Prolonged ocean warming events, known as marine heatwaves, take a significant toll on the complex ecosystem of the Great Barrier Reef. This is according to a new study on the impacts of the 2016 marine heatwave, published in Nature. In surveying the 3,863 individual reefs that make up the system off Australia’s north-east coast, scientists found that 29% of communities …

When Mandelena became a mother, she was only 16 years old. During the prolonged dry season in Gwor County, South Sudan over the last two years, Mandelena and her family have been able to eat only one meal per day. In her community, crops are failing, cattle are dying and children are dropping out of school because of hunger. Women …

NSW Environment Minister Gabrielle Upton was warned by her own department that an easing of land-clearing codes could trigger a 45 per cent jump in the rate of native vegetation destruction on farms. Advice by the Office of Environment & Heritage (OEH) dated August 25, 2017 – just as the minister was signing off on an overhaul of the state’s …

THE National Parks Association (NPA) of NSW says the North Coast koala population has halved in the past 20 years and will fall further with the signing of land clearing laws. NPA chief executive Alix Goodwin urged the protection of wildlife ecosystems and koala habitat on public land. She also said Freedom Of Information documents showed Environment Minister Gabrielle Upton …

The final stages of a planned housing development on (Lot 612) Black Head Road, Hallidays Point has been referred to the Department of Planning and Environment. Located adjacent to Tallwoods Village, the 17 hectare mainly cleared site has been used for small scale grazing activities. A wetland on the north-eastern corner of the site would be included in a conservation …