Nature

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Creature feature | the brilliant bilby

The Bilby has bene offered as an alternative to the Easter bunny  What is there difference between the Bilby and Bandicoot? Bilbies have the characteristic long bandicoot muzzle and very big ears that radiate heat. They are about 29–55 cm (11–22 in) long. Compared to bandicoots, they have a longer tail, bigger ears, and softer, silky fur. The size of their ears allows them to have better hearing.   For more, including conservation efforts, check out Save the Bilby Fund...

Hot Topic | African elephants, poaching

  African Elephant conservation African Elephants are one of the most heavily poached mammals in the world. Historic and ongoing demand for ivory is the leading reason behind their slaughter, with habitat destruction, fragmentation and rapid human development posing significant threats also. The African Elephant Loxodonta africana occurs in 18 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, numbering an estimated 350,000 individuals across the continent. Although certain populations in Central Africa are deemed relatively secure, poaching between 2009–2016 saw a 30% reduction in...

Habitats | Channel Country in Australia – some good news!

12 December 2023, the Queensland Government made this announcement: “Today, the Queensland government will announce historic protections for the Channel Country’s rivers and floodplains. Under the protections, any future oil or gas drilling in the floodplain areas of the Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre basin would be prohibited. Today’s announcement will come after eight years of rolling commitments from Queensland Labor to protect the Channel Country rivers and floodplains since they entered government in 2015. Throughout this time Traditional Owners, Channel Country...

Tuesday Plant Talk | Value of rainforests

  Rainforests – especially tropical rainforests – are said to have ‘an outsized role in the world, with their significance outweigh by their size.. Of the Earth’s ecosystems, rainforests support the largest variety of plants and animal species, house the majority of indigenous groups still living in isolation from the rest of humanity, and power the mightiest rivers. Rainforests lock up vast amounts of carbon, moderate local temperature, and influence rainfall and weather patterns at regional and planetary scales. BUT...

2024 a year to focus on ‘camelids’

    This news just in…. 2024 is the International Year of Camelids The United Nations has declared 2024 the International Year of Camelids (IYC 2024). The Year will highlight how camelids are key to the livelihoods of millions of households across over 90 countries. From alpacas to Bactrian camels, dromedaries, guanacos, llamas, and vicuñas, camelids contribute to food security, nutrition and economic growth as well as holding a strong cultural significance for communities across the world. Camelids play an...

Climate talks : keep or ditch fossil fuels

Controversy hangs over climate talks as countries weigh whether to ditch fossil fuels According to CNN – The first week of the COP28 climate talks has come to an end not with the euphoria of the first days of breakthrough announcements, but with growing anxiety about whether the world will do anything about the main cause of the climate crisis: fossil fuels. What is COP? A critical moment in global transformative climate actionIn the three decades since the Rio Summit...

Water | about braided rivers

Physically similar extensive braided rivers are rare world-wide and occur only in Alaska, Canada and the Himalayas. Canterbury contains 60% of the braided- river habitat in New Zealand, and the Mackenzie Basin contains some of the most pristine of these rivers. Globally, braided rivers are rare. They occur only where a very specific combination of climate and geology allows rivers to form ever-changing and highly dynamic ‘braided’ channels across a wide gravelly riverbed. New Zealand is a braided river hot-spot....

Plant talk | Old Man’s Beard Must Go!

Invasive alien species, or IAS – are animals or plants that are introduced into places outside their natural range, hugely impacting native biodiversity, ecosystems or human well-being. They are one of the biggest causes of biodiversity loss and species extinctions, and are also a global threat to food security. Years ago, the the television botanist David Bellamy fronted a tv slot about the very invasive ‘Clematis vitalba’  – “With his impassioned enthusiasm and trademark beard, English naturalist David Bellamy made (a)...