Urbanisation of the cassowary: impacts and economics

source: Reef and Rainforest Research Centre
"The Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius johnsonii or 'cassowary') is a significant keystone species to the natural environment of the Wet Tropics. The cassowary is a major and often sole disperser of seeds for over one hundred species of rainforest trees and vines (BioTropica Australia 2005). Because of the importance of the cassowary to the overall biodiversity of the Wet Tropics, research into the refining, tailoring and application of a market based instrument (MBI) to manage for environmental conservation in developing areas will use a viable cassowary population as the objective of any instrument mix analysed."

Market segmentation study of rural landholders in relation to the promotion of natural resource management on private land in the Wet Tropics region

Source: Reef and Rainforest Research Centre
"This report describes a series of community sector or group profiles with varying levels of interest and engagement in natural resource management (NRM) activities, based on responses to a survey of rural landholders in the Wet Tropics NRM region of far northern Queensland. Indices were developed to represent landholders' interest in and concern about NRM issues and to represent their level of engagement with (i.e. adoption of) currently recommended practices (CRPs)."

Wildlife in a changing world: an analysis of the 2008 Red List

Source: IUCN
"Wildlife in a Changing World presents an analysis of the 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™. Beginning with an explanation of the IUCN Red List as a key conservation tool, it goes on to discuss the state of the worlds species and provides the latest information on the patterns of species facing extinction in some of the most important ecosystems in the world, highlighting the reasons behind their declining status. Areas of focus in the report include: freshwater biodiversity, the status of the worlds marine species, species susceptibility to climate change impacts, the Mediterranean biodiversity hotspot, and broadening the coverage of biodiversity assessments."

Conservation and values: global cetacean summary report

source: Dept. of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
"The Global Cetacean Summary Report presents the most current information on the conservation status of the world’s cetaceans and includes new information from the 2008 meetings of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The report also highlights the main threats to their survival, and discusses the value of whale watching."

Draft national koala conservation and management strategy 2009-2014

source: Dept. of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
"The koala is an important part of Australia's natural and cultural heritage. The koala is suffering declines in some parts of Australia and management issues vary significantly from region to region. There is a clear need for a strategic approach to the conservation and management of koalas to maximise the effectiveness of conservation efforts. The first National Koala Conservation Strategy was released in 1998, aiming to conserve koalas by retaining viable populations in the wild throughout their natural range. This strategy is now being revised by the National Koala Conservation and Management Strategy Steering Committee on behalf of the Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council. The Steering Committee has prepared a draft in consultation with a number of koala researchers and managers, in order to provide a basis for consultation with stakeholders and the general public."

Woodchipping our water

source: ACF
"This report, Woodchipping Our Water, assesses how the logging of mature forests in the Goulburn River catchment threatens the enormous water production and carbon
sequestration potential of the region. The Goulburn River is one of Australia’s most important and degraded river systems. It supplies water to many regional towns and cities, including Shepparton, Bendigo and Ballarat. The Goulburn also supports Victoria’s major irrigation industries and its flows are vital to the health of the Murray River system. The report finds that if logging in the study area stopped tomorrow, an additional water yield of 3,807 gigalitres would be delivered into the Goulburn River over the next 100 years. This is more than six times Melbourne’s annual average water use and around 165 times the amount of water the City of Bendigo uses in a single year. The economic value of this water would be $1.68 billion."

Assessing the social impacts of invasive animals in australia

Source: Invasive Animals CRC
"The case study of the Upper Hunter Valley in New South Wales set out to identify, understand, and possibly quantify the social impacts of invasive animals in an area with a typical range of land uses. We found that in the Upper Hunter region, wild dogs, foxes, feral pigs and rabbits, and to a lesser extent, feral goats and carp are seen as the main pest animals. In practice, only wild dogs, foxes and feral pigs currently seem to be causing concern for local landowners and resource managers. For the most part, the effects of pest animals in the Upper Hunter region are economic and environmental. Such effects include stock and pasture loss, biodiversity loss and vehicle accidents involving invasive animals. Most of the social impacts of pest animals in this region therefore seem to flow out of the economic and environmental impacts."

Forests NSW Riverina environmental impact statement

Source: NSW DPI
"An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Forests NSW’s operations in the state’s south-west has found there is unlikely to be a significant impact on most threatened species, or endangered ecological communities or their habitats. The EIS assesses Forests NSW’s timber harvesting and associated road works in south-western NSW, an area that includes both red gum forests and white cypress forests. The assessment considers matters associated with timber harvesting and related roadworks such as sustainable timber supply, flora and fauna, air quality, noise, cultural heritage, water quality, traffic and transport, and socioeconomic impacts. However, the EIS has been met with criticism by the National Parks Association of NSW, with spokesperson, Georgina Woods, saying the EIS “has utterly failed to provide a proper assessment of the environmental impacts of logging”. The National Parks Association says the EIS fails to address the impact of logging on nationally significant wetlands, and undertakes almost no surveys for threatened species."

Extending the sustainable management of kangaroos

Source: RIRDC
"Kangaroo harvesting is entrenched as an essential agricultural and environmental management tool in the arid grazing rangelands of Australia. A significant amount of research exists which confirms that harvesting kangaroos at the maximum sustainable yield of the population delivers a considerable benefit to agricultural enterprise margins. More-over doing so also aids in biodiversity maintenance. Overgrazing remains one of the biggest sustainability threats to the rangelands environment. Various state and territory governments regulations prevent commercial kangaroo harvesting in large sections of grazing lands in Australia. This project was commissioned to identify these restricted areas, the impediments involved and attempts to gain commercial access key identified regions."

Saving the honeybee

Source: Scientific American, vol.300,no.4 (April 2009)
"The mysterious ailment called colony collapse has wiped out large numbers of the bees that pollinate a third of America’s crops. The causes turn out to be surprisingly complex, but solutions are emerging."

The third wave

Source: The monthly, no.44 (April, 2009)
Article by Tim Flannery: "If the Australian government was at all serious about climate-change mitigation, it would be pumping millions of dollars into surveys and captive-breeding programs for the most critically endangered species. Instead, we see business as usual: mouthed concern, but no meaningful action to deal with the consequences of our coal burning. Without doubt, climate change is only one factor at work, but no one can gainsay that it's a deadly serious one, with computer models indicating that we face losing three out of five species on Earth to global warming if the worst-case scenario eventuates."

State of the birds report 2009

Source: North American Bird Conservation Initiative
"Birds are bellwethers of our natural and cultural health as a nation—they are indicators of the integrity of the environments that provide us with clean air and water, fertile soils, abundant wildlife, and the natural resources on which our economic development depends. In the past 40 years, major public, private, and government initiatives have made strides for conservation. Has it been enough? How are birds faring?"

Climate change and species

Source: WWF Australia
"WWF has commissioned this assessment of the likely impacts that climate change will have on some of the world’s bestknown species, drawing on the latest scientific literature. It makes for unsettling reading: ninety five per cent of the Great Barrier Reef corals gone by 2050, seventy five percent of Antarctic’s Adelie penguins could disappear by 2050, polar bears wiped out entirely before the end of the century. Surely this is not a future that any of us can accept. Individuals, companies and governments must do everything in their power to address the issue of climate change and mitigate the impacts on the biodiversity and rich natural habitats upon which we all depend."

Birds and climate change: ecological disruption in motion

source: Audubon
"Amid mounting concerns over accelerating global climate change, Audubon looked to the birds to determine if and how these sensitive creatures might be responding to changes here in the continental U.S. Birders have long reported surprising sightings of species far north of expected ranges. But are the reports significant? If so, are they connected to documented changes in our climate? Analyses of four decades of Christmas Bird Count data provide some answers. The results confirm what bird lovers have long suspected. Findings summarized in the pages that follow offer a look at forty years of change, a peek at what the future likely holds in one part of our nation, and an urgent message of warning from the birds—a message we would be wise to heed."

Best practice guidelines for the grey-headed flying fox

source: NSW Dept. of Environment and Climate Change
"The Department of Environment and Climate Change NSW (DECC) and the Sydney Metropolitan Catchment Management Authority have identified the need to provide best practice guidance to land managers and private landholders seeking to conserve grey-headed flying foxes. Cabramatta Creek Flying-fox Reserve has been chosen as a demonstration site for this threatened species. All flying-fox camp restoration projects should be managed to current best practice standards, as inappropriate restoration can significantly affect the usefulness of the camp. Land managers, private landowners and bush regenerators are encouraged to apply the strategies and techniques outlined in this document."

Eradication of feral cats at Wake Atoll

Source: Atoll Research Bulletin, no.560 (Nov.2008)
"Feral cats (Felis catus) were introduced at Wake Atoll, (19°18' N, 166° 38' E)
in the 1960s as pets and probably to control rats on this U.S. military base in the North Pacific Ocean. After base-downsizing in the 1970s, feral cats became a noticeable problem. Hunting and trapping to control their numbers has been sporadic over time but began seriously in 1996 and continued through 2002, during which time about 200 cats were removed. The eradication effort began in July 2003 and by January 2004 another 170 cats had been removed. During visits from late 2004 to 2007, two feral cats were seen but no cat reproduction was detected. Bird populations responded quickly to the release of predation: Masked Boobies (Sula dactylatra) increased from three breeding pairs in 1996 to 25 by 2007; the Brown Booby (S. leucogaster) population rose from 73 nests in 1996 to 162 in 2003. Wedgetailed Shearwaters (Puffinus pacificus) recolonized around 1998 and populations expanded to form at least three colonies with individuals in numerous locations around the atoll. Gray-backed Terns (Onychoprion lunata), not recorded breeding on the atoll since the 1980s, began nesting in two new sites, and Great Frigatebirds (Fregata minor),which had not been recorded nesting since the 1960s, renewed reproductive efforts in 2005. Laysan Albatross were finally successful in rearing a chick and appear to be increasing. Due to feral cat removal and wet weather, Pacific Rats (R. exulans) greatly increased. Current rodent control effort was less effective than it should be because hermit crabs (Coenobita perlata) ate the bait before the rats did. A bait station model design to exclude crabs was designed and tested. The island managers continued to control rats at Wake around housing areas, and rodent populations have declined since their peak following cat eradication."

Maximising woodland bird diversity in Brigalow Belt forests

Source: Land & Water Australia
"This project aimed to determine the interactions among fire, grazing and habitat structure, and their influence on noisy miner presence and woodland bird assemblages. Outcomes from the study will aid in development of land management principles and intuitive, user-friendly decision-support tools with the potential for application across the Brigalow Belt region."

Bad water and the decline of blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay

source: Chesapeake Bay Foundation
"Pollution has been a major factor in the decline of the Chesapeake Bay’s blue crab population, according to a new report from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF). Key findings include that dead zones kill an estimated 75,000 tons of bottom-dwelling clams and worms each year, enough to feed 60 million crabs annually. In addition, algal blooms caused by nitrogen and phosphorus pollution have damaged underwater grass beds, key crab habitat. More than half the eelgrass beds in the lower Bay have died since the early 1970s."

Movement ecology: special feature

Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol.105 (Dec 9, 2008)
" This Special Feature aims at gearing up the process for movement ecology. There is a growing recognition of the need to understand and predict movement processes driving biological invasions, the spread of pests and diseases, and the persistence of local populations and entire species in light of ongoing global environmental changes. Combined with drastic improvements in our ability to track and analyze movement, it is hoped that movement ecology will pave the way for developing a unified theory of organismal movement."

Queensland Brigalow Belt reptile recovery plan

Source: WWF-Australia
"Sixteen threatened reptile species are covered by this plan. Their current conservation status under Australian Government and/or State legislation ranges from ‘Rare’ through to ‘Endangered’. Of the 16 species three are confined to the Queensland Brigalow Belt (QBB): Retro slider, Sadlier’s skink, golden-tailed gecko. For a further nine species the Brigalow Belt bioregion is a significant part of their range in Queensland: short-necked worm-skink, five-clawed worm-skink, striped-tailed delma, collared delma, ornamental snake, Dunmall’s snake, Mount Cooper striped lerista, brigalow scaly foot, grey snake. Of the sixteen species eleven are restricted to Queensland: short-necked worm-skink, striped-tailed delma, collared delma, ornamental snake, yakka skink, Dunmall’s snake, Retro slider, Mount Cooper striped lerista, Sadlier’s skink, brigalow scaly foot, golden-tailed gecko."