August 1 - 31, 2025: Issue 645

Plastic grass announced For Kamilaroi Park Bayview + Lakeside Park, Narrabeen


Lakeside park; the catchment claiming landfill areas back

On Friday August 22 2025 the council announced on its website it will be installing plastic grass in Kamilaroi Park, Bayview. 
The project webpage states;

''We are planning to install synthetic grass softfall beneath the existing swingset to ensure compliance with current Australian Playground Standards.

We understand the swing set is valued by the local community, so we have consulted with Council’s Tree Services Team as to the best approach to maintain swings in this location without affecting the existing trees.

The existing swing frame will be reused to avoid disturbance to tree roots.

Synthetic grass was chosen over mulch soft fall due to the thickness (and excavation) required to achieve compliance.

Works are currently planned to be undertaken in September 2025. (Weather and contractor availability permitting).''

Kamilaroi Park Bayview, halfway up steep Beaumont crescent, is susceptible to runoff into the estuary.

The same is in store for Lakeside Park, North Narrabeen, another well-known flood zone, where the field is closed regularly due to flooding. 

Here synthetic grass surfacing will be installed under gym equipment. The webpage for that states;

 ''Works begin on Monday 4 August, and should take approximately 3 weeks to complete, weather permitting.''

Both announcements form part of the council's 'playground renewal program', accessed under their 'have your say' section of the council website.

The problem being no one is getting to 'have a say' about the installing of plastic pollutants in the Pittwater environment.

This week's announcement for Bayview follows on from scores of angry emails received last week about the council not announcing during consultation its intention of installing the same product in Dunbar Park on the site of the old Guide Hall, where it regularly floods due to being part of the old Toongari reserve creek-bed.


Guide Hall being demolished in 2012

Residents are also questioning the installation of another known pollutant, plastic boardwalks, over the Newport to Bilgola headland, in another well-known high water run-off zone. Here again, residents state it was not made clear the council intended to install plastic in this sensitive marine environment.

The NSW Government released its New guidelines on synthetic turf use in sports fields on May 21 2025.

The Guidelines for Division 5.1 Assessments Addendum for Synthetic Sports Field will come into effect from 25 August 2025, providing the Department time to ensure stakeholders understand the intent of the document and how to apply it to their work adequately.

That document states:

'Chemical and compound leachate and particles from synthetic turf materials and plastics as well as pesticides and fungicides used for maintaining the surface are likely to pollute and contaminate local and surrounding waterways, soils and air as they travel through the environment. However, the highest risk of pollution is during installation and when it is first installed. 

Plastic migration from synthetic turf sports fields, particularly into waterways and bushland, is a key concern. There is evidence that both rubber infill and turf fibre blades from synthetic turf fields are found in waterways in NSW. It has been estimated that a synthetic turf field without structures to reduce infill loss will wash tens to hundreds of kilograms of infill per year into stormwater systems or waterways. The amount of turf fibres lost from a synthetic turf field is likely to be in the hundred’s of kilograms per year, with the amount increasing for fields near the end-of-life or poorly maintained.

International studies have also found a large difference between the amount of microplastics shed from different types of synthetic turf with weathering and UV exposure.'

Although the NSW Government released its guidelines on the use of plastic products in the environment document in May 2025, discussions in this local government area on residents expectations of where these products should and should not be used have not taken place. 

Even when projects are listed under the 'have your say' section of the council website they are announcements, not consultations.


Also available:


 Kamilaroi Park, Bayview - from the road

 

Surfing with a Penguin

Here's some nice news for all who love encountering fairy penguins, based on Lion Island or at Manly, when in the waters offshore of our area. Details on further local Fairy Penguin news runs below.

Alan van Gysen, a renowned photographer and filmmaker based in Cape Town, has captured an amazing array of moments but says nothing was quite like this recent experience he and a group of surfers had with a penguin at Noordhoek Beach.

"From sharks to seals to whales and everything in-between, Cape Town in South Africa is renowned for wildlife encounters in the water. But it’s rare for surfers to see a penguin, let alone share a few waves with one – until this little guy came along." he says in the film, published August 16 2025

"It was one the most incredible wildlife experiences I've ever had in my 25 years of photography. You know, down this beach, and around Cape Town, I've had interactions with whales, seals, dolphins, and even sharks, but I've never experienced anything quite like this...I'm pretty blown away to be honest."

Coming from Mr. van Gysen , that's saying something. He's taken his camera all across the African continent as well as documented some of the most iconic waves in the world for the "Origin Series" by Now Now Media, the production company he runs with journalist Will Bendix. Together they've told the story of such waves like Puerto Escondido, Safi, Skeleton Bay, African Kirra, and more.

The creators state African Penguins are critically endangered. You can directly help efforts to save them by supporting organisations like SANCCOB. Visit: https://sanccob.co.za/

Two days later, Monday August 18, it was reported nine African penguins, rescued and rehabilitated by SANCCOB, were released back into the wild, marking a significant victory for marine conservation.

Following months of extensive care and rehabilitation at the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB), dedicated team members sporting the biggest smiles and holding back tears of joy witnessed the fruits of their labour culminate in a rewarding moment and step forward for marine conservation.

A video shared by SANCCOB shows the team carefully moving large boxes to the beach before opening them to reveal the penguins they had dedicated so much effort to treating and preparing for rewilding. The birds were guided out of their boxes and onto the beach, where they walked together into the water before swimming into the horizon to continue their life in their ocean home.

In the last century, African Penguins have lost 97% of their population. The penguins’ main food sources, sardines and anchovies, are being depleted by commercial fishing. 

On March 18 2025 BirdLife South Africa and SANCCOB secured a historic victory for South Africa’s Critically Endangered African Penguin when the Pretoria High Court issued an order of court after a hard-won settlement agreement was reached by the two conservation NGOs with commercial sardine and anchovy purse-seine fishers (subsequently endorsed by the State). The order provides for the delineations of no-take zones for the commercial sardine and anchovy fishery around six key African Penguin breeding colonies that lie within coastal areas where this commercial fishery operates. 

SANCCOB stated: ''The six closures work together to secure biologically meaningful foraging areas for African Penguins in each of the west coast, southern Cape and Algoa Bay regions to help bring the species back from the brink of extinction. This settlement follows several weeks of exceptionally hard work and negotiations between the conservation NGOs and the commercial sardine and anchovy fishing industry.''

Surfing with a Penguin | Surf's Up for Real

A short film by Now Now Media presented by Monster Energy in association with O’Neill

Featuring Eli Beukes, Brendon Gibbens and others

Produced by Alan van Gysen

Written and Directed by Will Bendix

Primary pupils’ projects to protect Manly's little penguins

Peninsula public schools have teamed up with Taronga Zoo to help protect little penguin colonies. Jim Griffiths reports.

August 22 2025

Students from Brookvale Public School get a seal of approval from the penguins

The last onshore little penguin colony on Sydney’s northern beaches is overcoming threats to its survival thanks to a project involving Department of Education Zoo Education Team, Taronga Zoo and eight northern beaches public schools.

For 10 weeks, primary school students – with their high school mentors – undertake a range of activities to deepen their knowledge of Manly’s little penguins, threats to the colony and positive actions that we can all take to protect the species.

Relieving Zoo Education Advisor, Alexandra Heagney, said the primary school students had to solve one of the problems that the little penguins face, develop their own prototype solutions and create a community awareness campaign focused on protecting the penguins.

“What we hope to see out of this project is community awareness and students becoming advocates for the little penguin colony in Manly,” she said. “We also hope to see that they make changes when they become adults and teenagers too.”

During Project Penguin, the primary students are guided through the design thinking process and are supported by local high school student mentors.

The project follows a project-based learning framework implemented across a number of the department’s Zoo Education programs, with a focus on authentic cross-curricular learning focused on a locally threatened species.

The 22 best ideas were then shared at a Taronga Zoo expo attended by more than 640 students from Balgowlah Heights, Beacon Hill, Brookvale, Harbord and Manly West Public Schools and their mentors from Northern Beaches Secondary College Cromer, Balgowlah Boys and Mackellar Girls and The Beach School.

For example, one team from Harbord Public School developed a habitat with a surrounding pressure plate to detect anything heavier than a penguin.

Once activated, fox repellent and water are sprayed, along with noise from speakers to scare off any predator, with nets providing further protection from sea birds.

Brookvale Public School Year 3 student Neve Gordon enjoyed working on an idea to make better, storm-proof bins to reduce plastic pollution on the coastline.

“My favourite part of the project was working in groups and making things,” she said.

Harbord Public School students show their project at the ‘Project Penguin Expo’

WHY PENGUINS?

  • They’re an indicator species: Little penguins are at the top of the marine food chain for small fish and invertebrates. If their population declines, it can signal bigger environmental problems such as pollution, overfishing, or climate change.
  • They help maintain ecosystem balance: By feeding on small fish, squid, and krill, little penguins help keep prey populations in check.
  • They’re part of Sydney’s coastal identity: The Little Manly colony is the only breeding penguin colony left on the NSW mainland. They are a living connection to what Sydney’s coastline looked like long before the city grew around it, but they face challenges such habitat loss, pollution and the impacts of climate change.
  • They’re unique and irreplaceable: Little penguins are the smallest penguin species in the world, and the Little Manly colony is one of the most urban penguin populations anywhere. If they disappear here, they’ll never naturally return, it would be the end of a centuries-old population.

________________________________________________

A few insights from the news service from a few years ago.

In June 2019 we brought you some news about a project to put fireproof burrows on Lion Island for the colony that lives there - these penguins are seen in the Pittwater estuary and right along the coastal beaches. They used to have nests and colonies on the beaches all along our coast as well - at Turimetta Beach, Narrabeen and Long Reef in particular.

Here's some at Narrabeen in 1955 - and reports of them at Long Reef as well:

When summer comes . . .


HE MUST go down to the sea again, the lonely sea and the sky- but only for dinner. This hungry little chap couldn't wait for the rest of the flock that gathers for a nightly 3 a.m. party on the beach. Then they return to their nests to sleep all day.


HOUSING TROUBLES begin, at Mrs. E. Whittaker warns off a mother bird for squatting with its young beside her shed. But (inset) the penguin family sits tight till ready to vacate.

PENGUINS at the bottom of their garden

Spring comes with a difference to the gardens of waterfront homes in Ocean Street, Narrabeen, north of Sydney. It brings flocks of fairy penguins-the smallest of the breed-sauntering in from the sea to take up residence for their nesting season. As daytime guests they're welcome, but at nightfall they head down to the sea for food-making noises that keen everyone else awake, too. They stay for a few months.


HUNTING for invaders under the house, this family is helped by neighbors. Householders have M tried fencing and boarding around their houses, but still the penguins come to nest each year.

SIGNAL'S RIGHT, but the bus speeds on. For most people in Ocean Street, Narrabeen, the penguin novelty has worn off. They would rather have their sleep, which the birds' din disturbs. The noises vary from "woo-woo" to loud dog-like barks.


THE MAN who came to dinner takes it for granted he's welcome as Mr. W. Gillanty greets him. Residents, particularly light sleepers, now have to resign themselves to a trying time while the penguins, which are protected, are in charge. PENGUINS at the bottom of their garden (1956, December 12). The Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982), p. 23. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article41852332 

Marine Parade North Avalon resident and ornithologist Neville Cayley is mentioned in this one:

Two Little Penguins 

AS Mr. Neville Cayley mentions in the 'Mail' that there is very little known regarding the length of time these penguins care for their young before turning  them out, I thought the following account would be of especial interest to readers of 'Outdoor Australia.' 

At a crowded Museum lecture Mr. Kinghorn told us this unusual incident. One morning towards the end of August, 1921, the peace and serenity of some dwellers at Collaroy Beach were disturbed by extraordinary noises and weird cries at the back door. When the astonished owner of the house opened the door in rushed two little penguins, which with loud voices announced their intentions of staying. Then they danced about and waved their little wings in a most ingratiating way. After a short time these noisy visitors were shown the door, and they disappeared for a while. But, having chosen their home, Mr. and Mrs. Penguin returned later, and as they could not get inside the house they went underneath as far as they could get, and there made their nest of seaweed. The noise every night was almost unbearable; they would scream and cackle, and later, after about six weeks their songs of joy were terrific, for two youngsters were hatched. 

About four months after their arrival the penguin family suddenly departed. Where they wintered is their own secret: but late in the following August a terrible cackling outside advised these householders that they were back. When the door was opened Mr. and Mrs. Penguin marched triumphantly in, followed by two grown chicks, which were inquisitive and rather shy. Then followed extravagant dances of greeting and vociferous songs of 'Here we are again,' etc., in which the young ones also joined. 

They could not be quietened, and the neighbours hastened across to see if someone had gone mad. The owners of the house put the whole family down on the beach and drove them away. It was then that the parents sent off the chicks to fend for themselves, and they themselves returned later and went under the house to their old nest. The celebrations were so overpowering that the householders took down some boards next day, got the noisy pair out, and drove them at night by car to Palm Beach, about twelve miles distant, and there left them. But next morning saw them back. 

They were taken a second time, but returned, and were allowed lo stay; but a home was made for them in the far corner of the garden. The house side was netted off and a hole cut in the fence to allow them free access to the beach. They made a nest of seaweed, and later two eggs were laid. The birds look it in turn to sit on them, and there was always much shouting and scolding when one returned from the sea at night. 

After about six weeks two sooty-brown chicks appeared, and the noise that night and the next few days while the celebrations lasted was tremendous. The parents took it in turn to fish and swim during the day that followed, but at night they often went out together to find a suitable supper, and about 9 p.m. would return, arguing together as they came up the beach. The following summer my father saw a young penguin land on the rocks at Coogee. I think it quite likely that it was one of the young ones turned out at Collaroy. It was evidently not very used to fending for itself, for a patch of feathers was torn from its shoulder, possibly through not being an adept at landing. 

At the time of the lecture these queer visitors were still in residence at Collaroy, and what became of them I do not know. It is likely enough that the nesting-place on North Head mentioned by Mr. Cayley is occupied by these little penguins or their descendants.  Outdoor Australia (1925, March 18).Sydney Mail (NSW : 1912 - 1938), , p. 10. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article159721727 

It is recorded that two Fairy penguins for a number of years made seasonal visitations to Collaroy, near Sydney, and often laid their eggs under the floor of one of the houses there. — F.J.B. Quaint and Beautiful Sea Birds (1934, October 31). Sydney Mail (NSW : 1912 - 1938), , p. 56. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article166107257 

The Lion Island colony was officially first protected in 1956 - although they had been protected decades prior to then:

PROTECTION OF PENGUINS.

Mr. Oakes (Chief Secretary), who is in charge of the Act relating to wild life, desires it to be generally known that all species of penguins are absolutely protected by law, and that anyone interfering with the birds is liable to a penalty. Apart from this he says citizens are requested to refrain from molesting this interesting bird, or driving it back to the sea, as, naturally, no water fowl liked getting wet when half-feathered.

Mr. Oakes remarked yesterday that fairy penguins, which were frequently seen off the coast, came ashore at this period of the year for moulting purposes for about three weeks. During that time they had not been observed to feed or enter the water. Many persons had offered specimens of the birds as exhibits to the Taronga Zoological Gardens, while others had made inquiries how to keep them alive in captivity. As this species of penguin only lived on live fish they could not be kept alive away from the sea. PROTECTION OF PENGUINS. (1923, December 18). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), p. 8. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16127509

PENGUINS ON COAST ARE PROTECTED

A penguin caught to-day near Palm Beach was refused' by Zoo authorities. The birds are common along the coast at present, are protected by law, and do not live in captivity.

The secretary of the Zoo (Mr. H. B. Brown) said today that the public had been warned against molesting the birds. PENGUINS ON COAST ARE PROTECTED (1936, December 30). The Sun (Sydney, NSW : 1910 - 1954), p. 12 (COUNTRY EDITION). Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article230907746

Avalon Dunes - can you help?

On Sunday September 7  there will be a big planting morning of beach plants to help stabilise the sand on the blowout on the northern end of Avalon Dunes. Starting about 8.30 we will put in about 1000 plants. 



But before that, on August 25-29 the westward moving sand will be moved back to the beach from Des Creagh Reserve  and stabilised with 100+ coir logs and jute matting. This is a joint project of Northern Beaches Council and the NSW Government.

This blowout happened because dune fencing broke and people trampled on fragile dune vegetation, trying to get a high view of the beach,  just where the strong south-east winds blast up from the beach. 

All help very welcome.

Avalon Preservation Association

Thomas Stephens Reserve, Church Point - boardwalk + seawall works to commence This September

Council's Major Infrastructure Projects Team  has advised that as part of its Church Point Precinct Masterplan, it is building a new boardwalk in front of the Pasadena, a new jetty for ferry access, and upgrading the sandstone seawall.

''A temporary gangway will ensure the ferry service continues without disruption and access to The Waterfront Café & General Store, and Pasadena Sydney will remain open. The reserve will be closed while we undertake these important works.'' the CMIPT states

The improvements will be delivered in three carefully planned stages.

Stage 1 – Marine Works

  • Includes a new boardwalk outside the Pasadena Sydney and a new accessible gangway to the ferry pontoon.
  • Repairs and additions to the sandstone seawall along Thomas Stephens Reserve.
  • Thomas Stephens Reserve will be temporarily closed during these works.
  • Works to commence in September 2025 with the aim of being completed by Christmas.
  • A temporary alternate gangway to the ferry wharf will be installed ensuring access to the Ferry services at all times during the works.
  • Access to The Waterfront Cafe and General Store and Pasadena Sydney will be maintained throughout the works.

Stage 2 – Landscaping Works

  • Landscaping works will begin in early 2026 and will include permeable paving, tree retention, and improved public seating and bike facilities. Completing the landscaping will finalise the Masterplan.
  • Thomas Stephens Reserve will be temporarily closed during these works.

Stage 3 – McCarrs Creek Road Upgrade

  • Detailed design will be presented to the Local Transport Forum in September 2025 for consideration.
  • Construction will be staged and is expected to take place from early 2026.

Council's webpage states the first works will take place Monday - Friday between 7am and 5pm. We appreciate your patience as we deliver this important community upgrade.''

An overview of the council's plan and link to their project webpage is available in the September 2024 PON report; Church Point's Thomas Stephens Reserve Landscape works

 

Wildlife Hungry: Moving to road Edges to feed - Please Slow down

A Sydney Wildlife Carer has stated this week: ''We've  been getting a lot of calls to Sydney Wildlife (Sydney Metropolitan Wildlife Services) lately. 

Please slow down and be aware that food through winter is scarce and many animals are moving closer to the edges of the road in search of winter grass. 

If you see any sick or injured animal please call Sydney Wildlife Rescue 9413 4300.''

 

 

Permaculture with the Legendary Rosemary Morrow


Where: North Curl Curl Community Centre
(Corner of Abbott Rd and Griffin Rd, North Curl Curl)
When: Thursday August 28th
Doors Open at 7:30pm

We're so thrilled to have the ever-inspiring Rosemary Morrow visiting PNB at our August Education Evening to talk about taking Permaculture everywhere and adapting Permaculture in today's world.

Rosemary Morrow is one of the pioneering women in permaculture across the world. For almost 50 years she has extensively worked with farmers and villagers in Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe often in war-torn nations such as Afghanistan, Bosnia, and Cambodia. The Australia PermaFund is set up to support work some of these projects.

She has also developed her own rural properties in Australia as models of sustainable living and is the author of many books such as “The Earth User’s Guide to Permaculture,” “The Earth User’s Guide to Restoring Permaculture” and the “Seed Savers Manual”.
Rosemary teaches permaculture to permaculture teachers in an interactive and thought-provoking way. She has inspired many to take up and teach permaculture including our own PNB Introduction to Permaculture (ITP) courses, and is often referred to as the “Permaculture teachers’ teacher”.
Rosemary lives in the Blue Mountains and started the Blue Mountains Permaculture Institute.

Be sure not to miss this very special evening.

Entry is free for members and by donation for non-members (from $5 is recommended)

To book and help us to plan ahead, use the below link:
Or you may just turn up on the night!

Attendees are warmly invited to bring along a small plate of food to share if you wish.

Lifesaving natural hazards technology put through its paces

August 19, 2025

A device that retrofits onto existing infrastructure to deliver remote, real-time updates on water levels at road crossings is one of 15 innovations being considered in Phase 1 of the Minns Government’s $3.3 million Natural Hazards Detection System (NHDS) program.

The program, led by the Office of the Chief Scientist & Engineer in collaboration with the NSW Reconstruction Authority, will test a broad range of innovative technologies to reduce the cost and impact from disasters caused by natural hazards.

The funded projects include technology which can be mounted directly onto flood depth water indicator signs on NSW roads and transmit data to emergency services, AI and night vision-enabled imaging, a stratospheric blimp-based imaging system and a network of sensors to measure soil and fuel moisture for fire management.

Successful Phase 1 recipients will develop their technologies and can apply for Phase 2, in which they will be deployed and rigorously tested at pilot locations in at-risk Local Government Areas identified by the NSW State Emergency Service and NSW Rural Fire Service.

The NHDS program is an outcome of the 2020 Bushfire Inquiry and 2022 Flood Inquiry to use new detection technology to improve the identification and warning of impacts of natural hazards.

For a full list of recipients and further program details, visit: https://www.chiefscientist.nsw.gov.au/natural-hazards-detection-system

NHDS Proof of Concept Funding Recipients

Fifteen companies have been successful in receiving funding for Phase 1 of the NHDS.

Company Solution/Description                                                       Funding Amount Challenge

Aquamonix Envoy - a smart and flexible disaster management IoT​ $20,400.00 Challenge 4 - Rainfall/Soil Moisture Data (Flood)​

Envoy is a low-cost, solar-powered monitoring system that uses cellular, LoRaWAN, or satellite services for data transmission. It can be equipped with a variety of analogue and digital sensors to monitor environmental parameters such as rainfall, soil moisture, water levels, and weather conditions. This robust and flexible IoT system enhances flood prediction accuracy and situational awareness for disaster management, offering a scalable and cost-effective solution for remote and underserved areas.

Aquamonix FloodCAM -Visual AI for Camera-Based Flood Monitoring​ $48,428.00 Challenge 1 - Water over Roads and Assets (Flood)​

FloodCAM is solar-powered, non-contact sensor, attachable to existing infrastructure with an inbuilt smart camera featuring IR capability for night vision, and inbuilt analytics. The sensor detects water surfaces over roads and critical assets within the camera view, and identifies and evaluates water levels against safety thresholds, offering regular and precise water measurements and alerts.

Aquamonix Vortex Micro Station                                                       $25,000.00 Challenge 2 - Flash Flooding Water Levels (Flood)​

The Vortex Microstation is a compact, solar-powered sensor that utilises multiple non-contact sensing techniques, including IR (Infrared), LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) and GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System). These techniques are processed onboard to provide reliable and accurate water level measurements during flood events. The sensor ensures precise measurements at critical locations, enabling emergency services to more easily track the progress of an ongoing flood and supporting the effective protection of local communities.

Austrapex Transformative Water Sensing Solution for Flash Flood Management​ $ 49,500.00 Challenge 2 - Flash Flooding Water Levels (Flood)​

Austrapex’s solution is a sensor that passively captures cellular signals transmitted by nearby towers and reflected off water surfaces. The system translates the signals into precise and efficient estimates of water levels and velocity, providing a cost-effective method for gathering real-time data during a flood event, and contributes to safer communities, efficient resource management and long-term resilience planning.

Kallipr​ Kallipr Rain and Soil Moisture Monitoring Solution​ & Kallipr Flood Monitoring Solution​ $ 103,000.00 (total - three combined applications)

Challenge 1 - Water over Roads and Assets (Flood)​

Challenge 2 - Flash Flooding Water Levels (Flood)​

Challenge 4 - Rainfall/Soil Moisture Data (Flood)​

Kallipr offers a solar-powered Internet of Things (IoT) flood monitoring sensor capable of gathering data on water level, water velocity and soil moisture in areas prone to flash flooding in real time. It delivers timely alerts, empowering local councils and emergency services teams to make rapid, informed decisions during critical events. The system integrates high accuracy radar, rain gauge, soil probe and advanced IoT data loggers to collect, process and transmit high-precision water level and surface velocity data as well as other environmental data such as soil moisture. This enables swift decision-making during flood events and expands monitoring capabilities for broader environmental and flood management applications.

Kablamo​ Hazards Near Me 2.0 - Citizen Insight Exchange​ $ 50,000.00 Challenge 9 - Existing Data (Flood & Fire)​

Kablamo’s proposed solution enhances natural hazard management by transforming the ‘Hazards Near Me’ (HNM) app into a two-way communication tool, allowing the public to upload geotagged images and videos of incidents. This system provides real-time, actionable intelligence without the need for expensive physical sensors. By leveraging the trusted HNM platform, it empowers local communities to contribute high-quality data, improving public safety, resource allocation and decision-making for NSW Emergency Services.

Indicium Dynamics​ Fire Foresight $50,000.00 Challenge 8 - Bushfire Fuel and Soil Moisture Monitoring (Fire)​

The Fire Foresight proposed solution integrates a network of portable, low-maintenance sensors that monitor bushfire fuel and soil moisture every 15 minutes. These sensors use non-destructive techniques to measure moisture content in fine and 10-hour fuel types, as well as upper soil moisture, and transmit real-time data to emergency services. This innovative system enhances situational awareness for fire agencies, enabling informed decisions on hazard reduction and fire management, while reducing the need for on-the-ground testing and improving overall efficiency and accuracy.

MaxWave Technology Pty Ltd​   AquaSense Technology: Dual-Mode Passive Tag and AI-Driven System for Environmental Monitoring and Hazard Mitigation​ $44,300.00 Challenge 4 - Rainfall/Soil Moisture Data (Flood)​

Aquasense passive battery-less sensors monitor volumetric water content in the soil. If this exceeds a threshold indicating flood risk, the tags switch to active sensing and monitor temperature, humidity and water levels providing crucial data for drought, flood and fire management. This system can be deployed in remote areas, operating without batteries and utilising energy harvested from an external transmitter, and offers high adaptability and reliable real-time environmental monitoring.

MVP Engineering​ FloodMate​ $41,900.00 Challenge 1 - Water over Roads and Assets (Flood)​

FloodMate is a novel, capacitance-based flood depth sensor designed to retrofit onto existing flood depth indicator signs. It uses capacitance-based water sensing technology to detect water presence without physical contact, ensuring reliability and low cost. This innovative sensor provides real-time flood tracking and alerting capabilities, making it a practical and scalable solution for hazard detection and disaster response

NGIS​ Automatic Water Level Estimation from Imagery​ $50,000.00 Challenge 3 - Water Level from Imagery (Flood)​

NGIS’s proposed solution utilises computer vision and AI to measure water levels and velocity from existing and newly installed camera feeds. The system can detect water boundaries, measure water levels and track water movement, critical during a flood event. It supports cloud-based processing for high-bandwidth areas and edge computing for remote locations, ensuring flexibility and continuous monitoring. This innovative system leverages existing camera networks, reducing infrastructure costs and enhancing flood management for local and NSW Government agencies.

Nova Systems​  Firewar Early Bushfire Detection System​ $50,000.00 Challenge 5 - Ignition Detection (Fire)​

The Firewar system is a network of sensors deployed over high risk locations that can continuously monitor large areas. These sensors measure temperature, humidity, volatile organic compounds, CO2 and air pressure every three minutes, with an AI algorithm estimating the probability of fire ignition. The sensors communicate via LoRaWAN to a gateway, which then uses standard networks to provide real-time data collection and alerts through a cloud-hosted API, ensuring rapid and accurate fire monitoring.

Silicon Vandals EnviroDrop​ $46,800.00 Challenge 7 - Local Fire Weather Monitoring (Fire)​

EnviroDrop is an environmental monitoring system designed to be aerially deployed in remote and hard-to-reach areas. It uses advanced sensor technology to measure temperature, humidity, wind speed/direction, rainfall and solar radiation without any moving parts. This system ensures safe aerial deployment, durability and long operational life, making it a practical and scalable solution for environmental monitoring and disaster response.

Stratoship​ Hyperspectral detection from the Stratosphere​ $ 50,000.00 Challenge 5 - Ignition Detection (Fire)​

Stratoship offers a novel solution that uses a non-flammable helium airship to place a highly sensitive remote sensor 20km high in the stratosphere to provide a satellite-like view of fires in a region. The payload on the airship uses a Near-Infrared imaging system to detect fire ignition in the early stages, as the sensors are less affected by atmospheric interference, enabling reliable imagery in hazardous conditions. This innovative approach offers persistent and precise monitoring over large areas.

WatchTowers Networks​ The Mobile WatchTower Solution​ $47,600.00 Challenge 6 - Fire Assessment and Monitoring (Fire)​

The Mobile WatchTower solution is an advanced, rapidly deployable platform designed to enhance bushfire detection and situational awareness for emergency services. It combines dual high-definition PTZ cameras, solar-powered energy systems, and multi-mode connectivity options like LTE and Starlink, ensuring coverage in underserved or high-risk areas within minutes and is mounted on a towable trailer for easy deployment by emergency service vehicles. This innovative system integrates with the WatchTowers Command platform providing real-time intelligence and AI-generated alerts for adaptive hazard management in NSW.

WaterMark​ WaterMark​ $50,000.00 Challenge 3 - Water Level from Imagery (Flood)​

WaterMark transforms existing surveillance and traffic cameras into an intelligent water level monitoring network using advanced computer vision technology. It processes camera feeds with deep learning algorithms to identify reference points, and extract measurements ensuring accurate water level monitoring without new sensor deployments. This innovative system enhances flood monitoring coverage, reduces costs and provides real-time reliability assessments, making it a scalable and practical solution for emergency services.

NSW Minister for Emergency Services, The Hon. Jihad Dib said:

“We are investing in technologies and infrastructure to improve the way we communicate and respond to disasters, in the face of increasing risk from more frequent and intense natural hazards.

“By testing cutting edge technologies and new early warning systems, we can improve the way we predict and provide disaster warnings, and this program is yet another way we are finding solutions that work for our emergency services and the communities of NSW.”

NSW Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology, The Hon. Anoulack Chanthivong, said:

“The National Hazards Detection System program is another example of the Minns Labor Government partnering with innovators to tackle the biggest challenges faced by our state.

“These exciting new technologies can make positive change in the lives of those most directly impacted by disasters caused by natural hazards.

“The Government is investing nearly $80 million to implement our Innovation Blueprint to cement NSW as the best place to innovate, connect with investors, and scale a business, which includes $20 million for the Emerging Technology Commercialisation Fund to drive long term growth and productivity in Government priority areas, such as housing, Net Zero and energy transition and local manufacturing.

“With these investments, the Minns Government is supporting the next generation of researchers, scientists and other innovators to generate both social and economic benefits for NSW.”

NSW Minister for Recovery Janelle Saffin said:

“With the constant change in our climate, floods and bushfires are occurring more frequently and we have a responsibility to ensure our communities are better prepared and more resilient to their impacts.

“The Minns Labor Government is committed to protecting communities by ensuring they have adequate time to evacuate, and new hazard-warning technologies such as these will go a long way to delivering that.

“Having enough time to plan evacuation routes could save lives, and in locations such as the Northern Rivers and the Hawkesbury Nepean, give farmers advanced warning to move livestock to higher ground.”

Office of the Chief Scientist & Engineer Professor Hugh Durrant-Whyte stated:

"These innovative technologies are changing the thinking on how we might best respond to natural hazards in the future.

“By supporting these companies to further develop and test their systems and devices, we will be able to provide real-time solutions for the prediction and management of both fire and flood hazards for NSW communities and emergency services.”   

NSW leads the way towards national solar panel reuse and recycling scheme

August 18, 2025

Commonwealth, state and territory governments have agreed to progress work towards a national product stewardship scheme for solar panels, ensuring they are managed from start to end of life.

At Friday’s meeting of the Energy and Climate Change Ministerial Council in Sydney, NSW presented a paper advocating a national mandated scheme to prevent solar panels ending up in landfill, instead directing them towards remanufacture or recycling. NSW is already developing a mandated stewardship program for batteries.

Annual solar panel waste volumes in Australia are predicted to nearly double over the next five years, from 59,340 tonnes in 2025 to 91,165 tonnes in 2030. The surge in waste is expected to be greatest in metropolitan cities from domestic use, with volumes beginning to grow in regional areas from large-scale solar facilities after 2030.

Energy Ministers recognised increasing calls for improved end-of-life management of solar panels, including those at large-scale facilities. Many solar panels are disposed of well before the end of their useful life and typically end up in landfill, stockpiled, or exported.

More than 95% of a solar panel is recyclable and contains valuable materials, including aluminium, glass, copper, silver and silicon, which can be beneficially recovered and reused.

The Smart Energy Council estimates that around one-third of solar panels could be re-used instead of being thrown away. This could contribute up to 24 gigawatts of energy by 2040, enough to power six million homes a year.

Energy Ministers agreed that NSW will lead preliminary work, together with other jurisdictions, in drawing up a Regulatory Impact Statement.

The draft will help the Government evaluate options for a national mandatory product stewardship scheme that could catalyse a national recycling and reuse sector for solar panels and their batteries.

The Commonwealth is also supporting low-cost recycling technologies for solar PV through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, to help support the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of industry approaches to solar product stewardship.

Minister for Energy and the Environment, Penny Sharpe said:

“We are proud to be leading the charge to create a unified approach to solar panel waste management and recycling.

“This work builds on the momentum of our nation-leading reform on batteries, and the new legislation already in place in NSW to enable a mandatory product stewardship scheme – ensuring suppliers take responsibility for the safe design, recycling and disposal of their products.”

Smart Energy Council CEO, John Grimes said:

“It's been a decade since the federal government acknowledged solar panels going into landfill was a problem. Now, four million panels are coming off roofs a year with less than 5% being recycled.

“The time for talk has passed, an immediate first step is a national solar stewardship pilot to keep the industry alive and inform the Regulatory Impact Statement.

“The Smart Energy Council welcomes the restated focus from governments on the critical need for stewardship of solar PV, and particularly acknowledges the efforts of the NSW government for leading on this.’

Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union NSW/ACT State Secretary Brad Pidgeon said:

"A national solar panel stewardship scheme is a major opportunity for Australian jobs.

“Remanufacturing and recycling panels here means more onshore work in the renewable energy supply chain instead of shipping valuable materials offshore or losing them as waste."

IPART Draft Report on the review of Water prices for Greater Sydney from 1 October 2025: Have your say

On Thursday July 31 IPART has released draft prices for WaterNSW bulk water services in the Greater Sydney region, from 1 October 2025 to 30 June 2028.

Tribunal Chair Carmel Donnelly said WaterNSW is responsible for owning, operating and maintaining dams in NSW, and capturing, storing and supplying bulk water to Sydney Water, a small number of local councils and about 60 business customers in the Greater Sydney region.

“Bulk water customers such as Sydney Water then treat and distribute that water to residential and business customers in Greater Sydney,” Ms Donnelly said.

“Bulk water pricing can therefore affect the price residential and business customers pay for the water they buy from Sydney Water and Wingecarribee, Shoalhaven and Goulburn Mulwaree councils.”

Under IPART’s draft decisions, over the 3 years to 2027-28, WaterNSW’s Greater Sydney bulk water prices would increase by around 10.4% per year before inflation. For a typical Sydney Water residential customer, IPART states this would add about $7 to bills in 2025-26, $20 to bills in 2026-27 and $31 to bills in 2027-28 before inflation.

Ms Donnelly said the Tribunal’s draft decisions are based on careful consideration of a range of factors including the need to support safe, reliable and efficient water catchment, storage and supply services in the Greater Sydney region.

“The Tribunal also considered stakeholder submissions received during a public hearing and in response to a November 2024 Issues Paper and a May 2025 Information Paper,” Ms Donnelly said.

“Our aim is to set prices that mean customers of WaterNSW only pay what is required to efficiently deliver bulk water services.”

“The draft prices we have set in this report are lower than WaterNSW’s September 2024 proposal to increase prices by around 14% per year. However, some increases in prices are necessary to allow WaterNSW to maintain its assets and continue to deliver reliable services that the community expects.”

Stakeholders can download a copy of the report from IPART’s website and provide feedback on the proposed prices for WaterNSW until Monday 25 August 2025.

Chapter 9 (Draft Prices) of the IPART Draft Report states:

Fixed charges are increasing for all customers under our draft decisions

Over the 3-year determination period, under our draft decisions:

Sydney Water’s fixed charges would increase to around $203.7 million in 2025-26, which is a 11.6% nominal increase. The fixed charge in 2027-28 would be around $248.7 million ($2025-26), which is around a 36.2% increase from current prices.

For other customers the fixed charge would increase by around 13.1% in nominal terms to 2025-26, then increase by around 10.4% plus inflation each year.

• Wingecarribee Shire, Shoalhaven City and Goulburn-Mulwaree councils’ fixed charges would increase by around 13.1% in 2025-26 and by 37.8% to 2027-28. The dollar increases are different for each council.

Fixed charges for unfiltered water customers would increase to around $131 in 2025-26 which is a 13.1% increase. The fixed charge would be approximately $160 ($2025-26) in 2027-28, which is around a 37.8% increase from current prices.

Usage charges are increasing for all customers under our draft decisions

Over the 3-year determination period, under our draft decisions:

Sydney Water’s non-drought usage charge would increase to $100.50/ML in 2025-26, which is a 19.6% nominal increase. The same usage charge in 2027-28 would be $121.70/ML ($2025-26), which is around a 44.8% increase from current prices.

For other customers the non-drought usage charge would generally increase by around 13.1% in nominal terms to 2025-26, then generally increase by 10.4% plus inflation each year.

• Wingecarribee Shire, Shoalhaven City and Goulburn-Mulwaree councils’ non-drought usage charges would increase by 13.1% in 2025-26 and by 37.8% to 2027-28. The dollar increases are different for each council.

• Non-drought usage charges for raw water customers would increase to $0.86/kL in 2025-26 which is around a 13.2% increase. The same charge would be $1.05/kL ($2025-26) in 2027-28, which is around a 38.2% increase from current prices.

• Non-drought usage charges for unfiltered water customers would increase to $1.49/kL in 2025-26 which is around a 12.9% increase. The same charge would be $1.82/kL ($2025-26) in 2027-28, which is around a 37.9% increase from current prices.

 Overall, when comparing current prices (2024-25) to 2027-28 prices, our draft decisions for Sydney Water are that the:

• Fixed charge would be approximately 11.6% higher in 2025-26 from 1 October, including inflation. This is then followed by increases of around 10.4% plus inflation on 1 July 2026 then by around 10.6% plus inflation on 1 July 2027. In 2027-28 the fixed charge would be $248.70 million. The average price per annum from 2025-26 to 2027-28 would be around $225.76 million per year. 

''Your feedback will help us make our final decisions for the maximum prices WaterNSW can charge for its services in Greater Sydney. We will release our final decisions in September 2025 with prices to take effect from 1 October 2025.'' IPART states

Sydney Water has proposed the increase in water charges, now drafted in the latest IPART Draft Report, to fund infrastructure upgrades to address the city's growing population. 

IPART states in its report that the proposed bill increases under its draft decisions are lower than the 14% real increase per year put forward by WaterNSW in its June 2025 submission to our Information Paper (its alternative revenue request). 

''Our proposed prices are lower because our review of efficient expenditure has indicated that not all of the increases in expenditure that WaterNSW proposed are necessary or efficient for this next 3-year period.

We propose to set WaterNSW’s notional revenue requirement (NRR) for Greater Sydney to $824.8 million for the 3-year determination period.''

Read the Draft Report

Make a Submission

Previously:

622kg of Rubbish Collected from Local Beaches: Adopt your local beach program

Sadly, our beaches are not as pristine as we'd all like to think they are. 

Surfrider Foundation Northern Beaches' Adopt A beach ocean conservation program is highlighting that we need to clean up our act.

Surfrider Foundation Northern Beaches' states:
''The collective action by our amazing local community at their monthly beach clean events across 9 beach locations is assisting Surfrider Foundation NB in the compilation of quantitative data on the volume, type and often source of the marine pollution occurring at each location.

In just 6 sessions, clear indicators are already forming on the waste items and areas to target with dedicated litter prevention strategies.

Plastic pollution is an every body problem and the solution to fixing it lies within every one of us.
Together we can choose to refuse this fate on our Northern beaches and turn the tide on pollution. 
A cleaner coast together !''

Join us - 1st Sunday of the month, Adopt your local for a power beach clean or donate to help support our program here. https://www.surfrider.org.au/donate/

Next clean up - This Sun September 7 4 – 5 pm.

Event locations 
  • Avalon – Des Creagh Reserve (North Avalon Beach Lookout)
  • North Narrabeen – Corner Ocean St & Malcolm St (grass reserve next to North Narrabeen SLSC)
  • Collaroy– 1058 Pittwater Rd (beachfront next to The Beach Club Collaroy)
  • Dee Why Beach –  Corner Howard Ave & The Strand (beachfront grass reserve, opposite Blu Restaurant)
  • Curl Curl – Beachfront at North Curl Curl Surf Club. Shuttle bus also available from Harbord Diggers to transport participants to/from North Curl Curl beach. 
  • Freshwater Beach – Moore Rd Beach Reserve (opposite Pilu Restaurant)
  • Manly Beach – 11 South Steyne (grass reserve opposite Manly Grill)
  • Manly Cove – Beach at West Esplanade (opposite Fratelli Fresh)
  • Little Manly– 55 Stuart St Little Manly (Beachfront Grass Reserve)
… and more to follow!

Surfrider Foundation Northern Beaches

EPA tackling greenhouse gas emissions with new licensee requirements: Have your say

The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) is seeking feedback on requirements to help industry cut emissions and drive NSW towards achieving net zero by 2050. 

The proposed Climate Change Licensee Requirements and Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptions Plans: Mitigation Requirements released July 29 aim to strengthen the transparency of greenhouse gas reporting and businesses’ emission reduction plans. 

To support the shift to a decarbonised economy, the proposed measures will be phased in across industry sectors, firstly applying to very large greenhouse gas emitters that hold environment protection licences.

NSW EPA CEO, Tony Chappel said this is a significant step forward in setting new standards for climate action, providing certainty to industry and the community as we transition to net zero.

“Climate change is not a problem for the future. We are already facing its escalating consequences, from unprecedented fires to recent devastating flood events across regional NSW,” said Mr Chappel. 

“We need to treat greenhouse gases like any other pollutant we regulate. EPA licensees currently contribute half of NSW’s total greenhouse gas emissions. 

“Introducing new requirements and guidance for industry is essential as we move towards a climate resilient future. 

“This will be a complex journey, and we are committed to developing specific approaches for different industries and sectors, rather than a one size fits all solution.”

To build our evidence base, the EPA commissioned the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) to conduct an independent expert review of methane measurement technologies for fugitive methane emissions.

The EPA is also developing sector specific guides on emissions reductions. The first of these, the Proposed Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Guide for NSW Coal Mines, outlines tailored climate actions for the coal industry, targeting methane, a potent greenhouse gas. 

The draft requirements will apply to about 200 premises and are set to include:

  • Annual climate change emissions reporting 
  • Climate change mitigation and adaptation plans
  • Specific mitigation actions 
  • Emissions measurement 

To help meet the proposed requirements, eligible licensees will be able to access grants from the High Emitting Industries Fund

The requirements, mitigation guidance and guide for NSW coal mines are key initiatives set in the Government's Climate Change Policy and Action Plan 2023-26

For more information and to have your say by 5pm Tuesday 7 October 2025, visit: https://yoursay.epa.nsw.gov.au

$1.2 million on offer to crack down on illegal dumping

Councils, public land managers and regional waste groups across NSW can now apply for a share of more than $1.2 million to prevent illegal dumping and protect local environments and communities.

The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has opened Round 3 of the Illegal Dumping Prevention Program, which supports targeted, on-the-ground projects to address the problem at its source. 

Funding is available for a wide range of initiatives, including deterrents such as fencing and barriers, site clean-ups, education and behaviour change campaigns, surveillance and enforcement tools.

EPA Executive Director of Programs and Innovation, Alexandra Geddes said $2.83 million awarded to 36 successful recipients across the first two rounds has had a meaningful impact.

“These grants help organisations take action, making a real difference by preventing illegal dumping before it occurs,” Ms Geddes said.

“We’ve seen great results in places like Bathurst and the Shoalhaven, where previous funding improved monitoring and helped deter repeat offenders through innovative design and technology.

“In this Round, we’re looking to back more projects that reduce the volume of waste being dumped illegally, because it is more than just an eyesore – it’s a threat to our environment, wildlife and public safety.” 

Dumping incidents in the Bathurst local government area are estimated to have halved after Bathurst Regional Council received more than $117,000 under Round 1 of the program. The council installed solar-powered mobile cameras and community signage across known hotspots, allowing it to monitor activity in real time, catch perpetrators in the act, and clean up dumped materials more efficiently.

Meanwhile, Shoalhaven City Council was awarded more than $76,000 in funding under Round 2 of the program. Approximately 450 tonnes of illegally dumped waste was recovered from public land in the local government area during the past two years. This investment will enable the council to collaborate with NSW Government agencies, such as National Parks and Wildlife Service and Crown Lands, to run a community awareness campaign, and install gates, bollards, signage and CCTV cameras in high-risk dumping zones. 

Expressions of Interest for Streams 3 & 4 closes on 30 September 2025.

Grants range from $20,000 to $200,000. For more information and to apply, visit:

www.epa.nsw.gov.au/Working-together/Grants/Illegal-dumping/Illegal-Dumping-Prevention 

$1 million to establish independent NSW recreational fishing peak body

The Minns Government states it is delivering on another election commitment by commencing consultation on an independent peak body to represent the interests of the State’s more than one million recreational fishers.

This is part of the NSW Government’s plan to build a better NSW and to boost economic activity in regional NSW.

More than $1 million has been earmarked to fund the new body and to assist it drive on ground outcomes for the State’s recreational fishers.

The recreational fishing industry is major contributor to our coastal and inland communities and generates about $3.4 billion of economic activity in NSW each year. The industry also creates the equivalent of about 14,000 fulltime jobs.

The NSW Government made an election commitment to establish a peak body for the State’s recreational fishers and has worked with the fishing representatives to develop their vision for a peak body that is:

  • a viable and respected professional body: to deliver representation that effectively champions the future of recreational fishing
  • representative of all NSW recreational fishers: including affiliated and unaffiliated fishers from diverse backgrounds
  • independent of Government: to enable apolitical representation to advance the priorities and needs of recreational fishers
  • collaborative and solutions-oriented: to work constructively with Government and other bodies to deliver solutions for recreational fishers.

The people of NSW are now encouraged to have their say on this important process. Public consultation is open from 6 August 2025 to 1 October 2025.

To learn more and provide your feedback, visit the NSW Government’s Have Your Say website.

Our culturally and linguistically diverse fishing community are encouraged to use the translate feature on the Have Your Say website, which offers access in multiple languages and provides a contact for support with submissions.

Minister for Agriculture and Regional NSW, Tara Moriarty said:

“Recreational fishing is a vital part of life for many people in NSW.

“The NSW Government is committed to supporting a thriving, inclusive and sustainable recreational fishing sector that encourages participation across all communities.

“This peak body will work closely with the NSW Government to effectively represent the interests of for all NSW recreational fishers.

“The recreational fishing industry is vital to the NSW economy and one the NSW Government is committed to supporting in a cohesive, productive and positive way.”

Peak Body Working Group member, Karl Mathers said:

“The model for this peak body has been designed to ensure an inclusive and collaborative organisation to help advance the priorities and needs of NSW’s recreational fishers.

“Your feedback is important to ensure the final model reflects the needs and perspectives of recreational fishers from all corners of the state.”

Notice of 1080 Poison Baiting

The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) will be conducting a baiting program using manufactured baits, fresh baits and Canid Pest Ejectors (CPE’s/ejectors) containing 1080 poison (sodium fluoroacetate) for the control of foxes. The program is continuous and ongoing for the protection of threatened species.

This notification is for the period 1 August 2025 to 31 January 2026 at the following locations:

  • Garigal National Park
  • Lane Cove National Park (baits only, no ejectors are used in Lane Cove National Park)
  • Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park
  • Sydney Harbour National Park – North Head (including the Quarantine Station), Dobroyd Head, Chowder Head & Bradleys Head managed by the NPWS
  • The North Head Sanctuary managed by the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust
  • The Australian Institute of Police Management, North Head

DO NOT TOUCH BAITS OR EJECTORS

All baiting locations will be identifiable by signs.

Please be reminded that domestic pets are not permitted on NPWS Estate. Pets and working dogs may be affected (1080 is lethal to cats and dogs). Pets and working dogs must be restrained or muzzled in the vicinity and must not enter the baiting location. Penalties apply for non-compliance.

In the event of accidental poisoning seek immediate veterinary assistance.

For further information please call the local NPWS office on:

NPWS Sydney North (Middle Head) Area office: 9960 6266

NPWS Sydney North (Forestville) Area office: 9451 3479

NPWS North West Sydney (Lane Cove NP) Area office: 8448 0400

NPWS after-hours Duty officer service: 1300 056 294

Sydney Harbour Federation Trust: 8969 2128

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

  

Mother of Millions (Bryophyllum daigremontianumPhoto by John Hosking.

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 

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

Pittwater is home to many resident and annually visiting birds. If you watch your step you won't harm any 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

Dingoes are not domestic dogs – new evidence shows these native canines are on their own evolutionary path

Kylie M. Cairns, UNSW Sydney; Bradley Smith, CQUniversity Australia; Euan Ritchie, Deakin University, and Thomas Newsome, University of Sydney

For decades, scientists, policymakers, graziers and land managers have been locked in a surprisingly high-stakes debate over what defines a dingo. Are these wild canids their own species? Or are they simply feral dogs?

The intensity of the debate can seem baffling. But the naming of animals influences how they are perceived and managed. The dingo debate has very real consequences for conservation laws, cultural recognition and respect, and the future of one of Australia’s iconic animals.

In 2020, researchers proposed four conditions dingoes would have to meet to be considered separate from domestic dogs: reproductive isolation (they don’t mate and produce fertile offspring), genetic distinctiveness, independent evolutionary path and distinctiveness from South-East Asian village dogs, which superficially resemble dingoes.

In our new research, we lay out the scientific case showing dingoes do indeed meet these requirements, across genetic, behavioural, ecological and archaeological evidence. We now have a clear answer: dingoes are distinct.

Australia’s wild canines have been on their own evolutionary path for thousands of years. As a distinct lineage, they should be recognised in their own right as a species or subspecies. They are not Canis familiaris, the domestic dog. They should be named either Canis dingo or Canis lupus dingo.

Ginger dingo standing in a desert landscape.
A typical ginger dingo in the Strzelecki desert, South Australia. Matthew Brun, CC BY-ND

Species aren’t always in neat boxes

One of the greatest challenges for modern taxonomy is how to categorise “species” that don’t fit in neat little boxes but exist along a continuum.

It’s harder still for species whose long and significant associations with humans can lead to substantial changes that are evolutionarily significant.

It’s widely accepted domestic and wild animal populations should be distinguished and be given different scientific names. Domestication is often portrayed as a simple before-and-after event. But this isn’t accurate.

Domestication is a long, messy continuum. Some domesticated species such as cattle and modern dog breeds depend on humans for their survival. But dingoes are different. They have lived alongside people but are also entirely capable of surviving without us, and have done so for thousands of years.

In evolutionary terms, what matters is the trajectory. Did human contact fundamentally alter the appearance, biology and behaviour of the species, locking it into a domestic lifestyle? Or did human influence have little effect, meaning the species has been shaped primarily by natural selection in the wild?

a pug dog standing on green grass.
Many modern dog breeds such as pugs have been bred for specific body shapes and traits rendering them less likely to survive in the wild by themselves. Abuk Sabuk/Wikimedia, CC BY

Do dingoes meet the criteria to be considered taxonomically distinct?

Our research shows how the four conditions have been met to consider dingoes separate:

1. Reproductive isolation

Dingoes have been separated from other Canis lineages for 8,000-11,000 years. Genetic studies show dingoes have little contemporary interbreeding with domestic dogs, even when they live in the same areas. While all Canis species can interbreed and produce fertile offspring, differences in breeding seasons and behaviour act as natural barriers. Unlike dingoes, domestic dogs rarely establish wild, self-sustaining populations.

2. Genetic distinctiveness

Genome-wide analyses reveal dingoes descend from an ancient “eastern” dog lineage, while most modern domestic dogs come from “western” and “Arctic” dog lineages. Since their arrival in Australia, dingoes have remained genetically isolated.

3. An independent evolutionary lineage

From a genetic point of view, dingoes are more distinct from domestic dogs than domestic dog breeds are from each other. Modern dog breeds have undergone waves of mixing and human selection, while dingoes have not. This is why dingoes lack the genetic adaptations to starch-rich diets that domestic dogs evolved alongside agriculture and human contact.

Dingoes have carved out their own ecological niche in Australia’s unique environments, from deserts to snowy mountains. They have developed separate traits such as hyperflexible joints and a single breeding season over autumn and winter. By contrast, humans have heavily shaped the evolutionary path of domestic dogs, making them reliant on us.

4. Clear up whether dogs found in South-East Asia are dingoes

Some researchers have suggested dingo-like village dogs in South-East Asia are actually dingoes. While dingoes share some ancestors with these dogs, modern genetic evidence shows dingoes and their closest relatives, New Guinea singing dogs, are a separate population.

What’s in a name?

The question over how dogs evolved is not yet resolved. Some taxonomists believe dogs are a subspecies of wolf, while others disagree. Given this uncertainty, giving dingoes a unique scientific name can be done in two ways.

If we consider dingoes distinct from both dogs and wolves, the most appropriate name would be Canis dingo — recognising the dingo as its own species with a long, separate evolutionary history.

But if dingoes are not distinct from wolves, the correct name would be Canis lupus dingo. This would treat it as a subspecies of wolf, while still acknowledging its wild lineage separate to domestic dogs.

The name of the dingo matters

There is real power in the name of a species.

Under some state laws, dingoes are defined as “wild dogs”. This means dingoes are targeted for lethal control – even in many national parks. If treated as a domestic dog, dingoes can be ineligible for official threatened species lists.

As a result, the species is often overlooked for targeted conservation, while its culturally significant role for many First Nations peoples is often not recognised nor respected.

Defining dingoes as a distinct species or subspecies would allow governments to differentiate them from domestic dogs in laws, policies and conservation programs, and align western science with First Nations knowledge holders who have long distinguished between dingoes and dogs.

A black and tan dingo lying down in long grass and looking straight ahead.
Dingoes are culturally important for many First Nations peoples. This is a black and tan Wilkerr (the name used by Wotjobaluk peoples in northwestern Victoria) in Wyperfeld National Park. Big Desert Dingo Research, CC BY-NC-ND

Ending decades of confusion will take work

To clear up long-running disagreement over the dingo, we believe the time has come for an independent, evidence-based review by a national scientific body. This would bring together geneticists, ecologists, taxonomists and First Nations representatives.

This approach helped untangle similarly knotty problems overseas, such as the United States National Academies’ review to settle the taxonomy of red and Mexican wolves.

An Australian review could finally end decades of confusion for the dingo and ensure our laws reflect the most up-to-date scientific evidence.

Taxonomic debates might sound obscure. But this naming question will shape the future of one of Australia’s ecologically and culturally significant animals.

We believe the evidence shows the dingo is not a domestic dog – it’s on its own path. The question is whether Australia can accept this evidence.The Conversation

Kylie M. Cairns, Research fellow in canid and wildlife genomics, UNSW Sydney; Bradley Smith, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, CQUniversity Australia; Euan Ritchie, Professor in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, School of Life & Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, and Thomas Newsome, Associate Professor in Global Ecology, University of Sydney

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

From sea ice to ocean currents, Antarctica is now undergoing abrupt changes – and we’ll all feel them

Nerilie Abram, Australian National University; Ariaan Purich, Monash University; Felicity McCormack, Monash University; Jan Strugnell, James Cook University, and Matthew England, UNSW Sydney

Antarctica has long been seen as a remote, unchanging environment. Not any more.

The ice-covered continent and the surrounding Southern Ocean are undergoing abrupt and alarming changes. Sea ice is shrinking rapidly, the floating glaciers known as ice shelves are melting faster, the ice sheets carpeting the continent are approaching tipping points and vital ocean currents show signs of slowing down.

Published today in Nature, our new research shows these abrupt changes are already underway – and likely to significantly intensify in the future.

Several authors of this article have witnessed these startling changes during fieldwork on the ice. These changes spell bad news for wildlife, both iconic and lesser known. But the changes will reach much further. What’s happening in Antarctica right now will affect the world for generations to come, from rising sea levels to extreme changes in the climate system.

antarctica, iceshelf with blue ice looming at back and sea ice at the front over water.
Antarctica’s enormity can give the illusion of permanence. But abrupt changes are arriving. David Merron Photography/Getty

What is an abrupt change?

Scientists define an abrupt change as a climatic or environmental shift taking place much faster than expected.

What makes abrupt changes so concerning is they can amplify themselves. For example, melting sea ice allows oceans to warm more rapidly, which melts more sea ice. Once triggered, they can be difficult or even impossible to reverse on timescales meaningful to humans.

While it’s common to assume incremental warming will translate to gradual change, we’re seeing something very different in Antarctica. Over past decades, the Antarctic environment had a much more muted response overall to human-caused climate warming compared to the Arctic. But about a decade ago, abrupt changes began to occur.

Shrinking sea ice brings cascading change

Antarctica’s natural systems are tightly interwoven. When one system is thrown out of balance, it can trigger cascading effects in others.

Sea ice around Antarctica has been declining dramatically since 2014. The expanse of sea ice is now shrinking at double the rate of Arctic sea ice. We found these unfolding changes are unprecedented – far outside the natural variability of past centuries.

The implications are far reaching. Sea ice has a reflective, high-albedo surface which reflects heat back to space. When there’s less sea ice, more heat is absorbed by darker oceans. Emperor penguins and other species reliant on sea ice for habitat and breeding face real threats. Less sea ice also means Antarctica’s ice shelves are more exposed to waves.

sea ice in antarctica in late summer, large chunks of ice floating on ocean.
The expanse of ocean covered by sea ice began shrinking in 2014 and the rate is accelerating. Ted Mead/Getty

Vital ocean currents are slowing

The melting of ice is actually slowing down the deep ocean circulation around Antarctica. This system of deep currents, known as the Antarctic Overturning Circulation, plays a critical role in regulating Earth’s climate by absorbing carbon dioxide and distributing heat.

In the northern hemisphere, the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation is facing a slowdown.

We’re now observing a similar risk in Southern Ocean currents. Changes to the Antarctic Overturning Circulation may unfold at twice the rate of the more famous North Atlantic counterpart.

A slowdown could reduce how much oxygen and carbon dioxide the ocean absorbs and leave vital nutrients at the seafloor. Less oxygen and fewer nutrients would have major consequences for marine ecosystems and climate regulation.

Melting giants

The West Antarctic Ice Sheet as well as some regions of East Antarctica are now losing ice and contributing to sea level rise. Ice loss has increased sixfold since the 1990s.

The West Antarctic Ice Sheet alone has enough ice to raise global sea levels by more than five metres – and scientists warn we could be nearing the point where this ice sheet could collapse even without substantial further warming, though this might take centuries to millennia.

These enormous ice sheets represent the risk of a global tipping point. They contribute the greatest uncertainty to projections of future sea level rise because we don’t know just how quickly they could collapse.

Worldwide, at least 750 million people live in low-lying areas near the sea. Rising sea levels threaten coastal infrastructure and communities globally.

Wildlife and ecosystems under threat

Antarctica’s biological systems are also undergoing sudden shifts. Ecosystems both under the sea and on land are being reshaped by warming temperatures, unreliable ice conditions and human activity bringing pollution and the arrival of invasive species.

It’s essential to protect these ecosystems through the Antarctic Treaty, including creating protected areas of land and sea and restricting some human activities. But these conservation measures won’t be enough to ensure emperor penguins and leopard seals survive. That will require decisive global action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Which future?

Antarctica is often seen as a symbol of isolation and permanence. But the continent is now changing with disturbing speed – much faster than scientists anticipated.

These abrupt changes stem largely from the extra heat trapped by decades of unchecked greenhouse gas emissions. The only way to avoid further abrupt changes is to slash emissions rapidly enough to hold warming as close to 1.5°C as possible.

Even if we achieve this, much change has already been set in motion. Governments, businesses and coastal communities must prepare for a future of abrupt change. What happens in Antarctica won’t stay there.

The stakes could not be higher. The choices made now will determine whether we face a future of worsening impacts and irreversible change or one of managed resilience to the changes already locked in.The Conversation

Nerilie Abram, Chief Scientist, Australian Antarctic Division and Professor of Climate Science, Australian National University; Ariaan Purich, Senior Lecturer in Climate Science, Monash University; Felicity McCormack, Antarctic Research Fellow and Senior Lecturer, Monash University; Jan Strugnell, Professor of Marine Biology and Aquaculture, James Cook University, and Matthew England, Deputy Director of the ARC Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science and Scientia Professor in Oceanography, UNSW Sydney

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

How climate change is making Europe’s fish move to new waters

Atlantic cod and pollock. andrzej_67/Shutterstock, CC BY-NC-ND
Sevrine Sailley, Plymouth Marine Laboratory

Climate change is reshaping fish habitats. Some fish are winners, others are losing out.

Fish already face plenty of pressure from overfishing and pollution. Climate change is adding more: warmer waters and shifting food supplies cause what’s known as a predator-prey mismatch. This means prey and predator are not in the same place at the same time, which not only affects our diets but also fishing industries and ocean health more widely.

As the ocean heats up, fish try to stay in the conditions they’re best suited to. Some species will move, but others can’t relocate so easily – for example, if they need to live in a certain habitat at a particular life-stage, such as in kelp that offers shelter for breeding. So, depending on the species and location, climate change could create new fishing opportunities for some countries, and big losses for others.

Fisheries managers typically group fish into “stocks”. These are populations of the same species in a defined region, often based on national borders. But those human-made boundaries don’t matter to fish. As they shift in response to climate change, managing their populations will become more complex and will need to be flexible and responsive.

By 2050, waters around the UK are expected to warm by about 1°C if we follow a “moderate” emissions path. If emissions continue to rise unchecked, the increase could reach 2-3°C by the end of the century. At the same time, the food that fish eat (such as tiny plankton) could drop by as much as 30%.

My team and I used advanced computer modelling to predict how 17 key commercial species such as mackerel, cod, plaice, tuna and sardines might respond to two future climate scenarios. Our results show a patchwork of winners and losers.

ball of sardines.
Sardines. Martin Prochazkacz/Shutterstock, CC BY-NC-ND

Take sardines and mackerel. These species live in the upper ocean and are sensitive to temperature. Both are expected to shift northward. This shift would be around 20 miles in the North Sea and up to 80 miles in the north-east Atlantic by 2100 under a moderate emissions scenario.

While sardines may thrive, with a 10% boost in Atlantic abundance, our model suggests mackerel could decline by 10% in the Atlantic and 20% in the North Sea. Consequently, the type and quantity of fish available will change.

Warm-water species like bluefin tuna may benefit within UK waters. Tuna is projected to shift only slightly (by approximately 4 miles) under the same scenario, but their abundance could rise by 10%, potentially bringing more of them into UK waters. That’s good news for fishers already targeting this high-value catch, or those looking to change their main target species.

But bottom-dwelling species like cod and saithe (pollock) face a tougher future. These fish prefer colder, deeper waters and have fewer options to escape warming seas due to depth limitations.

In the North Sea, they’re projected to shift southward by around 9 miles because that’s where the remaining cool, deep water is. But this won’t be enough to avoid a significant decline in their numbers: their populations are expected to drop by 10-15% under a moderate scenario by 2050.


Do the seasons feel increasingly weird to you? You’re not alone. Climate change is distorting nature’s calendar, causing plants to flower early and animals to emerge at the wrong time.

This article is part of a series, Wild Seasons, on how the seasons are changing and what they may eventually look like.


Changing tides

And if climate change accelerates, the declines become far more severe. By the end of the century, North Sea cod and saithe could fall by 30-40%, according to our model. Mackerel abundance could drop by 25% in the Atlantic, while sardines might see only a modest 5% increase, despite moving 155 miles northward. Bluefin tuna could see a 40% rise in numbers, shifting 27 miles further north.

We’ve estimated how species will shift their locations – but computer models can’t account for every interaction between marine species. For example, predator-prey relationships can be crucial in shaping an ecosystem. Bluefin tuna is a predatory species which hunts shoals of herring, mackerel and other fish.

Other predators including dolphins, seals and seabirds will all be influenced differently by climate change, with varying responses in terms of eating their favourite fish snacks.

Our projections also don’t account for continued fishing pressure – for example, 24% of north-east Atlantic fisheries are not sustainable. Further overfishing will compound the strain on fish populations.

To keep stocks healthy, fishery managers need to start planning for these changes now by factoring climate into their stock assessments. Industry regulators will also need to reconsider who gets to fish where as species move.

Fish don’t carry passports. Their shifting habitats will challenge longstanding fishing agreements and quotas. Nations that once relied on particular species might lose access. Others may find new, unexpected opportunities.

With smart management and serious action on climate, seafood can thrive in the future. Doing nothing now isn’t an option — unless we want familiar favourites like cod to vanish from our plates.


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


Sevrine Sailley, Senior Scientist, Marine Ecosystem Modelling, Plymouth Marine Laboratory

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

Australia, why are you still obsessed with freeways – when they’re driving us away from net zero?

Crystal Legacy, The University of Melbourne; Anna Hurlimann, The University of Melbourne, and Eric Keys, RMIT University

From Melbourne’s proposed Outer Metropolitan Ring Road to Sydney’s recently completed Westconnex, Australia’s addiction to mega roads continues despite the spectre of climate change.

The stream of projects shows Australia’s approach to urban transport is stuck in the car-obsessed past. It’s an approach at odds with state planning policies that prioritise other less-polluting transport modes, such as train and tram extensions, bike lane infrastructure and better pedestrian footpaths.

As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has warned, roads hinder national efforts to meet climate targets. They “lock in” emissions, by establishing long-term infrastructure that commits societies to greenhouse gas emissions for decades to come.

Expanding freeway networks undermines efforts to reduce emissions and encourage cleaner transport. It points to a deep-seated flaw in Australia’s urban planning systems which must be solved.

Freeways in LA from the air.
The IPCC says roads hinder national efforts to meet climate targets. Pictured: a freeway network in LA. Visions of America/Joe Sohm/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

No road to net zero

Australia has committed to reach net zero greenhouse emissions by 2050.

Meeting the goal requires, among other measures, dealing with greenhouse gas emissions from transport – which is set to become the nation’s largest source of emissions by 2030.

Globally, roads account for 69% of transport emissions, and this is growing.

Despite this, a number of mega roads are planned or being built in Australian cities. They include:

Here, we examine the Melbourne project in more detail.

cars and trucks on multi-lane freeway
Globally, roads account for 69% of transport emissions. James Gourley/Getty Images

Melbourne’s mega ring road

The Outer Metropolitan Ring Road would involve a 100-kilometre freeway orbiting Melbourne’s north and west. With a current price tag of A$31 billion, it would be among the most expensive road projects in an Australian city.

In 2009, the Brumby Labor government in Victoria deemed the project could proceed without an “environmental effects statement” – including assessment of it climate impacts.

Rationales for the decision included that the project passes through land extensively disturbed in the past, and because sustainability implications had been considered in overarching state planning blueprints.

It is unclear whether, given the time that has lapsed, whether the project will be reconsidered for environmental approval – and if so, what level of scrutiny would be applied.

Given the project’s potential contribution to transport emissions, authorities should reverse the exemption and ensure it is subject to the highest environmental scrutiny. This is vital to ensure the public is fully aware of – and can object to – the project’s climate impacts.

Our research has previously identified such issues involving public consultation and major road projects. They include Melbourne’s East West Link and West Gate Tunnel, and Sydney’s Westconnex . In the case of Westconnex, the “public interest” was narrowly defined and inadequate in addressing climate change concerns.

A 2017 Victorian Auditor-General Report also found a power imbalance between project proponents and community participants. For instance, proponents usually had legal representation while community members did not.

What’s more, emissions reduction must be central to the policies governing Australia’s built environments, as we discuss below.

A map of Melbourne with a red band showing a proposed freeway route.
A map showing the proposed route of Melbourne’s Outer Metropolitan Ring Road. Infrastructure Australia

Climate must be key

Residents in Australia’s capital cities are largely car-dependent. More climate-friendly transport modes, such as walking and cycling, can be difficult due to long distances between destinations, and lack of supporting infrastructure such as bike paths.

The IPCC recommends minimising emissions generated in cities through:

  • infill development (building on unused land in urban areas)
  • increasing density (the number of people living in a certain area)
  • improving public transport
  • supporting walking, cycling and other “active” transport options.

State planning blueprints in Australia typically consider land use and transport together. Victoria, for example, wants more homes built in established areas, close to public transport, services and jobs. Transport plans in states such as NSW and Queensland have similar goals.

However, the need for climate action and emissions reduction is typically not fully integrated across these policies. And federal government guidelines on transport planning also give little regard to net zero targets.

This means major road projects can proceed without direct consideration of emissions reduction and net zero goals.

A different road

Urban planning policies are not the only government levers available to reduce vehicle emissions.

The federal government’s fuel efficiency standards, for example, began in January this year. But some experts say the policy – which is weaker than that initially proposed – does not go far enough to cut transport emissions.

Separately, the National Electric Vehicle Strategy is a positive step. But Australia is badly lagging in EV uptake, and much more work is needed.

As Australian cities continue to grow, the demand for travel will also increase. But new freeway projects are not the answer – they will only make climate change worse.

Reform is needed to ensure emissions reduction is at the heart of transport investment in our cities.The Conversation

Crystal Legacy, Associate Professor of Urban Planning, The University of Melbourne; Anna Hurlimann, Associate Professor in Urban Planning, The University of Melbourne, and Eric Keys, PhD Candidate, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University

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

Botanical time machines: AI is unlocking a treasure trove of data held in herbarium collections

A herbarium specimen of Cheiranthera linearis (commonly known as finger-flower), collected in 1912 by Edwin James Semmens, former principal of the Victorian School of Forestry. University of Melbourne
Robert Turnbull, The University of Melbourne and Joanne Birch, The University of Melbourne

In 1770, after Captain Cook’s Endeavour struck the Great Barrier Reef and was held up for repairs, botanists Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander collected hundreds of plants.

One of those pressed plants is among 170,000 specimens in the herbarium at the University of Melbourne.

Worldwide, more than 395 million specimens are housed in herbaria. Together they comprise an unparalleled record of Earth’s plant and fungal life over time.

We wanted to find a better, faster way to tap into this wealth of information. Our new research describes the development and testing of a new AI-driven tool Hespi (short for “herbarium specimen sheet pipeline”). It has the potential to revolutionise access to biodiversity data and open up new avenues for research.

A composite image showing a pressed plant specimen collected by Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander in 1770 together with a scale and colour chart, alongside a closeup of the handwritten label
The specimen sheet for spreading nut-heads (Epaltes australis), collected by Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander in 1770. (Note, the collection date was historically incorrectly written as 1776 on the specimen label). University of Melbourne Herbarium Collection

The digitisation challenge

To unlock the full potential of herbaria, institutions worldwide are striving to digitise them. This means photographing each specimen at high resolution and converting the information on its label into searchable digital data.

Once digitised, specimen records can be made available to the public through online databases such as the University of Melbourne Herbarium Collection Online. They are also fed into large biodiversity portals such as the Australasian Virtual Herbarium, the Atlas of Living Australia, or the Global Biodiversity Information Facility. These platforms make centuries of botanical knowledge accessible to researchers everywhere.

But digitisation is a monumental task. Large herbaria, such as the National Herbarium of New South Wales and the Australian National Herbarium have used high-capacity conveyor belt systems to rapidly image millions of specimens. Even with this level of automation, digitising the 1.15 million specimens at the National Herbarium of NSW took more than three years.

For smaller institutions without industrial-scale setups, the process is far slower. Staff, volunteers and citizen scientists photograph specimens and painstakingly transcribe their labels by hand.

At the current pace, many collections won’t be fully digitised for decades. This delay keeps vast amounts of biodiversity data locked away. Researchers in ecology, evolution, climate science and conservation urgently need access to large-scale, accurate biodiversity datasets. A faster approach is essential.

A composite image showing a photo of a yam daisy, image of the specimen in the collection and map showing specimen collection locations across Australia.
Map of specimen collection locations for Yam daisy (Microseris lanceolata) from records in The Australasian Virtual Herbarium. Neville Walsh, VicFlora

How AI is speeding things up

To address this challenge, we created Hespi – open-source software for automatically extracting information from herbarium specimens.

Hespi combines advanced computer vision techniques with AI tools such as object detection, image classification and large language models.

First, it takes an image of the specimen sheet which comprises the pressed plant and identifying text. Then it recognises and extracts text, using a combination of optical character recognition and handwritten text recognition.

Deciphering handwriting is challenging for people and computers alike. So Hespi passes the extracted text through OpenAI’s GPT-4o Large Language Model to correct any errors. This substantially improves the results.

So in seconds, Hespi locates the main specimen label on a herbarium sheet and reads the information it contains. This includes taxonomic names, collector details, location, latitude and longitude, and collection dates. It captures the data and converts it into a digital format, ready for use in research.

For example, Hespi correctly detected and extracted all relevant components from the herbarium sheet below. This large brown algae specimen was collected in 1883 at St Kilda.

An image showing how Hespi reads the plant specimen sheet and tags information such as the genus, species, locality and year of collection.
Results from Hespi on a sample of large brown algae (MELUA002557a) from the University of Melbourne, identifying important details such as the genus, species, locality and year of collection. University of Melbourne Herbarium

We tested Hespi on thousands of specimen images from the University of Melbourne Herbarium and other collections worldwide. We created test datasets for different stages in the pipeline and assessed the various components.

It achieved a high degree of accuracy. So it has the potential to save a lot of time, compared to manual data extraction.

We are developing a graphical user interface for the software so herbarium curators will be able to manually check and correct the results.

Just the beginning

Herbaria already contribute to society in many ways: from species identification and taxonomy to ecological monitoring, conservation, education, and even forensic investigations.

By mobilising large volumes of specimen-associated data, AI systems such as Hespi are enabling new and innovative applications at a scale never before possible.

AI has been used to automatically extract detailed leaf measurements and other traits from digitised specimens, unlocking centuries of historical collections for rapid research into plant evolution and ecology.

And this is just the beginning — computer vision and AI could soon be applied in many other ways, further accelerating and expanding botanical research in the years ahead.

Photo of a well-lit pressed plant specimen sheet on black table with camera mounted above, looking down.
The digitisation pipeline at the University of Melbourne Herbarium begins with the generation of a high-resolution specimen image. University of Melbourne Herbarium

Beyond herbaria

AI pipelines such as Hespi have the potential to extract text from labels in any museum or archival collection where high-quality digital images exist.

Our next step is a collaboration with Museums Victoria to adapt Hespi to create an AI digitisation pipeline suitable for museum collections. The AI pipeline will mobilise biodiversity data for about 12,500 specimens in the museum’s globally-significant fossil graptolite collection.

An image showing a dark grey fossil graptolite specimen with numbers attached alongside handwritten labels with annotations from Hespi.
A fossil graptolite specimen from Museums Victoria annotated by Hespi during data digitsition. Museums Victoria

We are also starting a new project with the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) to make the software more flexible. This will allow curators in museums and other institutions to customise Hespi to extract data from all kinds of collections — not just plant specimens.

Tranformational technology

Just as AI is reshaping many aspects of daily life, these technologies can transform access to biodiversity data. Human-AI collaborations could help overcome one of the biggest bottlenecks in collection digitisation — the slow, manual transcription of label data.

Mobilising the information already locked in herbaria, museums, and archives worldwide is essential to make it available for the cross-disciplinary research needed to understand and address the biodiversity crisis.

We wish to acknowledge our colleagues at the Melbourne Data Analytics Platform, including Karen Thompson and Emily Fitzgerald, who contributed to this research.The Conversation

Robert Turnbull, Senior Research Data Specialist, The University of Melbourne and Joanne Birch, Senior Lecturer in the School of BioSciences, and Herbarium Curator, The University of Melbourne

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

How could we clean up the algal bloom?

The author inspects a restored native oyster reef at Coffin Bay, South Australia. Stefan Andrews
Dominic McAfee, University of Adelaide and Sean Connell, University of Adelaide

South Australia’s catastrophic harmful algal bloom now affects almost 30% of the state’s coastline, stretching from the Coorong in the state’s southeast to the seafood-rich Spencer Gulf to the west.

With no end in sight, many South Australians are searching for solutions.

Trials of physical, chemical and biological solutions have been run around the world at much smaller scale, usually in aquaculture fish pens and leases.

Unfortunately, the enormous Karenia mikimotoi bloom in SA is far too big for any of these technologies. But they could provide temporary relief at high-risk sites, such as vital breeding grounds for vulnerable species such as the giant Australian cuttlefish.

How can algae be managed at smaller scales?

This disaster arose from a triple threat: marine heatwaves linked to climate change, floodwaters and cold upwellings carrying nutrients algae need, and marine habitat loss leaving coasts extra vulnerable. Prevention is the best cure – so we need to tackle each of these threats.

In the meantime, the bloom’s persistence presents an opportunity to experiment with potential solutions.

Chemical

Anyone who has managed a pool knows how effective chemicals are in removing unwanted algae. But in the sea, chemicals can have unintended impacts. There’s more than one type of algae out there and we don’t want to kill the good guys.

In response to algal blooms at sea, researchers have even tried chemical crop-dusting by planes.

Clay has been used against marine algal blooms for more than 50 years in China and Japan. The clay particles bind to algal cells in surface waters, causing them to settle to the bottom where they stop growing or die. But to date, it has required a huge amount of clay to be effective.

Modified clay technology is a promising environmentally friendly solution. Released as a slurry, the clay binds and removes phosphorus, essentially removing the bloom’s fuel source.

Physical

Physical solutions often involve mixing the water column to break up the warm surface layers suitable for algal growth.

Other solutions physically block and disturb algae. Pumping air through tubes to create “bubble curtains” can stop algae from passing through.

This technology is useful in aquaculture pens. But bubble curtains can do little against intense algal blooms, forcing fish farmers to simply drag their pens out of harms’ way. So they’re never going to work at scale.

Biological

Natural systems have their own checks and balances. The oceans are full of microorganisms that naturally prey on algae – such as single-celled organisms (ciliates and flagellates) – or suppress it, including bacteria and viruses.

Such natural microbial warfare may help solve the SA bloom, with promising signs of bioluminescent “sea sparkle” algae dining on Karenia.

Scientists in the United States are working to extract natural algicides produced by algae-killing marine bacteria to combat Red Tide blooms in Florida.

Some bacterial algicides only kill specific harmful algae species, offering promise for low-risk application. To date, these solutions have largely been used at small, experimental scale.

By contrast, algicidal bacteria are found in abundance on common seagrasses around the world, providing healthy seagrass meadows with natural immunity. Conserving and restoring seagrass offers one way to tackle the problem longer term.

Underwater evidence of SA’s harmful algal bloom (Great Southern Reef)

Helping nature to help itself

SA was once home to 1,500km of shellfish reefs, formed by billions of native oysters. These ecosystems served as the natural kidneys of our coastline. A single oyster is capable of filtering a bathtub of water a day, removing excess nutrients and algae.

Within a century of European settlement, these natural reefs were all but destroyed by overharvesting. The good news: they can be restored. For example, restoring two hectares of shellfish reef at Adelaide’s Glenelg Beach saw oysters filtering over 12 million litres of water a day within 1.5 years of reef construction.

These figures suggest SA’s lost shellfish reefs would have been filtering over half a trillion litres of seawater daily. This natural wastewater treatment system could have removed nutrients washed into our coastal seas before they could feed a bloom.

Diving on the restored shellfish reef during the algal bloom has given us some hope. Despite the soupy green water, the native oysters appear to be doing well. Similarly, oysters on leases in the affected areas are thriving as they feed on the highly nutritious Karenia algae.

By contrast, many filter-feeding bivalves have been devastated by the bloom, notably the habitat-forming razorfish (pen shells) and cockles.

Earlier this month, Premier Peter Malinauskas announced plans to restore a total of 15 hectares of shellfish reef alongside community groups across 15 locations. This provides an opportunity to learn whether larger-scale oyster restoration can help future-proof SA seas against harmful algae.

Efforts to restore Coffin Bay’s lost oyster reefs through community-based restoration (eyrelab)

Rebuildling resilient ecosystems

This devastating algal bloom will eventually dissipate. Once the harmful algae have fallen back to normal levels, nature can rebuild.

But future blooms are likely as the climate warms and strengthens heavy downpours that flush nutrients out to sea. To prepare, we should explore ways of restoring ecosystems able to hasten recovery and rebuild natural resilience.

Investing in scaling up conservation and restoration of filter-feeding shellfish reefs and bacteria-harbouring seagrass meadows – the sea’s kidneys and immune system – will be necessary alongside long-term underwater monitoring.

If we continue with a reactive, fragmented approach to climate, nutrient pollution, and biodiversity loss, we’re guaranteed to face more costly catastrophes. We need to act to build long-term ecological and socio-economic resilience.The Conversation

Dominic McAfee, Postdoctoral researcher, marine ecology, University of Adelaide and Sean Connell, Professor, Sustainable Marine Futures, Environment Institute, University of Adelaide

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

Data centers consume massive amounts of water – companies rarely tell the public exactly how much

The Columbia River running through The Dalles, Oregon, supplies water to cool data centers. AP Photo/Andrew Selsky
Peyton McCauley, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Melissa Scanlan, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

As demand for artificial intelligence technology boosts construction and proposed construction of data centers around the world, those computers require not just electricity and land, but also a significant amount of water. Data centers use water directly, with cooling water pumped through pipes in and around the computer equipment. They also use water indirectly, through the water required to produce the electricity to power the facility. The amount of water used to produce electricity increases dramatically when the source is fossil fuels compared with solar or wind.

A 2024 report from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory estimated that in 2023, U.S. data centers consumed 17 billion gallons (64 billion liters) of water directly through cooling, and projects that by 2028, those figures could double – or even quadruple. The same report estimated that in 2023, U.S. data centers consumed an additional 211 billion gallons (800 billion liters) of water indirectly through the electricity that powers them. But that is just an estimate in a fast-changing industry.

We are researchers in water law and policy based on the shores of Lake Michigan. Technology companies are eyeing the Great Lakes region to host data centers, including one proposed for Port Washington, Wisconsin, which could be one of the largest in the country. The Great Lakes region offers a relatively cool climate and an abundance of water, making the region an attractive location for hot and thirsty data centers.

The Great Lakes are an important, binational resource that more than 40 million people depend on for their drinking water and supports a US$6 trillion regional economy. Data centers compete with these existing uses and may deplete local groundwater aquifers.

Our analysis of public records, government documents and sustainability reports compiled by top data center companies has found that technology companies don’t always reveal how much water their data centers use. In a forthcoming Rutgers Computer and Technology Law Journal article, we walk through our methods and findings using these resources to uncover the water demands of data centers.

In general, corporate sustainability reports offered the most access and detail – including that in 2024, one data center in Iowa consumed 1 billion (3.8 billion liters) gallons of water – enough to supply all of Iowa’s residential water for five days.

The computer processors in data centers generate lots of heat while doing their work.

How do data centers use water?

The servers and routers in data centers work hard and generate a lot of heat. To cool them down, data centers use large amounts of water – in some cases over 25% of local community water supplies. In 2023, Google reported consuming over 6 billion gallons of water (nearly 23 billion liters) to cool all its data centers.

In some data centers, the water is used up in the cooling process. In an evaporative cooling system, pumps push cold water through pipes in the data center. The cold water absorbs the heat produced by the data center servers, turning into steam that is vented out of the facility. This system requires a constant supply of cold water.

In closed-loop cooling systems, the cooling process is similar, but rather than venting steam to the air, air-cooled chillers cool down the hot water. The cooled water is then recirculated to cool the facility again. This does not require constant addition of large volumes of water, but it uses a lot more energy to run the chillers. The actual numbers showing those differences, which likely vary by the facility, are not publicly available.

One key way to evaluate water use is the amount of water that is considered “consumed,” meaning it is withdrawn from the local water supply and used up – for instance, evaporated as steam – and not returned to its source.

For information, we first looked to government data, such as that kept by municipal water systems, but the process of getting all the necessary data can be onerous and time-consuming, with some denying data access due to confidentiality concerns. So we turned to other sources to uncover data center water use.

Sustainability reports provide insight

Many companies, especially those that prioritize sustainability, release publicly available reports about their environmental and sustainability practices, including water use. We focused on six top tech companies with data centers: Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Meta, Digital Realty and Equinix. Our findings revealed significant variability in both how much water the companies’ data centers used, and how much specific information the companies’ reports actually provided.

Sustainability reports offer a valuable glimpse into data center water use. But because the reports are voluntary, different companies report different statistics in ways that make them hard to combine or compare. Importantly, these disclosures do not consistently include the indirect water consumption from their electricity use, which the Lawrence Berkeley Lab estimated was 12 times greater than the direct use for cooling in 2023. Our estimates highlighting specific water consumption reports are all related to cooling.

Amazon releases annual sustainability reports, but those documents do not disclose how much water the company uses. Microsoft provides data on its water demands for its overall operations, but does not break down water use for its data centers. Meta does that breakdown, but only in a companywide aggregate figure. Google provides individual figures for each data center.

In general, the five companies we analyzed that do disclose water usage show a general trend of increasing direct water use each year. Researchers attribute this trend to data centers.

A closer look at Google and Meta

To take a deeper look, we focused on Google and Meta, as they provide some of the most detailed reports of data center water use.

Data centers make up significant proportions of both companies’ water use. In 2023, Meta consumed 813 million gallons of water globally (3.1 billion liters) – 95% of which, 776 million gallons (2.9 billion liters), was used by data centers.

For Google, the picture is similar, but with higher numbers. In 2023, Google operations worldwide consumed 6.4 billion gallons of water (24.2 billion liters), with 95%, 6.1 billion gallons (23.1 billion liters), used by data centers.

Google reports that in 2024, the company’s data center in Council Bluffs, Iowa, consumed 1 billion gallons of water (3.8 billion liters), the most of any of its data centers.

The Google data center using the least that year was in Pflugerville, Texas, which consumed 10,000 gallons (38,000 liters) – about as much as one Texas home would use in two months. That data center is air-cooled, not water-cooled, and consumes significantly less water than the 1.5 million gallons (5.7 million liters) at an air-cooled Google data center in Storey County, Nevada. Because Google’s disclosures do not pair water consumption data with the size of centers, technology used or indirect water consumption from power, these are simply partial views, with the big picture obscured.

Given society’s growing interest in AI, the data center industry will likely continue its rapid expansion. But without a consistent and transparent way to track water consumption over time, the public and government officials will be making decisions about locations, regulations and sustainability without complete information on how these massive companies’ hot and thirsty buildings will affect their communities and their environments.The Conversation

Peyton McCauley, Water Policy Specialist, Sea Grant UW Water Science-Policy Fellow, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Melissa Scanlan, Professor and Director of the Center for Water Policy, School of Freshwater Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

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

Australian farmland values are at lofty heights. Research reveals this could be hurting some farmers

Pixabay/Pexels
Amir Arjomandi, University of Wollongong; Hassan F. Gholipour, Western Sydney University; Mohammad Reza Farzanegan, University of Marburg, and Sharon Yam, Western Sydney University

Over recent decades, farmland values in Australia have soared. Nationally, the price of broadacre farmland – used for cropping or sheep and beef grazing – has increased by more than eightfold since 1992.

It might seem like this could only be good news for those who own and operate farms. But this boom carries surprising downsides for the profitability of the farming industry.

Our new study examined the dynamic relationship between farmland prices and the profitability of Australia’s farming sector. To do this, we used national and state-level data from 1992 to 2022.

We found when farm profits rise, farmland prices tend to increase as well, with a lag of two to five years. But there’s a catch: higher land values push up production costs, which can erode profits over time.

This feedback loop – where higher profits lifts farmland prices but those higher prices eventually squeeze profitability – has some serious implications for farm business viability.

What’s driven farmland’s surge?

Several factors have contributed to the rapid growth in Australia’s farmland prices in recent years. These include strong commodity prices and good seasonal conditions, periods of low interest rates and increased demand for land.

While some of these forces have rewarded existing landholders, they have also increased barriers to entry for younger or less wealthy farmers to enter the industry.

This isn’t just an Australian phenomenon. Between 2002 and 2023, global farmland values grew at an average annual rate of 10%.

Analysts argue the major drivers of this surge include “growing concerns about food and land scarcity” and the increasing practice of valuing farmland for its environmental benefits, such as carbon storage, water rights, or biodiversity credits. They also note its appeal as a desirable investment, offering stable long-term returns with relatively low risk.

High land values can make it hard to farm

Rising land values can create a complex situation. For one, they mean farmers need more fund to buy new land or to improve existing operations, particularly those looking to expand or who are newcomers to the industry.

Farm expansion is important for farmers, because farm size has proven a key factor driving productivity gains.

Many Australian broadacre farms have benefited from what are called “economies of scale”. By spreading fixed costs such as machinery and management expenses over larger operations, they’re able to lower their average costs and gain a competitive advantage.

Other hurdles

Rising land prices also raise costs in less obvious ways. In recent years, a significant proportion of farmers have grown to rely on leasing additional land to run their operations.

A 2020 report from Rabobank found 45% of farmers in South Australia and 38% in Western Australia lease a portion of the land they operate.

But leasing rates tend to rise in line with land values, which in turn erodes the profitability of those who lease land for farms for farming operations.

The rise in farmland values may also lead to significant borrowing costs for new farmers and existing farmers expanding their businesses if they finance their farmland purchases with debt.

This is because higher property prices require larger loans, which lead to higher interest repayments and ultimately diminish profitability.

For those who do own land outright, there is a potential upside. Higher land prices boost farmer wealth and equity levels. This increases borrowing capacity and supports productivity growth by making it easier for farmers to access capital for further investments, such as upgrading machinery or adopting new technology.

But even for this group, rising land values can inflate property taxes and insurance premiums, eroding profits.

Headed for the exit

This trend has real consequences for farmers and rural communities.

When farmland prices rise sharply, many long-time farmers see an opportunity to sell up and leave the industry. But when they go, their years of knowledge about how to run farms efficiently and productively go with them, leaving a gap that’s hard to replace.

High land prices also push some farmers, especially younger ones, out of the market altogether. In parts of Australia, it’s becoming harder to afford land to buy or lease, which threatens their ability to make a decent living from farming.

If fewer people can make a living on the land, that puts pressure on Australia’s food supply. It also affects the towns and communities built around farming. Fewer farmers mean fewer families in the region, which can lead to schools and local businesses closing and a weakening of the community fabric.

At the same time, when farmland becomes very expensive, there’s more pressure to squeeze every dollar out of it. That can encourage farming practices that put short-term profit ahead of long-term environmental care.

Policymakers, farmers and the public can’t afford to ignore these hidden costs.


The authors would like to acknowledge the contributions of Florian Gerth, who co-authored the research discussed in this article.The Conversation

Amir Arjomandi, Associate Professor of Economics, School of Business, University of Wollongong; Hassan F. Gholipour, Associate Professor of Property, Western Sydney University; Mohammad Reza Farzanegan, Professor of Economics of the Middle East, University of Marburg, and Sharon Yam, Associate Professor of Property, Western Sydney University

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

Soft plastics recycling looks set to return to supermarkets. Cutting back on plastic would be even better

Julia M Cameron/Pexels, CC BY
Louise Grimmer, University of Tasmania; Robert Hoffmann, University of Tasmania, and Swee-Hoon Chuah, University of Tasmania

Imagine the weight of three Sydney Harbour Bridges. Between 2022 and 2023, product manufacturers were responsible for 540,000 tonnes (or three Sydney Harbour Bridges) of soft plastic packaging in Australia. Even worse, only 6% was recovered for recycling.

Following the spectacular collapse of REDcycle’s recycling program a few years ago, Australians discovered that instead of being recycled as promised, huge stockpiles of soft plastics had been secretly stockpiled in warehouses.

The consumer watchdog, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, is proposing a new voluntary scheme where supermarkets and manufacturers work together to collect and recycle soft plastics. Public submissions on the scheme are due by next Monday, August 25.

So what’s being proposed? And how could buying more food without plastic packaging potentially save you money?

A man in a high-ves vest saying EPA, standing surrounded by giant bags of unrecycled plastic.
Just some of the huge plastic stockpiles discovered when Australia’s last soft plastics recycling scheme collapsed. Victorian Environment Protection Authority staff/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY

How the new recycling scheme would work

The commission’s proposed industry-led scheme aims to collect and recycle more soft plastic packaging from consumers, such as shopping bags and food packaging. Once approved, the program is proposed to run for eight years, with an initial review after three.

Australia’s three largest supermarket chains – Woolworths, Coles and Aldi – are all involved, along with multinational food manufacturers Nestle, Mars and McCormick Foods. It would be run by Soft Plastics Stewardship Australia, a not-for-profit industry body overseen by a board of senior supermarket and manufacturing executives.

It would be funded through a levy on the companies involved. For example, when a manufacturer sells its product to a supermarket, the manufacturer will have “placed” the soft plastic on the market – so they would pay.

The levy would start at A$160 per tonne of soft plastic and is expected to increase over time.

The companies involved may decide to pass on the cost of the levy through the supply chain, including to consumers. So it remains to be seen who’ll end up paying.

Other countries have taken a different approach. For example, in Germany producers have to take back and recycle any packaging from consumers free of charge.

Why soft plastics are hard to recycle

“Soft” plastics are used by manufacturers, suppliers and supermarkets to package everything from fresh produce, frozen foods, chip packets, muesli bar wrappers and deli counter film, to the inner and outer packaging on countless other supermarket items.

Soft plastics are made up of multiple layered and flexible materials, making them difficult to recycle.

They are often contaminated with food, and their “soft” nature tends to jam conventional sorting and processing machinery. They also take up a lot of space without yielding much usable material, making the whole process uneconomical for recycling organisations.

Why is so much supermarket food pre-packed?

For stores, it keeps things moving: pre-weighed packs speed up checkouts, cut staff time, and prolong shelf life for some products. That thin film on a cucumber can stretch its life from 3 days to 14.

Packaging also standardises portions, allows for company branding and promotion, and makes stock easier to store, stack and transport.

For shoppers, the appeal is convenience and familiarity.

When you’re in a hurry, it’s often simpler to grab what’s ready to go than to think about how much food you actually need, and the extra plastic you’ll bring home.

Buying unpackaged food could save you money

Commendable as it is, on its own the proposal for a new recycling scheme is not a long-term fix. Technical solutions to environmental problems – such as recycling soft plastics – can stop us dealing with the ultimate cause: our own behaviour.

Economists call this “moral hazard”. A classic example is drivers who are insured take greater risks when driving. Or in this case, knowing the plastic will be recycled means many of us could feel we don’t need to reduce our plastic use.

But while systematic change is clearly needed, as shoppers we can do our bit – and there can be payoffs for doing so.

Selecting loose fresh fruit and vegetables allows you to check for ripeness and avoid hidden spoilage.

It’s often also cheaper. Last year, Choice compared supermarket unit prices of a range of foods sold both loose and pre-packed. They found loose produce was cheaper 50% of the time, while prepackaged was cheaper 35% of the time (15% it was about the same).

Thinking beyond recycling

We need more profound changes to tackle our local and global packaging waste crisis.

One example is zero-waste shops that sell everything loose, from fresh food to dry goods and liquids.

We can start by changing our behaviour from the bottom up, avoiding pre-packaged goods as much as practical.

But manufacturers and supermarkets need to do their part too, giving shoppers more choice with more loose products and less plastic.

A sustainable solution to too much plastic has to go beyond recycling, otherwise our Harbour Bridge-sized stockpiles will continue to grow.The Conversation

Louise Grimmer, Associate Professor of Marketing, Tasmanian School of Business and Economics, University of Tasmania; Robert Hoffmann, Professor of Economics, Tasmanian Behavioural Lab, University of Tasmania, and Swee-Hoon Chuah, Professor of Behavioural Economics, Tasmanian Behavioural Lab, University of Tasmania

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

Want to see Australia’s rare and remarkable species for yourself? Here are 10 standout spots

Uwe-Bergwitz/Getty
Patrick Finnerty, University of Sydney; Euan Ritchie, Deakin University, and Rhys Cairncross, University of Sydney

Australia is home to an extraordinary variety of wildlife, ranging from striking palm cockatoos to elusive mountain pygmy-possums and remarkable rat-kangaroos.

Most of us never get to see these creatures in real life – and that’s a real shame. Spending time in nature looking for wildlife is more than just a hobby – it’s a way to reconnect with the natural world and remember why it matters.

But how do you actually see these creatures for yourself? It’s often easier than you think.

As wildlife researchers, we’ve spent a long time in the field looking for wildlife. Here are ten standout locations where you have a good chance of seeing some genuinely remarkable Australian creatures – and tips on doing so without causing them stress or harming the environment.

1. Kutini-Payamu/Iron Range National Park, Queensland

Located in far north Queensland, Iron Range is renowned for lush rainforests and rich wildlife. Here, you can spot majestic palm cockatoos, secretive green pythons, the striking green, red and blue hues of eclectus parrots and the adorable common spotted cuscus, a species of possum. These species also occur in Papua New Guinea, but the Cape York region is the only place to spot them in Australia.

Spotting tips: Walk the trails with binoculars during peak times for bird activity, early morning or late afternoon. At night, use a head torch to spot pythons, frogs, death adders, geckoes, rufous owls, cuscus and other nocturnal fauna.

The shy spotted cuscus (Spilocuscus maculatus) lives in Australia’s far north. John Giustina/Getty

2. Atherton Tablelands, Queensland

Inland from Cairns lies the Atherton Tablelands, an elevated region with a cooler climate and abundant and diverse wildlife. Here, you can spot vibrant Ulysses butterflies, shy platypuses and rare marsupials. Australia’s largest snake, the scrub python, can block entire roads as it warms itself up before the night’s hunt. Rare waterfall frogs can be spotted in fast-flowing falls.

Lumholtz’s tree kangaroos can be spotted hopping along limbs at Curtain Fig National Park and Mount Hypipamee National Park, alongside green ringtail possums and striped possums with elongated fingers to ferret out grubs.

Meanwhile, musky rat-kangaroos can be seen “gardening” on the forest floor at Lake Eacham and Lake Barrine. These are the smallest kangaroos and the only non-hopping species. Your best chance of sighting an elusive northern quoll or northern bettong is at Davies Creek National Park.

Spotting tips: Take guided night walks to glimpse nocturnal wildlife. Use a head torch with a red filter. Move quietly and regularly stop to listen for movement and animal calls. Binoculars are a must for spotting creatures high in the canopy.

3. Western Treatment Plant, Victoria

Surprisingly, Melbourne’s Western Treatment Plant is a mecca for birdwatchers. The huge wastewater facility is recognised as a wetland of international importance. Migratory birds such as sharp-tailed sandpipers and red-necked stints can be seen, while well-hidden bitterns, rare orange-bellied parrots and Australia’s dancing crane, the brolga, can be glimpsed feeding in dense heath during cooler months. Almost 300 species have been recorded here.

Spotting tips: Visit during migration seasons (spring and autumn) for the best birdwatching opportunities. Use binoculars, telescopes, or telephoto lenses for close-up views without disturbance. Visitors need a permit.

4. Lunawanna-allonah/Bruny Island and Wukaluwikiwayna/Maria Island, Tasmania

South of Hobart lies Bruny Island, a sanctuary for endangered species such as eastern and spotted-tailed quolls. Most of Tasmania’s endemic bird species are found here, such as green rosellas and forty-spotted pardalotes. Rare swift parrots can also be seen.

North of Hobart is Maria Island, an island national park where no cars are allowed – and where Tasmanian devils, bandicoots and wombats can readily be seen.

Spotting tips: Join guided tours to see nocturnal wildlife or birds in Bruny Island’s tall forests. Eastern quolls can often be seen at night on the main road when heading north from the island’s isthmus. Tasmanian devils and bandicoots can be seen around campsites at Maria Island at night.

5. Flinders, Portsea and Blairgowrie piers, Victoria

Snorkelling the cool waters beneath Flinders, Portsea and Blairgowrie piers is a revelation. Here live spectacular weedy sea dragons, sand octopuses, big-belly seahorses, ornate cowfish, smooth and eagle rays, Port Jackson and banjo sharks and vividly coloured nudibranchs.

Spotting tips: Snorkel or dive during calm weather for best visibility. Keep your distance from marine life for their safety (and yours).

6. Sydney Harbour and cliff tops, New South Wales

Sydney’s iconic harbour and surrounding cliffs are well suited for marine life enthusiasts. Every winter, humpback and southern right whales migrate past the headlands, while pods of bottlenose dolphins can be seen year-round. White-bellied sea eagles, Australasian gannets and short-tailed shearwaters add to the spectacle in the skies.

Spotting tips: Join whale-watching cruises between May and November for the best chance. Clifftop spotting is best done with binoculars from Royal National Park, North Head, Clovelly and The Gap.

7. Binybara/Lee Point, Northern Territory

Just north of Darwin is Lee Point, one of the best places to glimpse the elusive black-footed tree-rat. Weighing almost a kilo, this threatened native rodent is an expert climber and lives in tree hollows.

Around 200 bird species have also been recorded here. Flocks of great knots, eastern curlews and grey-tailed tattlers feed on the mudflats, while the woodlands are home to the dazzling colour of Gouldian finches and the charismatic blue-winged kookaburra.

Spotting tips: Visit at night to see the tree-rat moving between trees, or come at low tide to watch thousands of shorebirds feeding. Binoculars will be invaluable.

The black-footed tree-rat (Mesembriomys gouldii) is a clever native rodent with a knack for life in the trees. François Brassard, CC BY-NC-ND

8. Wadjemup/Rottnest Island, Western Australia

Offshore from Perth, Rottnest Island is rightly famous for its smiling quokkas. But other unique species such as King’s skink and venomous dugites can be seen here too, while osprey nests occupied for decades can be seen on rock stacks. The reefs around the island have WA’s southernmost coral.

Spotting tips: Cycling is the best way to explore different habitats on the largely car-free island. Keep your distance from quokkas and other wildlife to ensure they stay wild.

The ‘smiling’ quokkas (Setonix brachyurus) on Rottnest Island have become globally famous. Posnov/Getty

9. Kunama Namadgi/Kosciuszko National Park, New South Wales

Australia’s highest peaks are home to the nation’s most remarkable alpine wildlife. Birdwatchers can spot gang-gang cockatoos feeding in eucalypts, while lucky hikers might glimpse an alpine dingo crossing a snow-dusted plain, or see a strikingly coloured Corroborree frog in a bog or fen.

This is the only place in the world where you can encounter a critically endangered mountain pygmy-possum. These tiny marsupials hibernate under winter snow and emerge to feed on bogong moths in spring.

Kosciuszko is also home to the native smoky mouse and – remarkably – to Leadbeater’s possum, long thought to be confined to Victoria’s Central Highlands.

Spotting tips: For the best chance of spotting a mountain pygmy-possum, visit between late spring and early summer when the snow has melted. Stick to alpine boulder fields such as those around Charlotte Pass and Mount Kosciuszko. You may need to camp overnight to see nocturnal possums and the smoky mouse. Binoculars and patience are essential to glimpse these shy species.

Mountain pygmy possums (Burramys parvus) are hard to spot – but the thrill of seeing these tiny, secretive marsupials is hard to beat. Jason Edwards/Getty

10. Karta Pintingga/Kangaroo Island, South Australia

Southwest of Adelaide lies the large Kangaroo Island, home to echidnas, tammar wallabies, a rare subspecies of the glossy black-cockatoo and Kangaroo Island dunnarts. Koalas are common. While the island’s isolation has protected these species, the 2020 megafires caused much damage. Wildlife is now bouncing back.

Spotting tips: Explore national parks and conservation areas with a local guide. Observe from a distance.

Take care of wildlife

Wildlife spotting has to be done with care. Think of yourself as a guest in someone else’s home.

Keep a respectful distance, don’t touch wildlife, move quietly and use binoculars or a zoom lens for a closer look rather than creeping closer.

If you’re out after dark, make sure your head torch has a red light option. This light is vastly less damaging to animal eyes optimised for the dark.

When snorkelling or diving, avoid hitting corals and sponges with your fins.

It can be tempting to use playback of calls to attract birds such as owls. But this is very disruptive and can do real damage.

Avoid moving logs, bark, stones and other habitat in your effort to see animals. This is disruptive and risks bites from venomous creatures.

Clean and disinfect your boots before moving between areas to avoid spreading soil-borne pathogens such as cinnamon fungus and chytrid fungus.

Whatever you do, don’t feed wildlife. It might seem harmless, but it can change their natural behaviour, make them ill and even make them dependent on people.

Posting sightings on citizen science apps such as iNaturalist and FrogID can help scientists learn more about these species and aid their conservation.

Enjoy the journey

As wildlife researchers, we often seek out species in their natural habitat. These moments never lose their impact.

It’s a remarkable thing to see a creature in its natural habitat. A successful sighting gives a sense of awe and joy. At a time when many people are cut off from nature, deliberately seeking out these species is a powerful and rewarding act.The Conversation

Patrick Finnerty, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Conservation and Wildlife Management, University of Sydney; Euan Ritchie, Professor in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, School of Life & Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, and Rhys Cairncross, Ecologist and PhD Researcher, University of Sydney

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

Going with the flow: how penguins use tides to travel and hunt

Magellanic penguins in the surf. Ondrej Prosicky/Shutterstock
Rory Wilson, Swansea University and Richard Michael Gunner, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior

Poohsticks, the game in which Piglet and Winnie the Pooh throw sticks into the river from one side of a bridge, and then rush over to the other side to see whose stick appears first, is all about current flow. Disappointingly, neither Piglet nor Pooh mention fluid dynamics despite its pivotal importance in determining who won.

Unlike sticks, though, animals can respond to those flows. The movement of water and air – with their winds and currents – can affect flying and swimming animals profoundly. And as we recently discovered, penguins are far more tuned in to these dynamics than anyone realised.

Anyone who’s ever swum in the sea will know how cross-currents can drag you along the coast, even when you’re trying to swim straight in. Magellanic penguins, a South American penguin, face this challenge daily, but they appear to have found a clever solution.

Penguins can swim far from land but seem to know exactly where they are. More importantly, they seem to know how to get back to their breeding colonies, whether currents are confounding them or not.

A group of Magellanic penguins going to sea from some rocks.
Masters of navigation. Jeremy Richards/Shutterstock

To understand how they do this, our team – which included researchers from Argentina, Germany, Japan and the UK – fitted high-tech tracking tags to Magellanic penguins breeding in Argentina. These birds often forage up to 43 miles offshore, far beyond the range of visual landmarks. And it’s unlikely they’re using the seafloor as a map, as Magellanics rarely dive that deep.

The tech we placed on the penguins recorded some pivotal information. Global positioning systems (GPS) gave the birds’ positions when they were at the surface between dives. And trajectories underwater could be calculated using dead reckoning. This is what a car navigation system does when it goes into a tunnel – it starts with the last GPS position and uses vectors on the car heading and speed to work out the path.

Our team did this with the penguins’ data, calculating the underwater pathways for every second of their one to three day trips. We then integrated this with the currents. This was no simple undertaking because currents change dramatically over the tidal cycle and vary with position.

So what could the penguins do in such a dynamic environment? One option (assuming they somehow knew both where they were and where home was) would be to head straight for the colony. But doing this would often have meant swimming against strong currents, sometimes of up to 2 metres per second (around 4.5mph). That’s about the same speed as an Olympic swimmer.

Although penguins can cruise at that speed, going faster to beat the current would cost them a lot of extra energy.

Interestingly, we found that during slack water, when the currents were trivial, the penguins headed directly home. So, somehow they knew where they were in relation to the colony. Theories about how animals might do this include them using magnetic field sensing, celestial cues, or even using smell to find their way but it’s a mysterious and hotly debated topic among experts.

When the current was strong, the penguins generally aimed in the right direction to return home. But they often combined this with swimming in the same general direction as the current, which typically flowed across the direct line to the nest. So, some birds appeared set to overshoot the colony, probably landing further down the coast.

However, the yin and yang of tidal currents means that what flows one way on the rising tide reverses on the ebb. The penguins seemed to understand this. They swam roughly equivalent, but mirror-imaged, trajectories on both incoming and outgoing tides, according to the direction of the current.

This strategy effectively cancels out potential overshoots over the course of a tidal cycle. Once they were close enough to the colony, the penguins launched into a final burst of power and made a direct line for home. This strategy increases the length of the path to get home. But it’s easy travelling since much of the work to move is done by the current and the increased distance gives the penguins opportunities to find prey.

Navigational experts

This suggests that Magellanic penguins can detect both the direction and speed of ocean currents. While some theories propose that animals sense small-scale turbulence to gauge flow, the mechanisms remain poorly understood.

Still, what these penguins manage is remarkable. It’s a kind of navigational party trick that helps ensure they return reliably to feed their chicks, seemingly untroubled by shifting currents.

Ocean and air circulation patterns are becoming more chaotic with climate change. If penguins, and other marine animals, can keep navigating our waters with skill and instinct, it’s one small piece of good news in a rapidly changing world.The Conversation

Rory Wilson, Professor of Aquatic Biology and Sustainable Aquaculture, Swansea University and Richard Michael Gunner, Postdoctoral Researcher in Wildlife Biology, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior

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

Why the Arthur’s Seat burn is a cautionary tale for the UK’s wildfire management strategy

Elliot Convery-Fisher, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

For the tenth time this year, a wildfire warning covers most of Scotland. The latest alert came after a recent, and not the first, gorse fire on Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh’s iconic ancient volcano that draws millions of visitors every year. Fire crews think human activity caused the fire. This is exactly the kind of incident that triggers our instinct to find someone to blame.

But with over 41,000 hectares already burned across Britain in 2025 (an area larger than the Isle of Wight) pointing the finger misses the point. News reports focus on who lit the spark, but Arthur’s Seat was primed to burn: flammable gorse has flourished since sheep stopped grazing the slopes. The real question isn’t who started this fire, but why we are caught off guard when fires happen in the wrong places.

This isn’t just an Edinburgh problem. Millions of Britons live near fire-prone landscapes, from Dorset heathlands to the Scottish Highlands.

My colleagues and I work with national parks in southern Africa to understand how they manage this challenge. The challenges I see in South Africa mirror what Britain now faces because of climate change: how to keep people and infrastructure safe when fire an unavoidable part of our reality.

Research shows that climate change has made the UK’s risk of ideal conditions for wildfires six times higher. While ignition sources haven’t changed much – most UK fires still start from human activity like discarded cigarettes or campfires – the conditions that allow fires to spread have transformed. Warmer, wetter winters create more plant growth and therefore fuel, which turns bone-dry during hot, dry spells.

bonfire remains in empty field
So many wildfires start as a result of discarded cigarettes or smoking remains of campfires. Simon Collins/Shutterstock

Fire is a natural and vital feature of many landscapes globally. In fire-adapted ecosystems it can clear invasive species while promoting native grasses, reduce the buildup of dead vegetation that fuels dangerous blazes and create some of our most iconic places where plants and animals thrive.

The problem isn’t fire itself, but where, when and how it happens. Over 1.8 million British homes now sit within 100m of countryside edges – exactly where most wildfires occur. During one of Britain’s biggest wildfires on a North Yorkshire moor in 2018, flames nearly reached homes and critical infrastructure: the trans-Pennine railway, M62 motorway, major power lines and drinking water reservoirs. Another recent fire in the same area was close to a ballistic missile base.

I have interviewed fire managers in South Africa, where humans have worked with fire for millennia. Their approach suggests a fundamentally different relationship with fire, understanding fire as part of a landscape’s natural processes. Instead of treating every fire as a crisis, they study how fire behaves – when it helps ecosystems, when it threatens communities, and how to work with these patterns rather than against them.

Take Cape Town as an example, where fire authorities publish daily risk ratings that residents check like weather forecasts. High-risk days mean banned barbecues and closed trails. When safe, fire crews deliberately burn mountain slopes in small sections – having the right fires at the right times to prevent catastrophic ones. Property owners in Cape Town form neighbourhood fire protection associations to support each other and the emergency services during unplanned fires, creating a coordinated response network.

The UK is catching on

The UK government is reviewing its wildfire management strategy, focusing on prevention, collaboration and risk reduction. Landowners are also taking a more proactive approach. The Cairngorms national park in Scotland approved the UK’s first comprehensive wildfire management plan in June 2025, introducing seasonal fire management plans and setting up community groups to communicate fire risk and response. Fire services in the Cairngorms now use drones for real-time aerial mapping and off-road vehicles to fight fires in tough terrain.

However, we are still playing catch up. Fire services recorded 286 wildfires between January and April 2025. That’s over 100 more than the same period in 2022’s record year. Yet services receive little dedicated wildfire funding.

Britain could learn from South Africa’s holistic approach. Starting with the need to understand our own landscapes first. What role does fire play in our landscapes? How can we safely manage fire risk in different landscape types? Which of our ecosystems and places might actually benefit from carefully managed fire?

Edinburgh could start by studying Arthur’s Seat as Cape Town studies Table Mountain – not to implement identical solutions, but to understand how fire behaves in this specific landscape. This means researching how gorse burns, whether controlled burns could reduce dangerous fuel loads, and how visitors can safely coexist with proactive fire management.

The lesson isn’t to transplant South African methods to British soil, but to embrace their comprehensive approach to understanding fire. Every landscape is different. What works on Cape Town’s fynbos shrubland won’t necessarily work on Scottish moors. But the principle of studying fire as a part of the landscape rather than simply an emergency to suppress could transform how Britain manages its growing fire risk.

Fire isn’t the enemy. Poorly understood, unmanaged fire is. Climate change guarantees greater fire risk. Britain’s choice is clear: continue reacting with shock to each blaze, or develop our own integrated understanding of how fire works in British landscapes. The Arthur’s Seat fire was a warning shot. The question is whether we’ll heed it.


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


Elliot Convery-Fisher, Research Fellow in the Socio-Ecology of Fire Management, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

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

Cultivating for color: The hidden trade-offs between garden aesthetics and pollinator preferences

Colorful gardens can be pollinator-friendly with native flowering plants. Borchee/E+ via Getty Images
Claire Therese Hemingway, University of Tennessee

People often prioritize aesthetics when choosing plants for their gardens. They may pick flowers based on colors that create visually appealing combinations and varieties that have bigger and brighter displays or more fragrant and pleasant-smelling flowers. Some may also choose species that bloom at different times in order to maintain a colorful display throughout the growing season.

Many gardeners also strive for ecological harmony, seeking to maintain pollinator-friendly gardens that support bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and other pollinators. But there are some notable ways in which the preferences of humans and pollinators have the potential to diverge, with negative consequences for pollinators.

As a cognitive ecologist who studies animal decision-making, I find that understanding how pollinators learn about and choose between flowers can add a helpful perspective to garden aesthetics.

Pollinator preferences and rewards

Over millions of years, plants have evolved suites of floral traits to attract specific types of pollinators.

A hummingbird with its beak inside a small, bright red flower with a narrow tube-like shape
Hummingbirds are attracted to and pollinate red, tubular flowers. AGAMI stock/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Pollinators can be attracted to flowers based on color, pattern, scent and texture. For instance, hummingbirds typically visit bright red and orange flowers with narrow openings and a tubular shape. The striking red cardinal flower is one that is primarily pollinated by hummingbirds, for example.

Bees are often attracted to blue, yellow and white flowers that can be either narrow and tubular or open. Lavender, sage and sunflower plants all bear flowers that attract bee pollinators.

A bee perching on a lavender sprig with many small, purple flowers
Bees pollinate blue, purple, white and yellow flowers, such as the lavender flowers here. Leila Coker/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Flowers offer rewards to visiting pollinators. Nectar is a sugar-rich solution that flowers produce to attract pollinators, which use it to meet their energy needs.

Flowers have an ulterior motive for providing this energy source. While drinking the nectar, pollen can get stuck on the pollinator and transferred to the next flower it visits. This process is essential for the plant’s reproductive success. Pollen contains the plants’ male gametes, which, when deposited onto another flower in the right place, can fertilize the female gametes and produce seeds that grow into new plants. Pollen is also nutrient-rich, containing proteins, lipids and amino acids. Many species, such as bees, collect pollen to feed their developing young.

A battle for resources

Pollinators visit flowers in search of floral rewards. But modifying the features of flowers for aesthetics can be a hindrance to pollinators trying to get these rewards. For example, popular garden plants such as roses and peonies are often bred to have more petals and larger flower heads, making them more visually striking and appealing to humans. But these extra petals may block a pollinator’s access to the center of the flower, where floral rewards are located.

Further, plants have limited resources. Spending them on building aesthetically pleasing but energetically expensive features can mean there’s less left to invest in signals and rewards essential for attracting pollinators. In extreme cases, breeding for aesthetics has led to plants with what scientists and gardeners call “double flowers.” In these varieties, extra petals replace reproductive parts entirely. These plants are often altogether unrewarding for pollinators, since the flowers no longer produce nectar or pollen. Double flowers occur from mutations that convert the pollen-producing stamens and other reproductive organs into petals. They can occur naturally but are rare in wild populations.

Since these double flowers cannot spread pollen or produce seeds effectively, they are unable to reproduce in the wild and pass these mutations on. To cultivate them as garden varieties, people propagate these plants through cuttings – small sections cut from the stem that can be rooted to grow clones of the parent plant. Many common garden plants have popular double-flowered varieties, including roses, peonies, camellias, marigolds, tulips, dahlias and chrysanthemums.

Roses, for example, have become synonymous with having many densely-packed petals. But these popular garden varieties are usually double-flowered or have many extra petals blocking access to the center of the rose and provide no rewards to pollinators.

Consider making your gardens friendlier to pollinators by avoiding these double-flowered plants, and ask your local garden center for recommended varieties if you need help.

Two pink flowers side by side, the left one has five petals, visible and accessible stamens in the center. The right one has many more petals packed densely, and no stamens visible
The five-petaled wild rose, left, is much better for pollinators than garden roses with double flowers and many more petals but no reproductive parts. (L) Clara Nila/iStock and (R) Alex Manders/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Sometimes gardeners intentionally prevent plants from flowering, which limits or eliminates their value to pollinators.

For example, herbs such as thyme, oregano, mint and basil are generally most flavorful and tender before the plant begins to flower. Once it flowers, the plant diverts energy to reproductive structures, and leaves become tougher and lose flavor. As a result, gardeners often pinch off flower buds and harvest leaves frequently to promote continued growth and delay flowering. Letting some of your herbs flower occasionally can help pollinators without affecting your kitchen supplies too much.

Stems of a flowering basil plant with green leaves and tiny white flowers
Letting garden herbs such as basil flower can be beneficial to pollinators. Rafael Goes/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Finding the right flowers

Flowers with unusual colors and stronger fragrances can be difficult for pollinators to detect and recognize.

People might favor bright and unusual flower colors in their gardens over naturally occurring shades. But this preference might not align with what the pollinators have evolved to favor in nature. For example, planting human-preferred colors, such as white or pink morphs of hummingbird-pollinated flowers that are typically red, can reduce a flower’s visibility and attractiveness. Even when cultivated varieties have a similar enough color to natural ones to attract pollinators, they may lack other important visual components, such as ultraviolet floral patterns that can guide pollinators to nectar sources.

Breeding plant varieties to accentuate particular aesthetic traits may have unintended consequences for other traits. Changes in flower color through selective breeding can also affect leaf color, as genes involved in pigment production can affect multiple plant tissues. Besides changing the overall appearance of the plant, changing leaf color may alter background contrast between flowers and the leaves, which can make flowers less conspicuous to pollinators.

Many pollinators use a combination of color and scent to detect and discriminate between flowers. But breeding for traits such as color and brightness can alter floral scents due to unintended genetic changes or energetic trade-offs.

Scent helps pollinators locate flowers from farther distances, so unfamiliar or reduced fragrance may make flowers harder to find in the first place. Disruption in either color or scent can make flowers less noticeable to pollinators expecting a familiar pairing and can hinder a pollinator’s ability to learn which flowers are suitable for them in the first place.

A balanced approach for healthy gardens

When flowers are harder to find, pollinators are less likely to visit them. When they offer poor or no rewards, pollinators quickly abandon them for better options. This disruption in plant-pollinator interactions has implications not only for pollinator health but also for garden vitality. Many plants rely on animal pollinators to reproduce and make mature seeds. These are either collected by gardeners or allowed to drop to the ground and sprout on their own to grow new flowering plants the following year.

A close-up of a bee covered in pollen on top of a yellow flower
Pollinators not only transfer pollen from flower to flower, they also gather pollen to feed their young. John Kimbler/500px via Getty Images

When selecting plants for a garden, gardeners who want to support pollinators might consider choosing native varieties that have evolved alongside local pollinators.

In most areas of the country, there are native plants with colorful and interesting flowers that bloom at different times, from early spring to late fall. These plants tend to produce reliable floral signals and offer the nectar and pollen needed to support pollinator nutrition and development.

Sterile varieties and double flowers offer little or no rewards for pollinators, and gardens with them may not attract as many pollinators. Letting herbs flower after some harvesting is another simple way to support beneficial insects.

With choices informed by not just your aesthetic preferences but also those of pollinators, you can create colorful gardens that support wildlife and stay in bloom across various seasons.The Conversation

Claire Therese Hemingway, Assistant Professor of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee

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
Annie Wyatt Reserve, Palm Beach: Pittwater Fields of Dreams II - The Tree Lovers League 
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
Brown's Bay Public Wharf, on McCarrs Creek, Church Point: Some History
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
Community Concerned Over the Increase of Plastic Products Being Used by the Northern Beaches Council for Installations in Pittwater's Environment
Cowan Track by Kevin Murray
Crown Reserves Improvement Fund Allocations 2021
Crown Reserves Improvement Fund 2022-23: $378,072 Allocated To Council For Weed Control - Governor Phillip Park Gets a Grant This Time: full details of all 11 sites
Crown Reserves Improvement Fund Allocations 2023-2024
Crown Reserves Grants 2025 Announced: Local focus on Weeds + Repairs to Long Reef Boardwalk + some pictures of council's recent works at Hitchcock Park - Careel Bay playing fields - CRIF 2025
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 Falls Walk May 2025 by Joe Mills
Irrawong - Ingleside Escarpment Trail Walk Spring 2020 photos by Joe Mills
Irrawong - Mullet Creek Restoration
Katandra Bushland Sanctuary - Ingleside
Killing of Ruskin Rowe Heritage Listed Tree 'authoritarian'
Long Reef Sunrise Headland Walk by Joe Mills
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 
Northern Beaches Council recommends allowing dogs offleash on Mona Vale Beach
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
Plastic grass announced For Kamilaroi Park Bayview + Lakeside Park
Project Penguin 2017 - Taronga Zoo Expo day
Project Penguin 2025 + Surfing with a Penguin in South Africa + Pittwater's Penguins
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
Stealing The Bush: Pittwater's Trees Changes - Some History 
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
The Top Predator by A Dad from A Pittwater Family of Dog Owners & Dog Lovers
$378,072 Allocated To Council For Weed Control: Governor Phillip Park Gets a Grant This Time: full details of all 11 sites - CRIF March 2023
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
Tree Management Policy Passed
Trial to remove shark nets - NBC - Central Coast - Waverly approached to nominate a beach each
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 August 2025 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
Turimetta to Avalon Dunes Being Trashed
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

Surfers for Climate

A sea-roots movement dedicated to mobilising and empowering surfers for continuous and positive climate action.

Surfers for Climate are coming together in lineups around the world to be the change we want to see.

With roughly 35 million surfers across the globe, our united tribe has a powerful voice. 

Add yours to the conversation by signing up here.

Surfers for Climate will keep you informed, involved and active on both the local and global issues and solutions around the climate crisis via our allies hub. 

Help us prevent our favourite spots from becoming fading stories of waves we used to surf.

Together we can protect our oceans and keep them thriving for future generations to create lifelong memories of their own.

Visit:  http://www.surfersforclimate.org.au/

Create a Habitat Stepping Stone!

Over 50 Pittwater households have already pledged to make a difference for our local wildlife, and you can too! Create a habitat stepping stone to help our wildlife out. It’s easy - just add a few beautiful habitat elements to your backyard or balcony to create a valuable wildlife-friendly stopover.

How it works

1) Discover: Visit the website below to find dozens of beautiful plants, nest boxes and water elements you can add to your backyard or balcony to help our local wildlife.

2) Pledge: Select three or more elements to add to your place. You can even show you care by choosing to have a bird appear on our online map.

3) Share: Join the Habitat Stepping Stones Facebook community to find out what’s happening in the natural world, and share your pics, tips and stories.

What you get                                  

• Enjoy the wonders of nature, right outside your window. • Free and discounted plants for your garden. • A Habitat Stepping Stone plaque for your front fence. • Local wildlife news and tips. • Become part of the Pittwater Habitat Stepping Stones community.

Get the kids involved and excited about helping out! www.HabitatSteppingStones.org.au

No computer? No problem -Just write to the address below and we’ll mail you everything you need. Habitat Stepping Stones, Department of Environmental Sciences, Macquarie University NSW 2109. This project is assisted by the NSW Government through its Environmental Trust

Newport Community Gardens

Anyone interested in joining our community garden group please feel free to come and visit us on Sunday at 10am at the Woolcott Reserve in Newport!


Keep in Touch with what's happening on Newport Garden's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/newportcg/

Avalon Preservation Association


The Avalon Preservation Association, also known as Avalon Preservation Trust. We are a not for profit volunteer community group incorporated under the NSW Associations Act, established 50 years ago. We are committed to protecting your interests – to keeping guard over our natural and built environment throughout the Avalon area.

Membership of the association is open to all those residents and/or ratepayers of Avalon Beach and adjacent areas who support the aims and objectives of our Association.

Report illegal dumping

NSW Government

The RIDonline website lets you report the types of waste being dumped and its GPS location. Photos of the waste can also be added to the report.

The Environment Protection Authority (EPA), councils and Regional Illegal Dumping (RID) squads will use this information to investigate and, if appropriate, issue a fine or clean-up notice. Penalties for illegal dumping can be up to $15,000 and potential jail time for anybody caught illegally dumping within five years of a prior illegal dumping conviction.

The Green Team

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This Youth-run, volunteer-based environment initiative has been attracting high praise from the founders of Living Ocean as much as other local environment groups recently. 
Creating Beach Cleans events, starting their own, sustainability days - ‘action speaks louder than words’ ethos is at the core of this group. 

Australian Native Foods website: http://www.anfil.org.au/

Wildlife Carers and Organisations in Pittwater:

Sydney Wildlife rescues, rehabilitates and releases sick, injured and orphaned native wildlife. From penguins, to possums and parrots, native wildlife of all descriptions passes through the caring hands of Sydney Wildlife rescuers and carers on a daily basis. We provide a genuine 24 hour, 7 day per week emergency advice, rescue and care service.

As well as caring for sick, injured and orphaned native wildlife, Sydney Wildlife is also involved in educating the community about native wildlife and its habitat. We provide educational talks to a wide range of groups and audiences including kindergartens, scouts, guides, a wide range of special interest groups and retirement villages. Talks are tailored to meet the needs and requirements of each group. 

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Found an injured native animal? We're here to help.

Keep the animal contained, warm, quiet and undisturbed. Do not offer any food or water. Call Sydney Wildlife immediately on 9413 4300, or take the animal to your nearest vet. Generally there is no charge. Find out more at: www.sydneywildlife.org.au

Southern Cross Wildlife Care was launched over 6 years ago. It is the brainchild of Dr Howard Ralph, the founder and chief veterinarian. SCWC was established solely for the purpose of treating injured, sick and orphaned wildlife. No wild creature in need that passes through our doors is ever rejected. 

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People can assist SCWC by volunteering their skills ie: veterinary; medical; experienced wildlife carers; fundraising; "IT" skills; media; admin; website etc. We are always having to address the issue of finances as we are a non commercial veterinary service for wildlife in need, who obviously don't have cheque books in their pouches. It is a constant concern and struggle of ours when we are pre-occupied with the care and treatment of the escalating amount of wildlife that we have to deal with. Just becoming a member of SCWC for $45 a year would be a great help. Regular monthly donations however small, would be a wonderful gift and we could plan ahead knowing that we had x amount of funds that we could count on. Our small team of volunteers are all unpaid even our amazing vet Howard, so all funds raised go directly towards our precious wildlife. SCWC is TAX DEDUCTIBLE.

Find out more at: southerncrosswildlifecare.org.au/wp/

Avalon Community Garden

Community Gardens bring people together and enrich communities. They build a sense of place and shared connection.

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Avalon Community Garden is a community led initiative to create accessible food gardens in public places throughout the Pittwater area. Our aim is to share skills and knowledge in creating fabulous local, organic food. But it's not just about great food. We also aim to foster community connection, stimulate creative ideas for community resilience and celebrate our abundance. Open to all ages and skills, our first garden is on the grounds of Barrenjoey High School (off Tasman Road)Become part of this exciting initiative to change the world locally. 

Avalon Community Garden
2 Tasman Road
North Avalon

Newport Community Garden: Working Bee Second Sunday of the month

Newport Community Gardens Inc. is a not for profit incorporated association. The garden is in Woolcott Reserve.

Objectives
Local Northern Beaches residents creating sustainable gardens in public spaces
Strengthening the local community, improving health and reconnecting with nature
To establish ecologically sustainable gardens for the production of vegetables, herbs, fruit and companion plants within Pittwater area 
To enjoy and forge friendships through shared gardening.
Membership is open to all Community members willing to participate in establishing gardens and growing sustainable food.
Subscription based paid membership.
We meet at the garden between 9am – 12 noon
New members welcome

For enquiries contact newportcommunitygardenau@gmail.com

Living Ocean


Living Ocean was born in Whale Beach, on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, surrounded by water and set in an area of incredible beauty.
Living Ocean is a charity that promotes the awareness of human impact on the ocean, through research, education, creative activity in the community, and support of others who sustain ocean health and integrity.

And always celebrating and honouring the natural environment and the lifestyle that the ocean offers us.

Our whale research program builds on research that has been conducted off our coastline by our experts over many years and our Centre for Marine Studies enables students and others to become directly involved.

Through partnerships with individuals and organizations, we conceive, create and coordinate campaigns that educate all layers of our community – from our ‘No Plastic Please’ campaign, which is delivered in partnership with local schools, to film nights and lectures, aimed at the wider community.

Additionally, we raise funds for ocean-oriented conservation groups such as Sea Shepherd.

Donations are tax-deductable 
Permaculture Northern Beaches

Want to know where your food is coming from? 

Do you like to enrich the earth as much as benefit from it?

Find out more here:

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What Does PNHA do?

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About Pittwater Natural Heritage Association (PNHA)
With urbanisation, there are continuing pressures that threaten the beautiful natural environment of the Pittwater area. Some impacts are immediate and apparent, others are more gradual and less obvious. The Pittwater Natural Heritage Association has been formed to act to protect and preserve the Pittwater areas major and most valuable asset - its natural heritage. PNHA is an incorporated association seeking broad based community membership and support to enable it to have an effective and authoritative voice speaking out for the preservation of Pittwater's natural heritage. Please contact us for further information.

Our Aims
  • To raise public awareness of the conservation value of the natural heritage of the Pittwater area: its landforms, watercourses, soils and local native vegetation and fauna.
  • To raise public awareness of the threats to the long-term sustainability of Pittwater's natural heritage.
  • To foster individual and community responsibility for caring for this natural heritage.
  • To encourage Council and the NSW Government to adopt and implement policies and works which will conserve, sustain and enhance the natural heritage of Pittwater.
Act to Preserve and Protect!
If you would like to join us, please fill out the Membership Application Form ($20.00 annually - $10 concession)

Email: pnhainfo@gmail.com Or click on Logo to visit website.

Think before you print ; A kilo of recycled paper creates around 1.8 kilograms of carbon emissions, without taking into account the emissions produced from transporting the paper. So, before you send a document to print, think about how many kilograms of carbon emissions you could save by reading it on screen.

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

Pittwater's Environmental Foundation

Pittwater Environmental Foundation was established in 2006 to conserve and enhance the natural environment of the Pittwater local government area through the application of tax deductible donations, gifts and bequests. The Directors were appointed by Pittwater Council. 

 Profile

About 33% (about 1600 ha excluding National Parks) of the original pre-European bushland in Pittwater remains in a reasonably natural or undisturbed condition. Of this, only about 400ha remains in public ownership. All remaining natural bushland is subject to encroachment, illegal clearing, weed invasion, feral animals, altered drainage, bushfire hazard reduction requirements and other edge effects. Within Pittwater 38 species of plants or animals are listed as endangered or threatened under the Threatened Species Act. There are two endangered populations (Koala and Squirrel Glider) and eight endangered ecological communities or types of bushland. To visit their site please click on logo above.

Avalon Boomerang Bags


Avalon Boomerang Bags was introduced to us by Surfrider Foundation and Living Ocean, they both helped organise with the support of Pittwater Council the Recreational room at Avalon Community Centre which we worked from each Tuesday. This is the Hub of what is a Community initiative to help free Avalon of single use plastic bags and to generally spread the word of the overuse of plastic. 

Find out more and get involved.

"I bind myself today to the power of Heaven, the light of the sun, the brightness of the moon, the splendour of fire, the flashing of lightning, the swiftness of wind, the depth of the sea, the stability of the earth, the compactness of rocks." -  from the Prayer of Saint Patrick