30/09/2023

Archive

Flying-foxes: Guardians of biodiversity

  September was Biodiversity Month in Australia — a month dedicated to promoting the importance of biodiversity through awareness, conservation, and sustainable practices. The following from Wildlife Queensland, hightlights well the importance of …. Flying-foxes, also known as fruit bats, as the unsung biodiversity heroes. Extraordinary members of the animal kingdom These intelligent, sentient mammals bring life to our forests and keep the ecological balance intact. But as they face numerous challenges, including habitat loss and human conflicts, it’s important...

Wildlife Queensland needs help to name the platypus

Maleny Chocolate Co.’s new chocolate platypus needs a name, and Wildlife Queensland want you to choose it! The Maleny Chocolate Platypus is a delightful creation that pays homage to our town’s cherished unofficial mascot, said Maleny Chocolate Co. owner Troy Wainwright. Maleny Chocolate Co. is generously donating 10% of all chocolate platypus sales to Wildlife Queensland PlatypusWatch. Find out more about the new chocolate platypus....

The IUCN Red List: Guiding Conservation for 50 years

  Established in 1964, the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species has evolved to become the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global extinction risk status of animal, fungus and plant species. The IUCN Red List is a critical indicator of the health of the world’s biodiversity. Far more than a list of species and their status, it is a powerful tool to inform and catalyse action for biodiversity conservation and policy change, critical...

Celebrating rivers!

World Rivers Day is a celebration of the world’s waterways. It highlights the many values of rivers and strives to increase public awareness and encourages the improved stewardship of rivers around the world. “Rivers are the arteries of our planet; they are lifelines in the truest sense.” ~ Mark Angelo Factsheet_Rivers MILLIONS OF PEOPLE IN MORE THAN 100 COUNTRIES PARTICIPATE IN WORLD RIVERS DAY ON THE 4th SUNDAY OF EVERY SEPTEMBER...

Some good news – and reality – of rhino conservation

2,000 Southern White Rhino to be Released into the Wild Over Next 10 Years African Parks, a conservation NGO that manages 22 protected areas in partnership with 12 governments across Africa, announced that it will rewild over 2,000 southern white rhino over the next 10 years. African Parks has stepped in as the new owner of the world’s largest private captive rhino breeding operation, “Platinum Rhino”, a 7,800-hectare property in the North West province of South Africa, which currently holds...

Australian frogs at risk, with possible solutions

The Australian frogs at greatest risk of extinction and what to do about it   New research published in Pacific Conservation Biology has identified the 26 Australian frogs at greatest risk of extinction, the probability of each extinction by 2040, and the actions needed to prevent those extinctions. The study found that although not yet officially listed as extinct, Queensland’s mountain mist frog and northern tinker frog are very likely to be.  No-one has recorded these species in around 30...

Richmond birdwing butterfly is threatened

The Richmond birdwing butterfly, the largest subtropical butterfly in Australia, is closely related to several other birdwings from northern Queensland and New Guinea. It is protected in Queensland, where it is classified as a threatened species at risk of extinction. Richmond birdwing butterfly populations have declined in Queensland since the 1920s following the loss and fragmentation of their habitats, mainly rainforests. Clearing and burning of understorey vegetation, invasion of riparian native vegetation by weeds, and mining of rainforest valleys for...

Did you Know….about the monotreme

There are 5 mammals that lay eggs Platypus. The sleek and adaptable platypus makes its home on land and water and is odd enough that the first scientists to learn of the mammal thought they were being pranked. … For more on this amazing creature Eastern Long-Beaked Echidna. … Western Long-Beaked Echidna. … Short-Beaked Echidna. … Sir David’s Long-Beaked Echidna....

This September the focus is on ….. Platypus watch

This September, Wildlife Queensland’s PlatypusWatch is partnering with the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) to promote platypus conservation. The aquatic, egg-laying platypus is one of Australia’s most bizarre and iconic mammals. Unfortunately, its habitat in Queensland has shrunk by 27 per cent over 30 years, and its numbers are declining. To counteract these threats, PlatypusWatch is a community-based program that raises awareness of platypus conservation and gathers population data from Queensland waterways so researchers can identify where actions are needed —...

The kea…. why into the mountains?

Did you Know? World’s only alpine parrot may have moved to the mountains to avoid people New Zealand’s rare, highly endangered alpine parrots may have headed for the mountains to avoid people – and researchers say their adaptability could help them survive the climate crisis. The kea is considered the only alpine parrot in the world. But scientists analysing DNA sequencing and fossil records have found kea were once present in other parts of the country. The news is something...

Good news! UK government defeated over water pollution rules

UK government defeated over plan to relax water pollution rules to boost homebuilding   LONDON, Sept 13 (Reuters) – The British government’s plan to relax rules around water pollution to enable the construction of thousands of new homes was defeated by the upper house of parliament on Wednesday. The government said last month it planned to remove European Union “nutrient neutrality” laws it had retained post-Brexit, which are intended to ensure development does not pollute waterways with chemicals from sources...

Good news for World Heritage in Uganda

  Uganda’s Tombs of the Kings of Buganda at Kasubi to be removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger The World Heritage Committee, which is meeting in Riyadh until 25 September, has decided to remove the site of the Tombs of the Buganda Kings in Kasubi (Uganda) from the List of World Heritage in Danger, following the successful restoration work carried out by Uganda with UNESCO’s support. In 2010, a violent fire devastated the Tombs of the Kings...

Great Nature books_Part 1

For International literacy day, here  are some noteworthy publishers that produce great nature books… There are myriads of great books, so these are a ‘taster list’ ….   Australia – CSIRO Publishing New Zealand – Potton & Burton  United Kingdom – Natural History Museum   Australia book Do Penguins’ Feet Freeze?  – Wild answers to wacky questions from nature  By experts of Natural History Museum, London  Published by Natural History Museum, London for northern hermisphere and CSIRO Publishing for New...

Threatened Species of Australia… sadly a long list

(photo by Henricus Peters at Lone Pine Sanctuary) On 7 September, 1936, Australia’s Tasmanian tiger – the thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus), slipped over the extinction line. Sixty years later, in 1996, WWF-Australia’s Threatened Species Network and the Australian Government established National Threatened Species Day to commemorate the death of the last Tasmanian tiger at Hobart Zoo. Over  under Australia’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act 1999, and after the catastrophic bushfires in 2019-20 with nearly 3 billion animals impacted, many of...