contact skin burns due to the high surface temperature of artificial turf has been identified as a health risk.

In our latest research, the artificial turf reached a scorching 72°C, which is sufficient to cause irreversible skin burns in just ten seconds. In contrast, the real turf was never hot enough to cause such burns (maximum temperature of 39°C).

Over the course of our experiment, the artificial turf was hot enough to cause adults irreversible skin burns for almost four hours a day. While adults might be expected to move away from the heat before it burns, vulnerable people such as babies and the elderly, as well as pets, are most at risk because they may be unable to move away.

We also took measurements in real backyards on a hot sunny summer’s day. We compared the risk of skin burns on four different surfaces: artificial turf, mulch, timber and real turf. The only surface that did not get hot enough to cause skin burns in adults was real turf.

Sprinklers watering the grass in a park
Watering the grass can cool your backyard in more ways than one. Stephen Livesley

Why should I water the lawn?

Grass and other plants release water vapour from little holes in their leaves into the atmosphere. This process helps the plant maintain a liveable leaf temperature on a hot day, but it also cools the air around the leaves.

It is a good idea to water your lawn throughout summer for two reasons:

  1. well-watered lawn is healthier, stays green for longer, and has more leaves to release water vapour into the air (“transpire”).

  2. more water is available to evaporate from the soil and leaves, adding to the cooling effect.

If you’re worried about wasting drinking water on your lawn, you can install a rainwater tank or household water recycling plant. Having access to alternative water sources will become increasingly important as the world warms and the climate dries.

A climate station installed in a backyard to measure its microclimate.
More shade will cool your backyard. Stephen Livesley

What about shade?

The most effective way to make you feel cooler in your backyard is to provide adequate shade. This reduces the amount of sun energy hitting your body or the ground, heating the surface and warming the surrounding air.

A single tree can lower the level of heat stress from extreme to moderate. This may be the difference between wanting to spend time outside on a hot day and avoiding your backyard altogether.

Even small trees can still make you feel cooler, if they provide some shade.

However, too-dense tree canopy cover may prevent air flow – so there is a happy medium. Air flow is necessary to move the heat away from your backyard and cool your body down.

Taking all the above measures will keep your backyard safe and cool throughout summer. This will allow you and your family to spend more quality time in your backyard, cool your home, and improve your quality of life.The Conversation

Pui Kwan Cheung, Research Fellow in Urban Microclimates, The University of Melbourne and Stephen Livesley, Professor in Urban Horticulture, The University of Melbourne

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

 

Good boy or bad dog? Our 1 billion pet dogs do real environmental damage

William Edge/Shutterstock
Bill BatemanCurtin University and Lauren GilsonCurtin University

There are an estimated 1 billion domesticated dogs in the world. Most are owned animals – pets, companions or working animals who share their lives with humans. They are the most common large predator in the world. Pet cats trail far behind, at about 220 million.

We are all too aware of the negative effects of cats, both owned and feral, on wildlife. Feral dogs too are frequently seen as threats to biodiversity, although dingoes can have a positive role. By contrast, our pet dogs often seem to get a free pass.

This is, unfortunately, based more on feelings than data. Our beloved pet dogs have a far greater, more insidious and more concerning effect on wildlife and the environment than we would like to be the case.

In our new research, we lay out the damage pet dogs do and what can be done about it.

Dogs are predators. They catch many types of wildlife and can injure or kill them. Their scent and droppings scare smaller animals. Then there’s the huge environmental cost of feeding these carnivores and the sheer quantity of their poo.

We love our pet dogs, but they come with a very real cost. We have to recognise this and take steps to protect wildlife by leashing or restraining our animals.

The predator in your home

Dogs are domesticated wolves, bred to be smaller, more docile and extremely responsive to humans. But they are still predators.

Pet dogs are responsible for more reported attacks on wildlife than are cats, according to data from wildlife care centres, and catch larger animals.

Pet dogs off the leash are the main reason colonies of little penguins are nearing collapse in Tasmania.

In New Zealand, a single escaped pet dog is estimated to have killed up to 500 brown kiwis out of a total population of 900 over a five-week period.

Once off the leash, dogs love to chase animals and birds. This may seem harmless. But being chased can exhaust tired migratory birds, forcing them to use more energy. Dogs can kill fledglings of beach-nesting birds, including endangered birds such as the hooded plover.

The mere presence of these predators terrifies many animals and birds. Even when they’re on the leash, local wildlife are on high alert. This has measurable negative effects on bird abundance and diversity across woodland sites in eastern Australia.

In the United States, deer are more alert and run sooner and farther if they see a human with a leashed dog than a human alone.

Several mammal species in the United States perceived dogs with a human as a bigger threat than coyotes.

Dogs don’t even have to be present to be bad for wildlife. They scent-mark trees and posts with their urine and leave their faeces in many places. These act as warnings to many other species. Researchers in the US found animals such as deer, foxes and even bobcats avoided areas dogs had been regularly walked compared to dog exclusion zones, due to the traces they left.

hooded plovers on beach.
Beach-nesting birds such as hooded plovers are vulnerable to off-leash dogs, who can easily trample eggs, kill hatchlings or scare off the parents. Martin Pelanek/Shutterstock

Keeping dogs healthy and fed has a cost

The medications we use to rid our pet dogs of fleas or ticks can last weeks on fur, and wash off when they plunge into a creek or river. But some of these medications have ingredients highly toxic to aquatic invertebrates, meaning a quick dip can be devastating.

Researchers have found when birds such as blue tits and great tits collect brushed-out dog fur to line their nests, it can lead to fewer eggs hatching and more dead hatchlings.

Then there’s the poo. In the US, there are about 90 million pet dogs, while the UK has 12 million and Australia has 6 million.

The average dog deposits 200 grams of faeces and 400 millilitres of urine a day. This translates to a tonne of faeces and 2,000 litres of urine over a 13 year lifespan. Scaled up, that’s a mountain of waste.

This waste stream can add to nitrogen pollution in waterways, alter soil chemistry and even spread diseases to humans and other wildlife. More than 80% of the pathogens infecting domesticated animals also infect wildlife.

Dogs largely eat meat, meaning millions of cows and chickens are raised just to feed our pets. Feeding the world’s dogs leads to about the same emissions as the Philippines and a land use “pawprint” twice the size of the UK.

No one likes thinking about this

People love their dogs. They’re always happy to see us. Their companionship makes us healthier, body and mind. Many farms couldn’t run without working dogs. We don’t want to acknowledge they can also cause harm.

Dogs, of course, are not bad. They’re animals, with natural instincts as well as the domesticated instinct to please us. But their sheer numbers mean they do real damage.

Many of us have a large dog-shaped blind spot. Little Brutus wouldn’t have done something like that, we think. But Brutus can and does.

Choosing to own a dog comes with responsibilities. Being a good dog owner means caring not just for the animal we love, but the rest of the natural world.The Conversation

Bill Bateman, Associate Professor, Behavioural Ecology, Curtin University and Lauren Gilson, Research Associate, Behavioural Ecology, Curtin University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

‘1080 pest management’

Applies until Friday August 1st 2025. 

NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service will be conducting a baiting program using manufactured baits, fresh baits and Canid Pest Ejectors (CPEs) containing 1080 poison (sodium fluroacetate) for the control of foxes. The program is continuous and ongoing between 1 February 2025 and 31 July 2025 in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. Don’t touch baits or ejector devices. Penalties apply for non-compliance.

All baiting locations are identifiable by signs.

Domestic pets are not permitted in NSW national parks and reserves. Pets and working dogs may be affected (1080 is lethal to cats and dogs). In the event of accidental poisoning seek immediate veterinary assistance.

Fox baiting in these reserves is aimed at reducing their impact on threatened species.

For more information, contact the local park office on:

  • Forestville 9451 3479 or Lane Cove 8448 0400 (business hours)
  • NPWS after-hours call centre: 1300 056 294 (after hours).

Volunteers for Barrenjoey Lighthouse Tours needed

Details:

Johnson Brothers Mitre 10 Recycling Batteries: at Mona Vale + Avalon Beach

Over 18,600 tonnes of batteries are discarded to landfill in Australia each year, even though 95% of a battery can be recycled!

That’s why we are rolling out battery recycling units across our stores! Our battery recycling units accept household, button cell, laptop, and power tool batteries as well as mobile phones! 

How To Dispose Of Your Batteries Safely: 

  1. Collect Your Used Batteries: Gather all used batteries from your home. Our battery recycling units accept batteries from a wide range of products such as household, button cell, laptop, and power tool batteries.
  2. Tape Your Terminals: Tape the terminals of used batteries with clear sticky tape.
  3. Drop Them Off: Come and visit your nearest participating store to recycle your batteries for free (at Johnson Brothers Mitre 10 Mona Vale and Avalon Beach).
  4. Feel Good About Your Impact: By recycling your batteries, you're helping support a healthier planet by keeping hazardous material out of landfills and conserving resources.

Environmental Benefits

  • Reduces hazardous waste in landfill
  • Conserves natural resources by promoting the use of recycled materials
  • Keep toxic materials out of waterways 

Reporting Dogs Offleash - Dog Attacks to Council

If the attack happened outside local council hours, you may call your local police station. Police officers are also authorised officers under the Companion Animals Act 1998. Authorised officers have a wide range of powers to deal with owners of attacking dogs, including seizing dogs that have attacked.

You can report dog attacks, along with dogs offleash where they should not be, to the NBC anonymously and via your own name, to get a response, at: https://help.northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au/s/submit-request?topic=Pets_Animals

If the matter is urgent or dangerous call Council on 1300 434 434 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week).

If you find injured wildlife please contact:
  • Sydney Wildlife Rescue (24/7): 9413 4300 
  • WIRES: 1300 094 737

Plastic Bread Ties For Wheelchairs

The Berry Collective at 1691 Pittwater Rd, Mona Vale collects them for Oz Bread Tags for Wheelchairs, who recycle the plastic.

Berry Collective is the practice on the left side of the road as you head north, a few blocks before Mona Vale shops . They have parking. Enter the foyer and there's a small bin on a table where you drop your bread ties - very easy.

A full list of Aussie bread tags for wheelchairs is available at: HERE 


Stay Safe From Mosquitoes 

NSW Health is reminding people to protect themselves from mosquitoes when they are out and about.

NSW Health states Mosquitoes in NSW can carry viruses such as Japanese encephalitis (JE), Murray Valley encephalitis (MVE), Kunjin, Ross River and Barmah Forest. The viruses may cause serious diseases with symptoms ranging from tiredness, rash, headache and sore and swollen joints to rare but severe symptoms of seizures and loss of consciousness.

A free vaccine to protect against JE infection is available to those at highest risk in NSW and people can check their eligibility at NSW Health.

People are encouraged to take actions to prevent mosquito bites and reduce the risk of acquiring a mosquito-borne virus by:
  • Applying repellent to exposed skin. Use repellents that contain DEET, picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus. Check the label for reapplication times.
  • Re-applying repellent regularly, particularly after swimming. Be sure to apply sunscreen first and then apply repellent.
  • Wearing light, loose-fitting long-sleeve shirts, long pants and covered footwear and socks.
  • Avoiding going outdoors during peak mosquito times, especially at dawn and dusk.
  • Using insecticide sprays, vapour dispensing units and mosquito coils to repel mosquitoes (mosquito coils should only be used outdoors in well-ventilated areas)
  • Covering windows and doors with insect screens and checking there are no gaps.
  • Removing items that may collect water such as old tyres and empty pots from around your home to reduce the places where mosquitoes can breed.
  • Using repellents that are safe for children. Most skin repellents are safe for use on children aged three months and older. Always check the label for instructions. Protecting infants aged less than three months by using an infant carrier draped with mosquito netting, secured along the edges.
  • While camping, use a tent that has fly screens to prevent mosquitoes entering or sleep under a mosquito net.
Remember, Spray Up – Cover Up – Screen Up to protect from mosquito bite. For more information go to NSW Health.

Mountain Bike Incidents On Public Land: Survey

This survey aims to document mountain bike related incidents on public land, available at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/K88PSNP

Sent in by Pittwater resident Academic for future report- study. 

Report fox sightings

Fox sightings, signs of fox activity, den locations and attacks on native or domestic animals can be reported into FoxScan. FoxScan is a free resource for residents, community groups, local Councils, and other land managers to record and report fox sightings and control activities. 

Our Council's Invasive species Team receives an alert when an entry is made into FoxScan.  The information in FoxScan will assist with planning fox control activities and to notify the community when and where foxes are active.



marine wildlife rescue group on the Central Coast

A new wildlife group was launched on the Central Coast on Saturday, December 10, 2022.

Marine Wildlife Rescue Central Coast (MWRCC) had its official launch at The Entrance Boat Shed at 10am.

The group comprises current and former members of ASTR, ORRCA, Sea Shepherd, Greenpeace, WIRES and Wildlife ARC, as well as vets, academics, and people from all walks of life.

Well known marine wildlife advocate and activist Cathy Gilmore is spearheading the organisation.

“We believe that it is time the Central Coast looked after its own marine wildlife, and not be under the control or directed by groups that aren’t based locally,” Gilmore said.

“We have the local knowledge and are set up to respond and help injured animals more quickly.

“This also means that donations and money fundraised will go directly into helping our local marine creatures, and not get tied up elsewhere in the state.”

The organisation plans to have rehabilitation facilities and rescue kits placed in strategic locations around the region.

MWRCC will also be in touch with Indigenous groups to learn the traditional importance of the local marine environment and its inhabitants.

“We want to work with these groups and share knowledge between us,” Gilmore said.

“This is an opportunity to help save and protect our local marine wildlife, so if you have passion and commitment, then you are more than welcome to join us.”

Marine Wildlife Rescue Central Coast has a Facebook page where you may contact members. Visit: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100076317431064


Watch out - shorebirds about

Summer is here so watch your step because beach-nesting and estuary-nesting birds have started setting up home on our shores.
Did you know that Careel Bay and other spots throughout our area are part of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP)?

This flyway, and all of the stopping points along its way, are vital to ensure the survival of these Spring and Summer visitors. This is where they rest and feed on their journeys.  For example, did you know that the bar-tailed godwit flies for 239 hours for 8,108 miles from Alaska to Australia?

Not only that, Shorebirds such as endangered oystercatchers and little terns lay their eggs in shallow scraped-out nests in the sand, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) Threatened Species officer Ms Katherine Howard has said.
Even our regular residents such as seagulls are currently nesting to bear young.

What can you do to help them?
Known nest sites may be indicated by fencing or signs. The whole community can help protect shorebirds by keeping out of nesting areas marked by signs or fences and only taking your dog to designated dog offleash area. 

Just remember WE are visitors to these areas. These birds LIVE there. This is their home.

Four simple steps to help keep beach-nesting birds safe:
1. Look out for bird nesting signs or fenced-off nesting areas on the beach, stay well clear of these areas and give the parent birds plenty of space.
2. Walk your dogs in designated dog-friendly areas only and always keep them on a leash over summer.
3. Stay out of nesting areas and follow all local rules.
4. Chicks are mobile and don't necessarily stay within fenced nesting areas. When you're near a nesting area, stick to the wet sand to avoid accidentally stepping on a chick.


Possums In Your Roof?: do the right thing

Possums in your roof? Please do the right thing 
On the weekend, one of our volunteers noticed a driver pull up, get out of their vehicle, open the boot, remove a trap and attempt to dump a possum on a bush track. Fortunately, our member intervened and saved the beautiful female brushtail and the baby in her pouch from certain death. 

It is illegal to relocate a trapped possum more than 150 metres from the point of capture and substantial penalties apply.  Urbanised possums are highly territorial and do not fare well in unfamiliar bushland. In fact, they may starve to death or be taken by predators.

While Sydney Wildlife Rescue does not provide a service to remove possums from your roof, we do offer this advice:

✅ Call us on (02) 9413 4300 and we will refer you to a reliable and trusted licenced contractor in the Sydney metropolitan area. For a small fee they will remove the possum, seal the entry to your roof and provide a suitable home for the possum - a box for a brushtail or drey for a ringtail.
✅ Do-it-yourself by following this advice from the Department of Planning and Environment: 

❌ Do not under any circumstances relocate a possum more than 150 metres from the capture site.
Thank you for caring and doing the right thing.



Sydney Wildlife photos

Aviaries + Possum Release Sites Needed

Pittwater Online News has interviewed Lynette Millett OAM (WIRES Northern Beaches Branch) needs more bird cages of all sizes for keeping the current huge amount of baby wildlife in care safe or 'homed' while they are healed/allowed to grow bigger to the point where they may be released back into their own home. 

If you have an aviary or large bird cage you are getting rid of or don't need anymore, please email via the link provided above. There is also a pressing need for release sites for brushtail possums - a species that is very territorial and where release into a site already lived in by one possum can result in serious problems and injury. 

If you have a decent backyard and can help out, Lyn and husband Dave can supply you with a simple drey for a nest and food for their first weeks of adjustment.

Bushcare in Pittwater: where + when

For further information or to confirm the meeting details for below groups, please contact Council's Bushcare Officer on 9970 1367 or visit Council's bushcare webpage to find out how you can get involved.

BUSHCARE SCHEDULES 
Where we work                      Which day                              What time 

Avalon     
Angophora Reserve             3rd Sunday                         8:30 - 11:30am 
Avalon Dunes                        1st Sunday                         8:30 - 11:30am 
Avalon Golf Course              2nd Wednesday                 3 - 5:30pm 
Careel Creek                         4th Saturday                      8:30 - 11:30am 
Toongari Reserve                 3rd Saturday                      9 - 12noon (8 - 11am in summer) 
Bangalley Headland            2nd Sunday                         9 to 12noon 
Catalpa Reserve              4th Sunday of the month        8.30 – 11.30
Palmgrove Park              1st Saturday of the month        9.00 – 12 

Bayview     
Winnererremy Bay                 4th Sunday                        9 to 12noon 

Bilgola     
North Bilgola Beach              3rd Monday                        9 - 12noon 
Algona Reserve                     1st Saturday                       9 - 12noon 
Plateau Park                          1st Friday                            8:30 - 11:30am 

Church Point     
Browns Bay Reserve             1st Tuesday                        9 - 12noon 
McCarrs Creek Reserve       Contact Bushcare Officer     To be confirmed 

Clareville     
Old Wharf Reserve                 3rd Saturday                      8 - 11am 

Elanora     
Kundibah Reserve                   4th Sunday                       8:30 - 11:30am 

Mona Vale     
Mona Vale Beach Basin          1st Saturday                    8 - 11am 
Mona Vale Dunes                     2nd Saturday +3rd Thursday     8:30 - 11:30am 

Newport     
Bungan Beach                          4th Sunday                      9 - 12noon 
Crescent Reserve                    3rd Sunday                      9 - 12noon 
North Newport Beach              4th Saturday                    8:30 - 11:30am 
Porter Reserve                          2nd Saturday                  8 - 11am 

North Narrabeen     
Irrawong Reserve                     2nd Saturday                   2 - 5pm 

Palm Beach     
North Palm Beach Dunes      3rd Saturday                    9 - 12noon 

Scotland Island     
Catherine Park                          2nd Sunday                     10 - 12:30pm 
Elizabeth Park                           1st Saturday                      9 - 12noon 
Pathilda Reserve                      3rd Saturday                      9 - 12noon 

Warriewood     
Warriewood Wetlands             1st Sunday                         8:30 - 11:30am 

Whale Beach     
Norma Park                               1st Friday                            9 - 12noon 

Western Foreshores     
Coopers Point, Elvina Bay      2nd Sunday                        10 - 1pm 
Rocky Point, Elvina Bay           1st Monday                          9 - 12noon

Friends Of Narrabeen Lagoon Catchment Activities

Bush Regeneration - Narrabeen Lagoon Catchment  
This is a wonderful way to become connected to nature and contribute to the health of the environment.  Over the weeks and months you can see positive changes as you give native species a better chance to thrive.  Wildlife appreciate the improvement in their habitat.

Belrose area - Thursday mornings 
Belrose area - Weekend mornings by arrangement
Contact: Phone or text Conny Harris on 0432 643 295

Wheeler Creek - Wednesday mornings 9-11am
Contact: Phone or text Judith Bennett on 0402 974 105
Or email: Friends of Narrabeen Lagoon Catchment : email@narrabeenlagoon.org.au

Gardens and Environment Groups and Organisations in Pittwater


Ringtail Posses 2023

Bees, fish and plants show how climate change’s accelerating pace is disrupting nature in 2 key ways

A bee enjoys lunch on a flower in Hillsboro, Ore. HIllsboro Parks & RecCC BY-NC-ND
Courtney McGinnisQuinnipiac University

The problem with climate change isn’t just the temperature – it’s also how fast the climate is changing today.

Historically, Earth’s climate changes have generally happened over thousands to millions of years. Today, global temperatures are increasing by about 0.36 degrees Fahrenheit (0.2 degrees Celsius) per decade.

Imagine a car speeding up. Over time, human activities such as burning fossil fuels have increased the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. These gases trap heat from the Sun. This is like pressing the gas pedal. The faster the driver adds gas, the faster the car goes.

The 21st century has seen a dramatic acceleration in the rate of climate change, with global temperatures rising more than three times faster than in the previous century.

The faster pace and higher temperatures are changing habitat ranges for plants and animals. In some regions, the pace of change is also throwing off the delicate timing of pollination, putting plants and pollinators such as bees at risk.

Some species are already migrating

Most plant and animal species can tolerate or at least recover from short-term changes in climate, such as a heat wave. When the changes last longer, however, organisms may need to migrate into new areas to adapt for survival.

Some species are already moving toward higher latitudes and altitudes with cooler temperatures, altering their geographic territory to stay within their optimal climate. Fish populations, for example, have shifted toward the poles as ocean temperatures have risen.

Pollinators such as bees can also shift their ranges.

Bumblebees, for example, are adapted for cooler regions because of their fuzzy bodies. Some bumblebee populations have been disappearing from the southern parts of their geographic range and have been found in cooler regions to the north and in more mountainous areas. That could increase competition with existing bumblebee populations.

Plants and pollinators can get out of sync

Plants and their pollinators face another problem as the rate of climate change increases: Many plants rely on insects and other animals for seed and pollen dispersal.

Much of that pollen dispersal is accomplished by native pollinators. About 75% of plant species in North America require an insect pollinator – bees, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, wasps, birds and bats. In fact, 1 in 3 bites of food you eat depend on a pollinator, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

So, even if a species successfully migrates into a new territory, it can face a mismatch of pollination timing. This is known as phenological mismatch.

A butterfly on a flower.
Monarch butterflies migrate each year and rely on plants blooming along their path to provide food. Clint Wirick/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

During the winter, insects go into a hibernation known as diapause, migrate or take up shelter underground, under rocks or in leaf litter. These insect pollinators use temperature and daylight length as cues for when to emerge or when to migrate to their spring and summer habitats.

As the rate of climate change increases, the chances of a timing mismatch between pollinators and the plants they pollinate rise.

With an increase in temperature, many plants are blooming earlier in the spring. If bees or other pollinators emerge at their “normal” time, flowers may already be blooming, reducing their chance for pollination.

If pollinators emerge too early, they may struggle to survive if their normal food sources are not yet available. Native bees, for example, rely on pollen for much of the protein they need for growing and thriving.

Wild bees are emerging earlier

This kind of shift in timing is already happening with bees in the U.S.

Studies have shown that the date wild bees emerge in the U.S. has shifted by 10.4 days earlier over the past 130 years, and the pace is accelerating.

One study found wild bees across species have been changing their phenology, or timing of seasonal activities, and over the past 50 years the emergence date is four times faster. That means wild bees were emerging roughly eight days earlier in 2020 than they did in 1970.

A bee on a large white blossom.
A bee pollinates an almond tree in an orchard. David Kosling/U.S. Department of AgricultureCC BY

This trend of earlier emergence is generally consistent across organisms with the accelerating rate of climate change. If the timing mismatches continue to worsen, it could exacerbate the decline of pollinator populations and result in inadequate pollination for plants that rely on them.

Pollinator decline and inadequate pollination already account for a 3% to 5% decline in global fruit, vegetable, spice and nut production annually, a recent study found.

Without pollinators, ecosystems are less resilient − they are unable to absorb disturbances such as wildfires, adapt to changes, and recover from environmental stressors such as pollution, drought or floods.

Managing climate change

Pollinators face many other risks from human activities, including habitat loss from development and harm from pesticide use. Climate change adds to that list.

Taking steps to reduce the activities driving global warming can help keep these species thriving and carrying out their roles in nature into the future.The Conversation

Courtney McGinnis, Professor of Biology, Medical Sciences and Environmental Sciences, Quinnipiac University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Glitter’s sparkle hides a darker side – it can change the chemistry of our oceans

Juan Diego Rodriguez-BlancoTrinity College Dublin and Kristina Petra ZubovicTrinity College Dublin

Glitter is festive and fun – a favourite for decorations, makeup and art projects. But while it may look harmless, beautiful even, glitter’s sparkle hides a darker side. Those shimmering specks often end up far from party tables and greeting cards. You can even spot them glinting on beaches, washed in with the tide.

In our recent research, we discovered that glitter – specifically, the kind made from a common plastic polymer called polyethylene terephthalate (PET) – is not merely polluting the ocean. It could actively interfere with marine life as it forms shells and skeletons, which is a much bigger deal than it might sound.

Put simply: glitter helps the formation of crystals that nature did not plan for. And those crystals can break the glitter into even smaller pieces, making the pollution problem worse and more long-lasting.

We tend to think of microplastics as tiny beads from face scrubs or fibres from clothes, but glitter is in its own special category. It is often made of layered plastic film with metal coatings – the same stuff found in craft supplies, cosmetics, party decorations and clothing. It is shiny, colourful and durable – and extremely tiny. That makes it hard to clean up and easy for marine animals to eat, because it looks tasty.

New research reveals that PET-based glitter microplastics in the sea can actively influence a process known as biomineralisation.

However, our research paper in the journal Environmental Sciences Europe suggests that what really sets glitter apart from other microplastics is the way it behaves once it enters the ocean. It actively interacts with its surroundings; it’s not drifting passively.

In our lab, we recreated seawater conditions and added glitter to the mix to explore whether glitter would affect how minerals – like the ones marine animals use to make their shells – form. What we saw was surprisingly fast and incredibly consistent: the glitter was kickstarting the formation of minerals such as calcite, aragonite and other types of calcium carbonates in a process known as “biomineralisation”.

These minerals are the building blocks that many marine creatures – including corals, sea urchins and molluscs – use to make their hard parts. If glitter is messing with that process, we could be looking at a serious threat to ocean life.

A crystal-growing machine

Under the microscope, we saw that glitter particles acted like little platforms for crystal growth. Minerals formed all over their surfaces, especially around cracks and edges. It was not a slow build-up – crystals appeared within minutes.

This can complicate natural processes. Marine creatures use very precise conditions to make their shells the right shape and strength. When something like glitter comes along and changes the rules – speeding up crystal growth, changing the types of crystals that form – it could mess with those natural processes. Like baking a cake and suddenly having the oven heat up to 1,000ºC, you might still get a cake – but it will not be the one you intended to cook.

Worse still, as the crystals grow, they push against the layers of glitter, causing it to crack, flake and break apart. That means the glitter ends up turning into even smaller pieces, known as nanoplastics, which are more easily absorbed by marine life and nearly impossible to remove from the environment.

Microplastics are eaten by marine life, from fish and turtles to oysters and plankton. This affects how animals feed, grow and survive. When we eat seafood, these microplastics become part of our own diet.

But our findings show that glitter does not just get eaten. It changes the chemistry of the ocean in tiny but important ways. By promoting the wrong kind of mineral growth, glitter might interfere with how ocean animals form their shells or skeletons in the first place.

This problem does not stop with wildlife. The ocean plays a key role in regulating Earth’s climate, and mineral formation is part of that equation. If calcium carbonate formation in the ocean changes, it could also affect how carbon moves through the planet.

So, the next time you see glitter on a birthday card or in a makeup palette, remember this: it might look like harmless sparkle, but in the ocean, it behaves more like a flashy chemical troublemaker. What seems small and shiny to us could be a big, silent disruptor for the marine world.

And once it is out there, it is not going away.


Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?
Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 45,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.The Conversation


Juan Diego Rodriguez-Blanco, Ussher Associate Professor in Nanomineralogy, Trinity College Dublin and Kristina Petra Zubovic, Researcher at the Department of Geology, Trinity College Dublin

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

People with neoliberal views are less likely to support climate-friendly policies – new research

Sambulov Yevgeniy/Shutterstock
Felix SchulzLund University and Christian BretterThe University of Queensland

Donald Trump won the US election on a campaign that included rolling back environmental laws. In the UK, Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch has called the national net zero target “impossible”. And former prime minister Tony Blair has said the current approach of phasing out fossil fuels is “doomed to fail”.

Meanwhile in Germany, the parties in the most likely incoming coalition government hardly engaged with climate policy during the recent election campaign – and the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), which openly denies human-made climate change, received 20% of the vote.

With political leaders around the world moving away from progressive climate policy, it’s worth asking: is this what the public wants?

When it comes to the climate, what people think is influenced by where they live and what else they believe in. In recently published research, we sought to find out just how much people’s ideologies affected their views on climate policy.

We surveyed representative samples of the public in six countries about their attitudes towards different types of climate policy. We asked about support for regulation (for example, building and vehicle standards or product bans), taxes (like carbon taxes), subsidies (to promote low-carbon alternatives), and information-based policies (such as emission disclosure requirements). Our survey covered policies in transport, housing, energy and industry.

We also asked respondents about their ideologies: cultural worldviews, personal values, free market beliefs and political trust. Our findings reveal how people’s ideologies shape their support for climate policies.

We included three high-income countries of the global north (the US, UK and Germany) and three upper-middle income countries from the global south (Brazil, South Africa and China). Together, these six countries are responsible for half of global CO₂ emissions.

Our definition of global south, which includes countries such as China, is based on work by UN Trade and Development and the UN G-77 countries. It includes Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, most of Asia (excluding Israel, Japan and South Korea) and Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand). These countries generally have lower per capita income and are considered “developing” compared to global north countries.

This comparison is important because, as we will explain, political and economic ideologies that originated in the global north can influence how people view climate policies.

Across all policy types, we found more support for climate policies in the global south countries. In the global north countries, we found only minority support for regulatory policies and climate-related taxes. In Germany, support for regulatory policies and taxes was as little as 18%.

Subsidies for the four sectors – for example, to support renewable energy projects or the production of green steel – received 35% support in Germany and 48% in the US. In contrast, the majority of the public in the three countries of the global south supported subsidies and regulatory climate policies.

As with subsidies, we found strong majority support for information-based policies in the three countries of the global south (74-79%), against only minority support in Germany (36%) and the US (49%). In the UK, 53% supported information-based climate policies.

Personal values play a role in support for the policies. Our findings show people with stronger biospheric values – the importance people place on the environment and the relationship between humans and nature – are more supportive of climate policies. This is true irrespective of the country they live in. People who are more trusting of political institutions and politicians also support these policies more.

But demographics such as age, gender, education or income have a negligible effect on attitudes towards these policies, when accounting for other factors in our analysis.

Neoliberalism and the climate

We observed a strong link between a neoliberal worldview and lack of support for the climate policies in our study. As a political economic project, neoliberalism originated in the global north. But it continues to take root in the global south, particularly in Latin America.

The belief that individuals need to take care of themselves and are responsible for their own fortune and problems was associated with less support for climate policies. And in every country we studied, we found a strong relationship between support for the free market and lack of support for climate policies.

People who believe the free market is best at allocating outcomes efficiently and meeting human needs without government interference, and that it is more important than some local environmental concerns, show less support for the climate policies.

These two sets of beliefs – individualistic worldviews and support for the free market – are the core principles of neoliberal thought.

Smoke coming out of a factory chimney
In the Global North countries, we found only only minority support for regulatory policies and climate-related taxes. Fotogrin/Shutterstock

The superiority of the market over governments as an efficient and fair allocation machine has been the mantra of neoliberal politicians, thinktanks and institutions for more than half a century.

Neoliberalism opposes government regulation and spending, and supports the free market. It also fosters an individualistic worldview. Instead of seeing themselves as workers, citizens or members of a collective, people are persuaded to internalise market logic – to see themselves as individuals who are out to maximise their personal profit.

The cultural shift from more communitarian and egalitarian ideals towards an ideology based on the self-driven individual and the free market has been quite successful. Empirical evidence from 41 countries shows that individualist practices and values around the world have surged significantly over the past 50 years.

We know from research that what the public thinks (or votes for) does influence what governments do. This is true even when accounting for the influence of powerful interest groups.

So, those creating and campaigning for urgently needed climate policies need to take this into account. Support for climate policies isn’t just about whether someone believes in human-made climate change or cares about the planet – there are deeply-rooted ideological factors at play too.The Conversation

Felix Schulz, Research Fellow, Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies, Lund University and Christian Bretter, Senior Research Fellow in Environmental Psychology, The University of Queensland

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Echidna ancestors lived watery lifestyles like platypuses 100 million years ago – new study

Mary_May/Shutterstock
Sue HandUNSW SydneyCamilo López-AguirreUniversity of TorontoLaura A. B. WilsonAustralian National University, and Robin BeckUniversity of Salford

As the world’s only surviving egg-laying mammals, Australasia’s platypus and four echidna species are among the most extraordinary animals on Earth.

They are also very different from each other.

The platypus is well adapted for a semi-aquatic lifestyle, spending up to 20 hours a day swimming in Australian waterways to forage for freshwater invertebrates. Echidnas, on the other hand, live entirely on land. They are widely distributed across Australia and New Guinea, and adapted for feeding on termites, ants and earthworms.

How did these differences emerge? Some researchers think echidnas evolved from a swimming, platypus-like ancestor. This hypothesis is based on evidence from aspects of their genes and anatomy, and from hypotheses about their evolutionary history.

However, this idea is controversial because fossil evidence for such a profound evolutionary transformation has been lacking – until now.

A spiky echidna on leaf litter under a big tree.
Did the ancestors of echidnas spend time in the water? It’s a controversial idea. Natalia Golovina/Shutterstock

A bone from 108 million years ago

In our study published today in PNAS, we gleaned new data from a 108-million-year-old mammal humerus (arm bone), found 30 years ago at Dinosaur Cove, Victoria, by a team from Museums Victoria.

This arm bone, from a species called Kryoryctes cadburyi, belongs to an ancestral monotreme – a semi-aquatic burrower like the platypus. Our findings support the hypothesis that land-living echidnas evolved from a swimming ancestor.

Kryoryctes lived during the Age of Dinosaurs (the Mesozoic), when monotremes and monotreme relatives were more common than they are today. Glimpses of this past diversity are found in the fossil record in southern Victoria and Lightning Ridge, New South Wales.

Nevertheless, Australian Mesozoic mammal fossils are exceedingly rare, and mostly consist of teeth and jaws. Kryoryctes is the only one known from a limb bone, which provides significant information about its identity, relationships and lifestyle.

Artwork depicting a platypus like creture and the foot of a dinosaur above it on the shore of the river.
Reconstruction of Kryoryctes cadburyi and a small dinosaur (above) at Dinosaur Cove, Victoria, Australia ~108 million years ago. Peter Schouten

Tiny clues inside bones

In order to test the evolutionary relationships of Kryoryctes, we added it to a broader data set of 70 fossil and modern mammals. From there, we calculated an evolutionary tree. This showed Kryoryctes is an ancestral monotreme.

We also compared the external shape of the Kryroryctes humerus bone to living monotremes. These analyses indicated the bone is more like those of echidnas, rather than platypuses.

But it was a different story on the inside. When we looked at the internal structure of the Kryoryctes humerus with several 3D scanning techniques, we uncovered microscopic features of this arm bone that were actually more like those of the platypus.

Such tiny features inside bones yield crucial clues about the lifestyle of an animal. Numerous previous studies link bone microstructure in mammals and other tetrapods (four-limbed animals) with their ecology.

Using the wealth of data available for living mammals, we compared characteristics of the Kryoryctes humerus microstructure to those in platypuses, echidnas and 74 other mammal species.

These analyses confirmed that the Kryoryctes humerus has internal bone features found in semi-aquatic burrowing mammals (such as the platypus, muskrat and Eurasian otter), rather than land-living burrowing mammals such as the echidna.

Close-up of a textured bone with a flared base.
The Kryoryctes humerus we studied. Museums Victoria

From water to land

This discovery suggests that a semi-aquatic lifestyle is ancestral for all living monotremes. It also suggests the amphibious lifestyle of the modern platypus had its origins at least 100 million years ago, during the Age of Dinosaurs.

In this scenario, the modern platypus lineage has retained the ancestral semi-aquatic burrowing lifestyle for more than 100 million years. Echidnas would have reverted to a land-based way of life more recently.

For echidnas, a return to land appears to have resulted in adaptations such as their long bones becoming lighter, as shown in our study.

They possibly also lost several other features more useful for spending time in the water rather than on land, including the loss of a long tail, reduction of webbing between fingers and toes, reduction of the duck-like bill to a narrow beak, and a reduced number of electroreceptors on that beak.

However, precisely when this evolutionary transformation occurred is not yet known. The answer must wait until early echidna fossils are found – so far, nothing definitive has turned up anywhere.

The modern habitats of monotremes are increasingly under threat from environmental degradation, interactions with humans and feral predators, and climate change. This is especially true for platypuses. To ensure the survival of this ancient lineage, we need to better understand how their unique features evolved and adapted.The Conversation

Sue Hand, Professor Emeritus, Palaeontology, UNSW SydneyCamilo López-Aguirre, Adjunct Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of TorontoLaura A. B. Wilson, ARC Future Fellow, Head of Biological Anthropology, Australian National University, and Robin Beck, Lecturer in Biology, University of Salford

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Scientists surprised to discover mayflies and shrimp making their bodies out of ancient gas

The native shrimp Paratya australiensis was among the species found to incorporate carbon from natural gas into their bodies in the Condamine River. Chris Van Wyk/FlickrCC BY-NC-ND
Paul McInerneyCSIRO

What’s the currency for all life on Earth? Carbon. Every living thing needs a source of carbon to grow and reproduce. In the form of organic molecules, carbon contains chemical energy that is transferred between organisms when one eats the other.

Plants carry out photosynthesis, using energy from sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into sugar and oxygen. Animals get carbon by consuming organic matter in their diet – herbivores from plants, carnivores from eating other animals. They use this carbon for energy and to produce the molecules their bodies need, with some carbon dioxide released by breathing.

But there are other, stranger ways of getting carbon. In our new research, we found something very surprising. River animals were feeding on methane-eating bacteria, which in turn were consuming fossil fuel as food.

Usually, the carbon used as food by river creatures is new in the sense it has been recently converted from gas (carbon dioxide) to solid carbon through photosynthesising algae or trees along the bank. But in a few rivers, such as the Condamine River in Queensland, there’s another source: ancient natural gas bubbling up from underground, which is eaten by microorganisms. Insects such as mayflies have taken to this methane-based carbon with gusto.

How does a river usually get its carbon?

The way photosynthesised carbon moves from a plant to an animal and then another animal can be described as a food web. Food webs show the many different feeding relationships between organisms, and show how species depend on each other for sustenance in an intricate balance.

In a river food web, carbon usually comes from one of two sources: plants growing and photosynthesising in the river (such as algae), or when organic matter such as leaves are washed in by rain or blown in by wind.

Rivers that are well connected to their floodplains often get plenty of carbon from leaf litter from trees which dissolves in water or is eaten directly by animals. Algae in rivers provide a high-quality source of carbon for animals because they can contain high concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids essential for growth and reproduction. The primary source of carbon for river animals varies depending on prevailing conditions and the individual river.

The carbon of the Condamine

Some microorganisms called archaea naturally produce small amounts of methane in oxygen-depleted sediments of rivers.

But we wanted to look at the Condamine to see whether much larger volumes of methane could be used as food.

After it forms deep underground, natural gas can slowly escape through cracks in the earth. If a river bed is directly above, this methane-rich gas will seep into the river.

That’s what happens in Queensland’s Condamine River. The river rises on Mount Superbus, inland from Brisbane, and flows inland until it meets the Darling River.

In some parts of the river, methane bubbles up constantly through the water column from a natural gas reservoir that formed since the Late Pleistocene.

In these stretches of river, dissolved methane concentrations are extremely high: up to 350 times greater than trace concentrations upriver, away from the methane seep.

We wanted to see whether methanotrophic bacteria consuming methane from natural gas were being eaten by river animals, and whether we could trace the carbon signature through the food web.

To find out, we analysed the carbon in the bodies of river animals such as zooplankton, insects, shrimp, prawns and fish, and compared it to the different sources of carbon that could make up their food.

The results were clear: animals within reach of the natural gas seeping from underground had a distinct carbon signature showing they were eating food derived from the natural gas. In fact, for insects such as mayflies, methane-based food made up more than half (55%) of their diet.

Over time, this methane-derived food moved up the food web, showing up in prawns and even fish. Here too, it contributed a significant portion of their carbon.

natural gas seep in river, bubbles.
Natural gas bubbles up through the water column to the surface of the Condamine in some stretches. Gavin ReesCC BY-NC-ND

We found this methane–derived carbon moved through multiple levels of the local food web. It made up almost a fifth (19%) of the carbon in shrimp and 28% of the carbon in carnivorous fish.

For river shrimp and prawns, leaves washed into the river were still important sources of carbon. For mayflies, algae was still an important source of food.

But our work shows that natural gas seeps can be a major, even dominant, source of energy for the entire food web. This is very surprising. It shows an unexpected connection between Earth’s geology and living creatures in a river.

Why does this matter?

Until now, researchers have focused on river and land plants as the main way a river gets its carbon. Our research has uncovered a surprisingly significant way some rivers get their carbon – methane.

In deep sea research, this pathway is better understood. Methane-eating bacteria can form the basis of entire ecosystems which have sprung up around deep sea hydrothermal vents of hot water.

But until now, we have overlooked the role methane-eating bacteria can play in rivers. With this knowledge, we can better track the flows of carbon in rivers so we can gauge ecosystem productivity and see how a food web is functioning.The Conversation

Paul McInerney, Senior Research Scientist in Ecosystem Ecology, CSIRO

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Logging devastated Victoria’s native forests – and new research shows 20% has failed to grow back

Old growth mountain ash forest in the Maroondah water supply catchment, Victoria. Chris Taylor
Maldwyn John EvansAustralian National UniversityChris TaylorAustralian National University, and David LindenmayerAustralian National University

Following the end of native logging in Victoria on January 1 2024, the state’s majestic forests might be expected to regenerate and recover naturally. But our new research shows that’s not always the case.

We quantified the extent of regeneration following logging in the eucalypt forests of southeastern Australia between 1980 and 2019. This included nearly 42,000 hectares of logged mountain ash forest in Victoria’s Central Highlands.

We analysed satellite data, logging records, on-ground surveys and drone photography, and discovered that nearly 20% of logged areas failed to regenerate. This represents more than 8,000 hectares of forest lost. All that remains in these areas are grassy clearings, dense shrublands or bare soils.

We also found the rate of regeneration failure has increased over the past decade. While failure was rare in the 1980s, it became much more common over time – affecting more than 80% of logged sites by 2019.

These regeneration failures weren’t random. They were found mostly in close proximity to each other, on areas with steep slopes, relatively low elevation, and where the area of clear-felled forest was long and narrow.

Our research shows more needs to be done to restore Victoria’s forest after logging.

A drone image of the degraded landscape showing failed forest regeneration in the Upper Thomson water supply catchment.
Failed regeneration in the Upper Thomson water supply catchment. Chris Taylor/Lachie McBurnie

Restoring majestic forests and their vital services

Victoria is home to some of the most spectacular forests on the planet. They include extensive stands of mountain ash, the tallest flowering plant on Earth, which can grow to almost 100 metres in height. Alpine ash, another giant, can grow up to 60m tall.

These forests have great cultural significance to Indigenous people and support many recreational and tourism activities.

Healthy forest ecosystems also deliver clean water and carbon storage services. In fact, mountain ash forests contain more carbon per hectare than most other forests around the world.

But Victoria’s forests have long been logged for timber and pulp. The main method of logging – clearfelling – scars the landscape, leaving large areas devoid of trees if natural tree regeneration fails.

Mountain ash is especially vulnerable

Our research revealed 19.2% of areas logged between 1980 and 2019 in our study area (8,030ha out of 41,819ha cut) failed to regenerate naturally.

We also found strong evidence of a significant increase in the extent of failed regeneration over 40 years, increasing from less than two hectares per cutblock in 1980 (about 7.5%) to more than nine hectares per cutblock in 2019 (about 85%), on average.

We found regeneration failure was more likely in mountain ash forests compared with other forest types.

This adds to the case for listing the mountain ash forests of the Central Highlands of Victoria as a threatened ecological community.

A satellite image of Mt Matlock in the Central Highlands of Victoria, overlaid with logging history (A) and different categories of vegetation from modelling, where the presence of non-eucalypt categories indicates regeneration failure.
The presence of non-eucalypt categories of vegetation indicates large areas of regeneration failure in forest near Mt Matlock, in the Central Highlands of Victoria. Chris Taylor

A responsibility to restore

Under Victoria’s Code of Forest Practice for Timber Production, logged native forests must be properly regenerated within two to three years of harvest.

That’s because it is nearly impossible for the native forest to regenerate after three years without human intervention. The young trees face too much competition from grass and shrubs.

These degraded areas no longer hold the value they once did and they cannot provide the same level of ecosystem services such as carbon storage, water purification, or habitat for wildlife.

With no current government restoration plan, these landscapes will remain degraded indefinitely. The Victorian government retains legal responsibility to restore these degraded forests, but currently lacks any large-scale restoration strategy, making action urgently required.

A composite image showing the different categories of vegetation growing on logged sites.
Photographs of vegetation categories on logged sites: Eucalyptus regeneration near Toolangi (A), grass-dominated area near Mt Matlock (B), shrubby vegetation at Ballantynes Saddle (C), Daviesia vegetation near Mt Matlock (D), Acacia near Mt Baw Baw (E), and bare earth near Mt Matlock (F). Chris Taylor

A way forward: using green bonds to fund regeneration

Our research shows the regeneration of forests after logging is not guaranteed. Nature often needs a helping hand. But we need to find ways to fund these projects.

Globally, governments have used “green bonds” to lower the cost of borrowing tied explicitly to measurable environmental results.

Victoria already has green bonds “to finance new and existing projects that offer climate change and environmental benefits”. But funds are typically used to finance investments in transport, renewable energy, water and low carbon buildings.

As part of a coalition of researchers, environmental organisations, and finance sector partners we proposed a A$224 million green bond for forest regeneration. This proposal was put to the Victorian government via the Treasury Corporation of Victoria.

Green bond funding would help leverage co-investment from the Commonwealth government and philanthropic partners to improve monitoring and biodiversity outcomes in native forests.

As part of the proposed green bond, areas of logged forest where natural regeneration has failed would be restored.

Other investments under the green bond could include creating tourism ventures (and associated jobs), controlling feral animals such as deer, and biodiversity recovery – creating habitat for endangered species such as the southern greater glider and Leadbeater’s possum, for example.

The $224 million required for the ten years of the green bond — or around $22.4 million per year — is less than the substantial losses Victoria incurred on its investment in VicForests over the past decade.

Our research suggests leaving nature to its own devices would mean losing a fifth of the forests logged over the past 40 years. Bringing the trees back has multiple benefits and would be well worth the investment.The Conversation

Maldwyn John Evans, Senior Research Fellow, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National UniversityChris Taylor, Research Fellow, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, and David Lindenmayer, Professor, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

People’s mental health goes downhill after repeated climate disasters – it’s an issue of social equity

Ang LiThe University of Melbourne and Claire LeppoldThe University of Melbourne

Across Australia, communities are grappling with climate disasters that are striking more frequently and with greater intensity. Bushfires, floods and cyclones are no longer one-off events. And this pattern is predicted to worsen due to climate change.

As it becomes more common to face climate disasters again and again, what does this mean for the mental health and wellbeing of people affected?

In a new study published today in the Lancet Public Health, we found experiencing repeated disasters leads to more severe and sustained effects on mental health compared to experiencing a single disaster.

What we did in our study

We drew on ten years of Australian data (2009–19) from the nationally representative Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey.

Specifically, our study involved data from 1,511 people who experienced at least one disaster. We tracked them from the year before the first disaster, at the first disaster, and, where applicable, each subsequent disaster, and a few years after each disaster.

We also included 3,880 people who did not experience disasters during this time but shared similar demographic, socioeconomic, health and place-based characteristics for comparison.

We measured exposure to climate disasters based on whether respondents reported a weather-related disaster (for example, flood, bushfire or cyclone) damaged or destroyed their home in the previous year.

The mental health outcomes were measured using two questionnaires commonly administered to assess depression and anxiety disorders (the 5-item mental health inventory) and psychological distress (the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale).

Cumulative effects

Our results show mental health declines became more severe with repeated disasters.

The graph below plots the mental health trajectories for everyone in our study who experienced at least one disaster, and the control group who did not experience any disasters. We looked at a maximum of three disasters in the study due to data availability.

It shows experiencing one disaster led to a decline in mental health during the disaster year, followed by a recovery to pre-disaster levels in the post-disaster period.

However, with repeated disasters, mental health trajectories declined further and it took longer to recover to pre-disaster levels.



We also found experiencing an additional disaster close to a previous disaster (for example, one or two years apart) was linked to greater mental health declines than disasters that were spaced further apart.

Some risk factors

We observed that certain factors consistently shaped mental health outcomes. For instance, having social support was consistently a protective factor, while having a long-term health condition consistently increased the risk of poorer mental health. This was true regardless of the number of disasters someone experienced.

On the other hand, some risk factors became stronger with each disaster. In particular, households with lower incomes, those in rural areas, and younger people appeared to experience greater effects of cumulative disasters.

There are some limitations to our research. For example, the data we had did not detail the type or severity of each disaster. It also was limited in what it could tell us about the mental health effects of three or more disasters.

Nonetheless, our study provides novel insights into the mental health consequences of multiple climate disasters. This highlights the need for better support for communities facing an increasing number of emergencies.

Our findings also align with other studies that have observed increasing risk to mental health with multiple disasters.

At the same time, our findings add a new perspective by showing how trajectories can change over time. People’s mental health often recovers to pre-disaster levels after a single disaster, but repeat disasters can delay or halt this recovery.

Why might repeated disasters lead to worse mental health?

Repeated disasters, especially when they occur in close succession, can lead to cumulative stress driven by trauma and uncertainty. This can create a reinforcing cycle. People already facing social disadvantages – such as poor health and low income – are more likely to be exposed to disasters. In turn, these events disproportionately affect those facing existing disadvantages.

The result is a compounding effect that can contribute to worsening mental health outcomes and slower recovery over multiple disasters. This means disasters are an issue of social equity and must be considered in efforts to reduce poverty and improve social outcomes, as well as health outcomes.

Repeated disasters in particular can drain financial, social and community resources. They can exacerbate existing strain on household savings, disrupted social ties due to displacement, and reduced access to services after disasters – especially in rural areas.

What can we do to support people through multiple disasters?

We need to transform the way we think about disasters. It’s estimated children born today will experience up to seven times the number of extreme weather events across their lifetimes than someone born in 1960.

We are starting to get a better picture of what people need to recover from climate disasters. Our research points to the need for clinical services (for example, GPs) to screen for past disaster exposures in mental health assessments.

Emergency services need to plan services to reach at-risk groups during disasters. They also need to ensure recovery planning considers the effects of past disasters, for example by making sure support programs are not just tied to one disaster, but can be used across multiple.

The current approach to emergency services that looks at “one disaster at a time” doesn’t work anymore. As the climate continues to change, we urgently need to consider the effects of multiple disasters in public health, welfare and disaster services.The Conversation

Ang Li, ARC DECRA and Senior Research Fellow, NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Healthy Housing, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne and Claire Leppold, Research Fellow, Disaster, Climate & Adversity Unit, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Tempted to turn on the aircon? Science says use fans until it’s 27°C

New Africa, Shutterstock
Federico TartariniUniversity of SydneyAngie BoneMonash University, and Ollie JayUniversity of Sydney

Many Australians struggle to keep themselves cool affordably and effectively, particularly with rising electricity prices. This is becoming a major health concern, especially for our most vulnerable people such as the elderly, pregnant women and people with cardiovascular diseases.

Air conditioning is often seen as the only solution to this problem. But relying too heavily on aircon has major downsides. These include hefty electricity bills, increased greenhouse gas emissions, strain on an already weak electricity grid, and dumping heat from buildings to the outside – further heating the outdoor air.

Our latest research, published in the Medical Journal of Australia, highlights a simple yet effective solution: a “fan-first” cooling approach.

The approach is simple: use electric fans as your first cooling strategy, and only turn on air conditioning when the indoor temperature exceeds 27°C.

Fan-First Cooling: The Smart Way to Beat Australia’s Heat Crisis (Federico Tartarini)

The solution: ‘fan-first’ cooling

Electric fans can make you feel more comfortable on a hot day simply by moving the air around you. This helps our body release heat in two ways: improving the transfer heat from your body into the air, and increasing the evaporation of sweat from your skin.

A gentle breeze can make you feel up to 4°C cooler, even when the weather is very hot and humid.

This allows you to increase the aircon set-point (the temperature at which cooling turns on) from 23-24°C to 27-28°C. This simple change can significantly reduce the amount of time your aircon is running, leading to substantial energy savings.

For example, in our previous research we showed raising the office air conditioning set-point from 24 to 26.5°C, with supplementary air movement from desk and ceiling fans, reduced energy consumption by 32%, without compromising thermal comfort.

Don’t fans still use electricity to run?

Yes fans still use electricity, but it’s as little as 3% of the electricity used to run air conditioning. That means you can run more than 30 fans with the same amount of energy it takes to run a single aircon unit.

A basic pedestal fan is cheap to buy (A$20 to $150), requires no installation and minimal maintenance, and can be easily moved around to keep you cool in any part of your house. Simply turn on the fan as soon as you start feeling slightly warm.

Fans cool you, whereas aircon cools the whole space, which is less efficient.

We also previously showed that using fans rather than airconditioning is a more effective emissions reduction strategy than switching from old-fashioned incandescent light bulbs to LED lighting.

The problem with over-reliance on aircon

Globally, the use of air conditioning is rapidly increasing. Aircon units sales have tripled since 1990 and are projected to triple again in 2050. It is becoming the go-to solution to heat management.

Aircon is effective but is expensive to buy, run and maintain.

A recent survey showed while most people have aircon, two thirds did not use it due to cost concerns.

Beyond the financial burden, the environmental impact of aircon is substantial. In Australia, electricity mainly comes from burning fossil fuels, creating greenhouse gas emissions. Even with the growth of renewable energy, the sheer demand for aircon cooling could strain the transition and the grid.

Furthermore, the refrigerants used in most aircon units are potent greenhouse gases. It will also take time to replace older and less efficient aircon units.

Aircon units also release heat into the outdoor environment, worsening the urban heat island effect – the phenomenon where cities are significantly warmer than surrounding rural areas.

Finally, over-reliance on aircon might reduce our ability to cope with heat. If we constantly keep our indoor temperatures very low, our bodies may not acclimatise to warmer summer conditions, making us more vulnerable during power outages.

Multiple external units of air conditioning and ventilation systems installed on the roof of a large building.
Annual sales of air conditioning units have more than tripled globally since 1990. aapsky, Shutterstock

Using fans safely and effectively

While fans offer numerous benefits, it’s important to use them correctly, especially in very hot indoor conditions.

There’s a common misconception that fans should be turned off above 35°C because they might blow hot air onto the skin. This ignores the crucial role fans play in evaporating sweat.

We have established safer and more accurate temperature thresholds for fan use by conducting laboratory studies. Just remember to check the temperature indoors, not outdoors.

Electric fans can be safely used in indoor temperatures up to:

  • 39°C for young, healthy adults.
  • 38°C for older adults.
  • 37°C for older adults taking anticholinergic medications (which can impair sweating).

Above these indoor temperatures, fans could worsen heat strain by increasing cardiovascular strain and core body temperature. In such situations, alternative cooling strategies such as wetting the skin, moving to a cooler place, or turning the aircon on are essential.

Below these thresholds, we have proven, in laboratory studies, that there’s no reason to switch fans off, because they provide further thermal comfort and reduce heat stress.

The sunset casts a red glow on the clouds above the evening city skyline with its tall rooftops.
Climate change means many people are experiencing hotter summers. Zhuravlev Andrey, Shutterstock

Take action now

Based on our field and lab research, we suggest five simple steps to using fans for managing heat at home:

  1. consider buying pedestal or ceiling fans

  2. point the fan at your body and adjust the speed to your liking

  3. wear light clothing and stay hydrated

  4. if you have aircon, increase the set-point to 27-28°C

  5. enjoy a reduced energy bill and increased comfort.

You may also want to ask your employer to install fans at your workplace and share this “fan-first” cooling strategy with family and friends.

Let’s work together towards a more sustainable future by reducing our reliance on energy-intensive air conditioning. This will lead to lower electricity costs, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and increased resilience to heat.The Conversation

Federico Tartarini, Senior Lecturer, School of Architecture Design and Planning, University of SydneyAngie Bone, Associate Professor of Practice in Planetary Health, Monash Sustainable Development Institute, Monash University, and Ollie Jay, Professor of Heat & Health; Director of Heat & Health Research Incubator; Director of Thermal Ergonomics Laboratory, University of Sydney

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Plans to stockpile critical minerals will help Australia weather global uncertainty – and encourage smaller miners

RHJPhtotos/Shutterstock
Mohan YellishettyMonash University

The world needs huge quantities of critical minerals to make batteries, electric vehicles, wind turbines, mobile phones, computers and advanced weaponry.

Many of these minerals lie under Australian soil. Australia is able to produce 9 out of 10 mineral elements required to produce lithium-ion batteries, such as lithium, nickel and cobalt. It also has the highest total reserves of battery minerals.

But at a time of major geopolitical upheaval, critical minerals are also contested. China controls many critical mineral supply chains, allowing it to dominate clean energy technologies. The ongoing United States–China trade war has intensified competition for access to critical minerals.

It’s against this backdrop that Labor has proposed a A$1.2 billion strategic reserve of critical minerals. It’s a timely and welcome step in the right direction.



Why is this reserve needed?

Critical minerals are vital to the industries of the future. But supply can be hard to secure and disruptions can be devastating.

After US President Donald Trump jacked up tariffs on China, Beijing responded by clamping down on critical mineral exports. Almost 80% of US weaponry depends on Chinese critical minerals.

China now dominates mining and refining of many critical minerals. Beijing controls 90% of the world’s rare earth refining, 80% of lithium refining and 68% of nickel refining. The US and other nations are belatedly trying to catch up.

Mining has long been a major Australian industry, particularly iron ore and coal. But Australia has huge reserves of many critical minerals, producing the largest volume of lithium ore in the world as well as stocks of cobalt, manganese, rutile and others. Australian miners Lynas and Australian Strategic Materials are two of the few rare-earth mining companies not owned by China.

That’s where this strategic reserve comes in. If it comes to fruition, the federal government would buy agreed volumes of critical minerals from commercial projects, or establish an option to purchase them at a given price. It would then keep stockpiles of these key minerals to prevent market manipulation by China and stabilise prices by releasing or holding stocks strategically.

The reserve would give Canberra more leverage in negotiating with trading partners and enable a rapid response to supply disruptions. Government backing for the industry would boost onshore processing, scale up domestic production and encourage more high-wage, high-skill jobs in regional areas.

Which minerals will be stockpiled? That’s yet to be determined. The list of ‘critical minerals’ can vary between countries, and a mineral critical to one nation may not be to another.

Australia lists 31 critical minerals while Japan lists 35, the US lists 50 and the European Union 34. Australia’s list is unique in that it reflects global demand, not domestic dependency.

The minerals most commonly included in these lists include cobalt, gallium, indium, niobium, tantalum, platinum group minerals and rare earth elements.

Why is the government intervening?

In 2023, major miners produced close to a billion tonnes of iron ore in Western Australia.

By contrast, critical mineral volumes are small. For instance, only 610 tonnes of gallium were mined in 2023. Major miners such as Rio Tinto, BHP and Vale don’t tend to bother.

Critical mineral markets are often opaque and highly concentrated. The barrier to entry is high. Globally, the market for the 31 critical minerals on Australia’s list is valued at around A$344 billion – about the size of the global aluminium market.



That leaves it to mid-tier and small miners to bridge the gap between rapidly growing demand and supply. The problem is, raising capital is often very difficult. The price of critical minerals can fluctuate wildly. The price of lithium and nickel have fallen sharply over the last two years due to market oversupply.

The strategic reserve would make it easier for these miners by providing access to capital through loans from Export Finance Australia and private investors, reducing financial uncertainty and cost overruns and acting as a buffer against market volatility.

For instance, mid-tier miner Illuka Resources is building Australia’s first rare earths refinery in Western Australia. The project already has significant government support, but it is likely to need more.

Despite Australia’s significant mineral resources, it faces an uphill battle to gain market share. China’s dominance has been driven by low production costs; low environmental, social and goverance standards; and a competitive labour market. But intensifying geopolitical competition between China and the US means Australian minerals would likely be sought by the US.

How can Australia best play its hand?

In volatile market conditions, cheaper operations have a significant advantage, while new mines face an uphill battle.

Australia’s critical minerals hub framework could help offset capital costs. Smaller miners could form cooperatives to share infrastructure and manage logistics, processing and access to international markets. Sharing infrastructure such as roads, rail, energy and ports would reduce the investment risk.

There are other challenges to overcome, such as the long lead times of 10 years or more to go from discovery to production, limited access to low-cost renewable energy and a shortage of technical and scientific capabilities.

Labor’s strategic reserve would help. But it won’t be enough to make Australia into a critical mineral giant. The government should consider:

  • building more regional processing hubs with shared infrastructure and microgrids
  • offering royalty exemptions, tax incentives and energy subsidies early on
  • giving incentives to retrofit facilities to produce critical minerals found alongside main ores, such as cobalt found alongside copper and antimony with gold
  • encouraging models where rare earths are concentrated in Australia and processed overseas in partner countries
  • establishing Centres of Excellence on critical minerals and creating shared libraries of intellectual property to support research, avoid duplication and optimise resource allocation.

Overall, the proposed reserve is an excellent idea. Government intervention will be necessary to absorb and mitigate risks from price fluctuations and geopolitical shocks.The Conversation

Mohan Yellishetty, Professor, Co-Founder, Critical Minerals Consortium, and Australia-India Critical Minerals Research Hub, Monash University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

‘A living collective’: study shows trees synchronise electrical signals during a solar eclipse

Zenit Arti Audiovisive
Monica GaglianoSouthern Cross University and Prudence GibsonUNSW Sydney

Earth’s cycles of light and dark profoundly affect billions of organisms. Events such as solar eclipses are known to bring about marked shifts in animals, but do they have the same effect on plants?

During a solar eclipse in a forest in Italy’s Dolomites region, scientists seized the chance to explore that fascinating question.

The researchers were monitoring the bioelectrical impulses of spruce trees, when a solar eclipse passed over. They left their sensors running to record the trees’ response to the eclipse – and what they observed was astonishing.

The spruce trees not only responded to the solar eclipse – they actively anticipated it, by synchronising their bioelectrical signals hours in advance.

This forest-wide phenomenon, detailed today in the journal Royal Society Open Science, reveals a new layer of complexity in plant behaviour. It adds to emerging evidence that plants actively participate in their ecosystems.

Lead author Monica Gagliano discusses the research findings.

Do trees respond collectively?

The research was led by Professor Alessandro Chiolerio of the Italian Institute of Technology, and Professor Monica Gagliano from Australia’s Southern Cross University, who is the lead author on this article. It also involved a team of international scientists.

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, fully or partially blocking the Sun’s light.

An eclipse can inspire awe and even social cohesion in humans. Other animals have been shown to gather and synchronise their movements during such an event.

But scientists know very little about how plants respond to solar eclipses. Some research suggests the rapid transitions from darkness to light during an eclipse can change plant behaviour. But this research focuses on the responses of individual plants.

The latest study set out to discover if trees respond to a solar eclipse together, as a living collective.

man and a woman sitting in forest
Alessandro Chiolerio and Monica Gagliano at the site of the study. Simone Cargnoni

What the research involved

Charged molecules travel through the cells of all living organisms, transmitting electrical signals as they go. Collectively, this electrical activity is known as the organism’s “electrome”.

The electrical activity is primarily driven by the movement of ions across cell membranes. It creates tiny currents that allow organisms, including humans, to coordinate their body and communicate.

The researchers wanted to investigated the electrical signals of spruce trees (Picea abies) during a partial solar eclipse on October 25, 2022. It took place in the Costa Bocche forest near Paneveggio in the Dolomites area, Italy.

snow-capped mountains and forest
The study took place in the Dolomites in northeast Italy. Monica Gagliano

The scientists set out to understand the trees’ electrical activity during the hour-long eclipse. They used custom-built sensors and wired them to three trees. Two were healthy trees about 70 years old, one in full sun and one in full shade. The third was a healthy tree about 20 years old, in full shade.

They also attached the sensors to five tree stumps – the remnants old trees, originally part of a pristine forest, but which were devastated by a storm several years earlier.

For each tree and stump, the researchers used five pairs of electrodes, placed in both the inner and outer layers of the tree, including on exposed roots, branches and trunks. The electrodes were connected to the sensors.

This set-up allowed the scientists to monitor the bioelectrical activity from multiple trees and stumps across four sites during the solar eclipse. They examined both individual tree responses, and bioelectrical signals between trees.

In particular, the scientists measured changes in the trees’ “bioelectrical potentials”. This term refers to the differences in voltage across cell membranes.

sensors and wires attached to tree
The scientists attached electrodes and sensors to the trees to monitor their electrical activity. Zenit Arti Audiovisive

What did they find?

The electrical activity of all three trees became significantly more synchronised around the eclipse - both before and during the one-hour event. These changes occur at a microscopic level, such as inside water and lymph molecules in the tree.

The two older trees in the study had a much more pronounced early response to the impending eclipse than the young tree. This suggests older trees may have developed mechanisms to anticipate and respond to such events, similar to their responses to seasonal changes.

Solar eclipses may seem rare from a human perspective, but they follow cycles which can occur well within the lifespan of long-lived trees. The scientists also detected bioelectrical waves travelling between the trees. This suggests older trees may transmit their ecological knowledge to younger trees.

Such a dynamic is consistent with studies showing long-distance signalling between plants can help them coordinate various physiological functions in response to environmental changes.

here
The two older spruce trees in the study had a much more pronounced early response to the impending eclipse than the young tree. Zenith Audiovisual Arts

The researchers also detected changes in the bioelectrical responses of the stumps during the eclipse, albeit less pronounced than in the standing trees. This suggests the stumps were still alive.

The research team then used computer modelling, and advanced analytical methods including quantum field theory, to test the findings of the physical experiment.

The results reinforced the experimental results. That is, not only did the eclipse influence the bioelectrical responses of individual trees, the activity was correlated. This suggests a cohesive, organism-like reaction at the forest scale.

woman with equipment sitting near tree
The researchers also detected changes in the bioelectrical responses of the stumps during the eclipse. Zenit Arti Audiovisive

Understanding forest connections

These findings align with extensive prior research by others, highlighting the extent to which trees in forest ecosystems are connected.

These behaviours may ultimately influence the forest ecosystem’s resilience, biodiversity and overall function, by helping it cope with rapid and unpredictable changes.

The findings also underscore the importance of protecting older forests, which serve as pillars of ecosystem resilience – potentially preserving and transmitting invaluable ecological knowledge.


This research is featured in a documentary, Il Codice del Bosco (The Forest Code), premiering in Italy on May 1, 2025.The Conversation

river winds around forested mountains
The findings underscore the importance of protecting older forests. Pictured: the Dolomites region. Zenith Audiovisual Arts

Monica Gagliano, Research Associate Professor in Evolutionary Biology, Southern Cross University and Prudence Gibson, Lecturer and Researcher in Plant Humanities, UNSW Sydney

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Pittwater Reserves: histories + Notes + Pictorial Walks

A History Of The Campaign For Preservation Of The Warriewood Escarpment by David Palmer OAM and Angus Gordon OAM
A Saturday Morning Stroll around Bongin Bongin - Mona Vale's Basin, Mona Vale Beach October 2024 by Kevin Murray
A Stroll Along The Centre Track At Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park: June 2024 - by Kevin Murray
A Stroll Around Manly Dam: Spring 2023 by Kevin Murray and Joe Mills
A Stroll Through Warriewood Wetlands by Joe Mills February 2023
A Walk Around The Cromer Side Of Narrabeen Lake by Joe Mills
A Walk on the Duffy's Wharf Track October 2024 by Kevin Murray and Joe Mills
America Bay Track Walk - photos by Joe Mills
An Aquatic June: North Narrabeen - Turimetta - Collaroy photos by Joe Mills 
Angophora Reserve  Angophora Reserve Flowers Grand Old Tree Of Angophora Reserve Falls Back To The Earth - History page
Annie Wyatt Reserve - A  Pictorial
Aquatic Reflections seen this week (May 2023): Narrabeen + Turimetta by Joe Mills 
Avalon Beach Reserve- Bequeathed By John Therry  
Avalon Beach This Week: A Place Of A Bursting Main, Flooding Drains + Falling Boulders Council Announces Intention To Progress One LEP For Whole LGA + Transport Oriented Development Begins
Avalon's Village Green: Avalon Park Becomes Dunbar Park - Some History + Toongari Reserve and Catalpa Reserve
Bairne Walking Track Ku-Ring-Gai Chase NP by Kevin Murray
Bangalley Headland  Bangalley Mid Winter
Bangalley Headland Walk: Spring 2023 by Kevin Murray and Joe Mills
Banksias of Pittwater
Barrenjoey Boathouse In Governor Phillip Park  Part Of Our Community For 75 Years: Photos From The Collection Of Russell Walton, Son Of Victor Walton
Barrenjoey Headland: Spring flowers 
Barrenjoey Headland after fire
Bayview Baths
Bayview Pollution runoff persists: Resident states raw sewerage is being washed into the estuary
Bayview Public Wharf and Baths: Some History
Bayview Public Wharf Gone; Bayview Public Baths still not netted - Salt Pan Public Wharf Going
Bayview's new walkway, current state of the Bayview public Wharf & Baths + Maybanke Cove
Bayview Sea Scouts Hall: Some History
Bayview Wetlands
Beeby Park
Bilgola Beach
Bilgola Plateau Parks For The People: Gifted By A. J. Small, N. A. K. Wallis + The Green Pathways To Keep People Connected To The Trees, Birds, Bees - For Children To Play 
Botham Beach by Barbara Davies
Bungan Beach Bush Care
Careel Bay Saltmarsh plants 
Careel Bay Birds  
Careel Bay Clean Up day
Careel Bay Marina Environs November 2024 - Spring Celebrations
Careel Bay Playing Fields History and Current
Careel Bay Steamer Wharf + Boatshed: some history 
Careel Creek 
Careel Creek - If you rebuild it they will come
Centre trail in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park
Chiltern Track- Ingleside by Marita Macrae
Clareville Beach
Clareville/Long Beach Reserve + some History
Clareville Public Wharf: 1885 to 1935 - Some History 
Coastal Stability Series: Cabbage Tree Bay To Barrenjoey To Observation Point by John Illingsworth, Pittwater Pathways, and Dr. Peter Mitchell OAM
Cowan Track by Kevin Murray
Curl Curl To Freshwater Walk: October 2021 by Kevin Murray and Joe Mills
Currawong and Palm Beach Views - Winter 2018
Currawong-Mackerel-The Basin A Stroll In Early November 2021 - photos by Selena Griffith
Currawong State Park Currawong Beach +  Currawong Creek
Deep Creek To Warriewood Walk photos by Joe Mills
Drone Gives A New View On Coastal Stability; Bungan: Bungan Headland To Newport Beach + Bilgola: North Newport Beach To Avalon + Bangalley: Avalon Headland To Palm Beach
Duck Holes: McCarrs Creek by Joe Mills
Dunbar Park - Some History + Toongari Reserve and Catalpa Reserve
Dundundra Falls Reserve: August 2020 photos by Selena Griffith - Listed in 1935
Elsie Track, Scotland Island
Elvina Track in Late Winter 2019 by Penny Gleen
Elvina Bay Walking Track: Spring 2020 photos by Joe Mills 
Elvina Bay-Lovett Bay Loop Spring 2020 by Kevin Murray and Joe Mills
Fern Creek - Ingleside Escarpment To Warriewood Walk + Some History photos by Joe Mills
Hordern Park, Palm Beach: Some History + 2024 Photos of park from top to beach
Iluka Park, Woorak Park, Pittwater Park, Sand Point Reserve, Snapperman Beach Reserve - Palm Beach: Some History
Ingleside
Ingleside Wildflowers August 2013
Irrawong - Ingleside Escarpment Trail Walk Spring 2020 photos by Joe Mills
Irrawong - Mullet Creek Restoration
Katandra Bushland Sanctuary - Ingleside
Lucinda Park, Palm Beach: Some History + 2022 Pictures
McCarrs Creek
McCarrs Creek Public Jetty, Brown's Bay Public Jetty, Rostrevor Reserve, Cargo Wharf, Church Point Public Wharf: a few pictures from the Site Investigations for Pittwater Public Wharves History series 2025
McCarr's Creek to Church Point to Bayview Waterfront Path
McKay Reserve
Milton Family Property History - Palm Beach By William (Bill) James Goddard II with photos courtesy of the Milton Family   - Snapperman to Sandy Point, Pittwater
Mona Vale Beach - A Stroll Along, Spring 2021 by Kevin Murray
Mona Vale Headland, Basin and Beach Restoration
Mona Vale Woolworths Front Entrance Gets Garden Upgrade: A Few Notes On The Site's History 
Mother Brushtail Killed On Barrenjoey Road: Baby Cried All Night - Powerful Owl Struck At Same Time At Careel Bay During Owlet Fledgling Season: calls for mitigation measures - The List of what you can do for those who ask 'What You I Do' as requested
Mount Murray Anderson Walking Track by Kevin Murray and Joe Mills
Mullet Creek
Muogamarra Nature Reserve in Cowan celebrates 90 years: a few insights into The Vision of John Duncan Tipper, Founder 
Muogamarra by Dr Peter Mitchell OAM and John Illingsworth
Narrabeen Creek
Narrabeen Lagoon Catchment: Past Notes Present Photos by Margaret Woods
Narrabeen Lagoon Entrance Clearing Works: September To October 2023  pictures by Joe Mills
Narrabeen Lagoon State Park
Narrabeen Lagoon State Park Expansion
Narrabeen Rockshelf Aquatic Reserve
Nerang Track, Terrey Hills by Bea Pierce
Newport Bushlink - the Crown of the Hill Linked Reserves
Newport Community Garden - Woolcott Reserve
Newport to Bilgola Bushlink 'From The Crown To The Sea' Paths:  Founded In 1956 - A Tip and Quarry Becomes Green Space For People and Wildlife 
Out and About July 2020 - Storm swell
Out & About: July 2024 - Barrenjoey To Paradise Beach To Bayview To Narrabeen + Middle Creek - by John Illingsworth, Adriaan van der Wallen, Joe Mills, Suzanne Daly, Jacqui Marlowe and AJG
Palm Beach Headland Becomes Australia’s First Urban Night Sky Place: Barrenjoey High School Alumni Marnie Ogg's Hard Work
Palm Beach Public Wharf: Some History 
Paradise Beach Baths renewal Complete - Taylor's Point Public Wharf Rebuild Underway
Realises Long-Held Dream For Everyone
Paradise Beach Wharf + Taylor's Wharf renewal projects: October 2024 pictorial update - update pics of Paradise Wharf and Pool renewal, pre-renewal Taylors Point wharf + a few others of Pittwater on a Spring Saturday afternoon
Pictures From The Past: Views Of Early Narrabeen Bridges - 1860 To 1966
Pittwater Beach Reserves Have Been Dedicated For Public Use Since 1887 - No 1.: Avalon Beach Reserve- Bequeathed By John Therry 
Pittwater Reserves: The Green Ways; Bungan Beach and Bungan Head Reserves:  A Headland Garden 
Pittwater Reserves, The Green Ways: Clareville Wharf and Taylor's Point Jetty
Pittwater Reserves: The Green Ways; Hordern, Wilshire Parks, McKay Reserve: From Beach to Estuary 
Pittwater Reserves - The Green Ways: Mona Vale's Village Greens a Map of the Historic Crown Lands Ethos Realised in The Village, Kitchener and Beeby Parks 
Pittwater Reserves: The Green Ways Bilgola Beach - The Cabbage Tree Gardens and Camping Grounds - Includes Bilgola - The Story Of A Politician, A Pilot and An Epicure by Tony Dawson and Anne Spencer  
Pittwater spring: waterbirds return to Wetlands
Pittwater's Lone Rangers - 120 Years of Ku-Ring-Gai Chase and the Men of Flowers Inspired by Eccleston Du Faur 
Pittwater's Great Outdoors: Spotted To The North, South, East + West- June 2023:  Palm Beach Boat House rebuild going well - First day of Winter Rainbow over Turimetta - what's Blooming in the bush? + more by Joe Mills, Selena Griffith and Pittwater Online
Pittwater's Parallel Estuary - The Cowan 'Creek
Pittwater Pathways To Public Lands & Reserves
Resolute Track at West Head by Kevin Murray
Resolute Track Stroll by Joe Mills
Riddle Reserve, Bayview
Salt Pan Cove Public Wharf on Regatta Reserve + Florence Park + Salt Pan Reserve + Refuge Cove Reserve: Some History
Salt Pan Public Wharf, Regatta Reserve, Florence Park, Salt Pan Cove Reserve, Refuge Cove Reserve Pictorial and Information
Salvation Loop Trail, Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park- Spring 2020 - by Selena Griffith
Scotland Island Dieback Accelerating: November 2024
Seagull Pair At Turimetta Beach: Spring Is In The Air!
Some late November Insects (2023)
Stapleton Reserve
Stapleton Park Reserve In Spring 2020: An Urban Ark Of Plants Found Nowhere Else
Stokes Point To Taylor's Point: An Ideal Picnic, Camping & Bathing Place 
Stony Range Regional Botanical Garden: Some History On How A Reserve Became An Australian Plant Park
Taylor's Point Public Wharf 2013-2020 History
The Chiltern Track
The Chiltern Trail On The Verge Of Spring 2023 by Kevin Murray and Joe Mills
The 'Newport Loop': Some History 
The Resolute Beach Loop Track At West Head In Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park by Kevin Murray
Topham Track Ku-Ring-Gai Chase NP,  August 2022 by Joe Mills and Kevin Murray
Towlers Bay Walking Track by Joe Mills
Trafalgar Square, Newport: A 'Commons' Park Dedicated By Private Landholders - The Green Heart Of This Community
Tranquil Turimetta Beach, April 2022 by Joe Mills
Turimetta Beach Reserve by Joe Mills, Bea Pierce and Lesley
Turimetta Beach Reserve: Old & New Images (by Kevin Murray) + Some History
Turimetta Headland
Turimetta Moods by Joe Mills: June 2023
Turimetta Moods (Week Ending June 23 2023) by Joe Mills
Turimetta Moods: June To July 2023 Pictures by Joe Mills
Turimetta Moods: July Becomes August 2023 by Joe Mills
Turimetta Moods: August Becomes September 2023 ; North Narrabeen - Turimetta - Warriewood - Mona Vale photographs by Joe Mills
Turimetta Moods: Mid-September To Mid-October 2023 by Joe Mills
Turimetta Moods: Late Spring Becomes Summer 2023-2024 by Joe Mills
Turimetta Moods: Warriewood Wetlands Perimeter Walk October 2024 by Joe Mills
Turimetta Moods: November 2024 by Joe Mills
Turimetta Moods: mid-February to Mid- March 2025 by Joe Mills
Warriewood Wetlands - Creeks Deteriorating: How To Report Construction Site Breaches, Weed Infestations + The Long Campaign To Save The Warriewood Wetlands & Ingleside Escarpment March 2023
Warriewood Wetlands and Irrawong Reserve
Whale Beach Ocean Reserve: 'The Strand' - Some History On Another Great Protected Pittwater Reserve
Whale Migration Season: Grab A Seaside Pew For The Annual Whalesong But Keep Them Safe If Going Out On The Water
Wilshire Park Palm Beach: Some History + Photos From May 2022
Winji Jimmi - Water Maze

Pittwater's Birds

Attracting Insectivore Birds to Your Garden: DIY Natural Tick Control small bird insectivores, species like the Silvereye, Spotted Pardalote, Gerygone, Fairywren and Thornbill, feed on ticks. Attracting these birds back into your garden will provide not only a residence for tick eaters but also the delightful moments watching these tiny birds provides.
Aussie Backyard Bird Count 2017: Take part from 23 - 29 October - how many birds live here?
Aussie Backyard Bird Count 2018 - Our Annual 'What Bird Is That?' Week Is Here! This week the annual Aussie Backyard Bird Count runs from 22-28 October 2018. Pittwater is one of those places fortunate to have birds that thrive because of an Aquatic environment, a tall treed Bush environment and areas set aside for those that dwell closer to the ground, in a sand, scrub or earth environment. To take part all you need is 20 minutes and your favourite outdoor space. Head to the website and register as a Counter today! And if you're a teacher, check out BirdLife Australia's Bird Count curriculum-based lesson plans to get your students (or the whole school!) involved

Australian Predators of the Sky by Penny Olsen - published by National Library of Australia

Australian Raven  Australian Wood Duck Family at Newport

A Week In Pittwater Issue 128   A Week In Pittwater - June 2014 Issue 168

Baby Birds Spring 2015 - Rainbow Lorikeets in our Yard - for Children Baby Birds by Lynleigh Greig, Southern Cross Wildlife Care - what do if being chased by a nesting magpie or if you find a baby bird on the ground

Baby Kookaburras in our Backyard: Aussie Bird Count 2016 - October

Balloons Are The Number 1 Marine Debris Risk Of Mortality For Our Seabirds - Feb 2019 Study

Bangalley Mid-Winter   Barrenjoey Birds Bird Antics This Week: December 2016

Bird of the Month February 2019 by Michael Mannington

Birdland Above the Estuary - October 2012  Birds At Our Window   Birds at our Window - Winter 2014  Birdland June 2016

Birdsong Is a Lovesong at This time of The Year - Brown Falcon, Little Wattle Bird, Australian Pied cormorant, Mangrove or Striated Heron, Great Egret, Grey Butcherbird, White-faced Heron 

Bird Songs – poems about our birds by youngsters from yesterdays - for children Bird Week 2015: 19-25 October

Bird Songs For Spring 2016 For Children by Joanne Seve

Birds at Careel Creek this Week - November 2017: includes Bird Count 2017 for Local Birds - BirdLife Australia by postcode

Black Cockatoo photographed in the Narrabeen Catchment Reserves this week by Margaret G Woods - July 2019

Black-Necked Stork, Mycteria Australis, Now Endangered In NSW, Once Visited Pittwater: Breeding Pair shot in 1855

Black Swans on Narrabeen Lagoon - April 2013   Black Swans Pictorial

Brush Turkeys In Suburbia: There's An App For That - Citizen Scientists Called On To Spot Brush Turkeys In Their Backyards
Buff-banded Rail spotted at Careel Creek 22.12.2012: a breeding pair and a fluffy black chick

Cayley & Son - The life and Art of Neville Henry Cayley & Neville William Cayley by Penny Olsen - great new book on the art works on birds of these Australian gentlemen and a few insights from the author herself
Crimson Rosella - + Historical Articles on

Death By 775 Cuts: How Conservation Law Is Failing The Black-Throated Finch - new study 'How to Send a Finch Extinct' now published

Eastern Rosella - and a little more about our progression to protecting our birds instead of exporting them or decimating them.

Endangered Little Tern Fishing at Mona Vale Beach

‘Feather Map of Australia’: Citizen scientists can support the future of Australia's wetland birds: for Birdwatchers, school students and everyone who loves our estuarine and lagoon and wetland birds

First Week of Spring 2014

Fledgling Common Koel Adopted by Red Wattlebird -Summer Bird fest 2013  Flegdlings of Summer - January 2012

Flocks of Colour by Penny Olsen - beautiful new Bird Book Celebrates the 'Land of the Parrots'

Friendly Goose at Palm Beach Wharf - Pittwater's Own Mother Goose

Front Page Issue 177  Front Page Issue 185 Front Page Issue 193 - Discarded Fishing Tackle killing shorebirds Front Page Issue 203 - Juvenile Brush Turkey  Front Page Issue 208 - Lyrebird by Marita Macrae Front Page Issue 219  Superb Fairy Wren Female  Front Page Issue 234National Bird Week October 19-25  and the 2015 the Aussie Back Yard Bird Count: Australia's First Bird Counts - a 115 Year Legacy - with a small insight into our first zoos Front Page Issue 236: Bird Week 2015 Front Page Issue 244: watebirds Front Page Issue 260: White-face Heron at Careel Creek Front Page Issue 283: Pittwater + more birds for Bird Week/Aussie Bird Count  Front Page Issue 284: Pittwater + more birds for Bird Week/Aussie Bird Count Front Page Issue 285: Bird Week 2016  Front Page Issue 331: Spring Visitor Birds Return

G . E. Archer Russell (1881-1960) and His Passion For Avifauna From Narrabeen To Newport 

Glossy Black-Cockatoo Returns To Pittwater by Paul Wheeler Glossy Cockatoos - 6 spotted at Careel Bay February 2018

Grey Butcher Birds of Pittwater

Harry Wolstenholme (June 21, 1868 - October 14, 1930) Ornithologist Of Palm Beach, Bird Man Of Wahroonga 

INGLESIDE LAND RELEASE ON AGAIN BUT MANY CHALLENGES  AHEAD by David Palmer

Issue 60 May 2012 Birdland - Smiles- Beamings -Early -Winter - Blooms

Jayden Walsh’s Northern Beaches Big Year - courtesy Pittwater Natural Heritage Association

John Gould's Extinct and Endangered Mammals of Australia  by Dr. Fred Ford - Between 1850 and 1950 as many mammals disappeared from the Australian continent as had disappeared from the rest of the world between 1600 and 2000! Zoologist Fred Ford provides fascinating, and often poignant, stories of European attitudes and behaviour towards Australia's native fauna and connects these to the animal's fate today in this beautiful new book - our interview with the author

July 2012 Pittwater Environment Snippets; Birds, Sea and Flowerings

Juvenile Sea Eagle at Church Point - for children

King Parrots in Our Front Yard  

Kookaburra Turf Kookaburra Fledglings Summer 2013  Kookaburra Nesting Season by Ray Chappelow  Kookaburra Nest – Babies at 1.5 and 2.5 weeks old by Ray Chappelow  Kookaburra Nest – Babies at 3 and 4 weeks old by Ray Chappelow  Kookaburra Nest – Babies at 5 weeks old by Ray Chappelow Kookaburra and Pittwater Fledglings February 2020 to April 2020

Lion Island's Little Penguins (Fairy Penguins) Get Fireproof Homes - thanks to NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Fix it Sisters Shed

Lorikeet - Summer 2015 Nectar

Lyre Bird Sings in Local National Park - Flock of Black Cockatoos spotted - June 2019

Magpie's Melodic Melodies - For Children (includes 'The Magpie's Song' by F S Williamson)

Masked Lapwing (Plover) - Reflected

May 2012 Birdland Smiles Beamings Early Winter Blooms 

Mistletoebird At Bayview

Musk Lorikeets In Pittwater: Pittwater Spotted Gum Flower Feast - May 2020

Nankeen Kestrel Feasting at Newport: May 2016

National Bird Week 2014 - Get Involved in the Aussie Backyard Bird Count: National Bird Week 2014 will take place between Monday 20 October and Sunday 26 October, 2014. BirdLife Australia and the Birds in Backyards team have come together to launch this year’s national Bird Week event the Aussie Backyard Bird Count! This is one the whole family can do together and become citizen scientists...

National Bird Week October 19-25  and the 2015 the Aussie Back Yard Bird Count: Australia's First Bird Counts - a 115 Year Legacy - with a small insight into our first zoos

Native Duck Hunting Season Opens in Tasmania and Victoria March 2018: hundreds of thousands of endangered birds being killed - 'legally'!

Nature 2015 Review Earth Air Water Stone

New Family of Barking Owls Seen in Bayview - Church Point by Pittwater Council

Noisy Visitors by Marita Macrae of PNHA 

Odes to Australia's Fairy-wrens by Douglas Brooke Wheelton Sladen and Constance Le Plastrier 1884 and 1926

Oystercatcher and Dollarbird Families - Summer visitors

Pacific Black Duck Bath

Painted Button-Quail Rescued By Locals - Elanora-Ingleside escarpment-Warriewood wetlands birds

Palm Beach Protection Group Launch, Supporters InvitedSaturday Feb.16th - Residents Are Saying 'NO' To Off-Leash Dogs In Station Beach Eco-System - reports over 50 dogs a day on Station Beach throughout December-January (a No Dogs Beach) small children being jumped on, Native birds chased, dog faeces being left, families with toddlers leaving beach to get away from uncontrolled dogs and 'Failure of Process' in council 'consultation' open to February 28th 

Pardalote, Scrub Wren and a Thornbill of Pittwater

Pecking Order by Robyn McWilliam

Pelican Lamps at Narrabeen  Pelican Dreamsong - A Legend of the Great Flood - dreamtime legend for children

Pittwater Becalmed  Pittwater Birds in Careel Creek Spring 2018   Pittwater Waterbirds Spring 2011  Pittwater Waterbirds - A Celebration for World Oceans Day 2015

Pittwater's Little Penguin Colony: The Saving of the Fairies of Lion Island Commenced 65 Years Ago this Year - 2019

Pittwater's Mother Nature for Mother's Day 2019

Pittwater's Waterhens: Some Notes - Narrabeen Creek Bird Gathering: Curious Juvenile Swamp Hen On Warriewood Boardwalk + Dusky Moorhens + Buff Banded Rails In Careel Creek

Plastic in 99 percent of seabirds by 2050 by CSIRO

Plover Appreciation Day September 16th 2015

Powerful and Precious by Lynleigh Grieg

Red Wattlebird Song - November 2012

Restoring The Diamond: every single drop. A Reason to Keep Dogs and Cats in at Night. 

Return Of Australasian Figbird Pair: A Reason To Keep The Trees - Aussie Bird Count 2023 (16–22 October) You can get involved here: aussiebirdcount.org.au

Salt Air Creatures Feb.2013

Scaly-breasted Lorikeet

Sea Birds off the Pittwater Coast: Albatross, Gannet, Skau + Australian Poets 1849, 1898 and 1930, 1932

Sea Eagle Juvenile at Church Point

Seagulls at Narrabeen Lagoon

Seen but Not Heard: Lilian Medland's Birds - Christobel Mattingley - one of Australia's premier Ornithological illustrators was a Queenscliff lady - 53 of her previously unpublished works have now been made available through the auspices of the National Library of Australia in a beautiful new book

7 Little Ducklings: Just Keep Paddling - Australian Wood Duck family take over local pool by Peta Wise 

Shag on a North Avalon Rock -  Seabirds for World Oceans Day 2012

Short-tailed Shearwaters Spring Migration 2013 

South-West North-East Issue 176 Pictorial

Spring 2012 - Birds are Splashing - Bees are Buzzing

Spring Becomes Summer 2014- Royal Spoonbill Pair at Careel Creek

Spring Notes 2018 - Royal Spoonbill in Careel Creek

Station Beach Off Leash Dog Area Proposal Ignores Current Uses Of Area, Environment, Long-Term Fauna Residents, Lack Of Safe Parking and Clearly Stated Intentions Of Proponents have your say until February 28, 2019

Summer 2013 BirdFest - Brown Thornbill  Summer 2013 BirdFest- Canoodlers and getting Wet to Cool off  Summer 2013 Bird Fest - Little Black Cormorant   Summer 2013 BirdFest - Magpie Lark

The Mopoke or Tawny Frogmouth – For Children - A little bit about these birds, an Australian Mopoke Fairy Story from 91 years ago, some poems and more - photo by Adrian Boddy
Winter Bird Party by Joanne Seve

New Shorebirds WingThing  For Youngsters Available To Download

A Shorebirds WingThing educational brochure for kids (A5) helps children learn about shorebirds, their life and journey. The 2021 revised brochure version was published in February 2021 and is available now. You can download a file copy here.

If you would like a free print copy of this brochure, please send a self-addressed envelope with A$1.10 postage (or larger if you would like it unfolded) affixed to: BirdLife Australia, Shorebird WingThing Request, 2-05Shorebird WingThing/60 Leicester St, Carlton VIC 3053.


Shorebird Identification Booklet

The Migratory Shorebird Program has just released the third edition of its hugely popular Shorebird Identification Booklet. The team has thoroughly revised and updated this pocket-sized companion for all shorebird counters and interested birders, with lots of useful information on our most common shorebirds, key identification features, sighting distribution maps and short articles on some of BirdLife’s shorebird activities. 

The booklet can be downloaded here in PDF file format: http://www.birdlife.org.au/documents/Shorebird_ID_Booklet_V3.pdf

Paper copies can be ordered as well, see http://www.birdlife.org.au/projects/shorebirds-2020/counter-resources for details.

Download BirdLife Australia's children’s education kit to help them learn more about our wading birdlife

Shorebirds are a group of wading birds that can be found feeding on swamps, tidal mudflats, estuaries, beaches and open country. For many people, shorebirds are just those brown birds feeding a long way out on the mud but they are actually a remarkably diverse collection of birds including stilts, sandpipers, snipe, curlews, godwits, plovers and oystercatchers. Each species is superbly adapted to suit its preferred habitat.  The Red-necked Stint is as small as a sparrow, with relatively short legs and bill that it pecks food from the surface of the mud with, whereas the Eastern Curlew is over two feet long with a exceptionally long legs and a massively curved beak that it thrusts deep down into the mud to pull out crabs, worms and other creatures hidden below the surface.

Some shorebirds are fairly drab in plumage, especially when they are visiting Australia in their non-breeding season, but when they migrate to their Arctic nesting grounds, they develop a vibrant flush of bright colours to attract a mate. We have 37 types of shorebirds that annually migrate to Australia on some of the most lengthy and arduous journeys in the animal kingdom, but there are also 18 shorebirds that call Australia home all year round.

What all our shorebirds have in common—be they large or small, seasoned traveller or homebody, brightly coloured or in muted tones—is that each species needs adequate safe areas where they can successfully feed and breed.

The National Shorebird Monitoring Program is managed and supported by BirdLife Australia. 

This project is supported by Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority and Hunter Local Land Services through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program. Funding from Helen Macpherson Smith Trust and Port Phillip Bay Fund is acknowledged. 

The National Shorebird Monitoring Program is made possible with the help of over 1,600 volunteers working in coastal and inland habitats all over Australia. 

The National Shorebird Monitoring program (started as the Shorebirds 2020 project initiated to re-invigorate monitoring around Australia) is raising awareness of how incredible shorebirds are, and actively engaging the community to participate in gathering information needed to conserve shorebirds. 

In the short term, the destruction of tidal ecosystems will need to be stopped, and our program is designed to strengthen the case for protecting these important habitats. 

In the long term, there will be a need to mitigate against the likely effects of climate change on a species that travels across the entire range of latitudes where impacts are likely. 

The identification and protection of critical areas for shorebirds will need to continue in order to guard against the potential threats associated with habitats in close proximity to nearly half the human population. 

Here in Australia, the place where these birds grow up and spend most of their lives, continued monitoring is necessary to inform the best management practice to maintain shorebird populations. 

BirdLife Australia believe that we can help secure a brighter future for these remarkable birds by educating stakeholders, gathering information on how and why shorebird populations are changing, and working to grow the community of people who care about shorebirds.

To find out more visit: http://www.birdlife.org.au/projects/shorebirds-2020/shorebirds-2020-program