Australia’s 2017 environment scorecard – Too hot to handle?

Record-breaking temperatures stressed our ecosystems on land and sea in 2017, according to our annual environmental scorecard. Unfortunately, it looks like those records will be broken again next year – and again in the years after that.

Research efforts step up to save the Great Barrier Reef

Australia’s leading coral reef researchers and managers have come together to address one of the most pressing environmental issues to face our Great Barrier Reef.

Why the health of our ecosystems matters as much as their size

The Victorian mountain ash forest, like many other Australian habitats, has been severely affected by fires and logging. To determine the actual health of the forest, we need to look at the quality, not just the quantity, of what remains.

Tracking down London’s thylacines

The Tasmanian Tiger is one of 30 mammals that have been lost in Australia since European settlement and we still have the worst mammal extinction rate in the world. Thinking through the meanings and politics of the loss of the thylacine is crucially important to protecting the environnment today.

How tree bonds can protect our vital street trees

Urban trees improve our quality of life, natural environment and boost house prices. Trees need our protection and tree bonds can encourage developers and owners to value and protect the trees around our homes.

Amazon deforestation nears fatal tipping point

Deforestation of the Amazon is about to reach a threshold beyond which the region’s tropical rainforest may undergo irreversible changes that transform the landscape into degraded savanna with sparse shrubby plant cover and low biodiversity.

Land degradation threatens nature – and humanity

Worsening land degradation caused by human activities is undermining the well-being of two fifths of humanity, driving species extinctions and intensifying climate change. It is also a major contributor to mass human migration and increased conflict, according to the world’s first comprehensive evidence-based assessment of land degradation and restoration.

Protected reefs help shark numbers recover

While shark populations around the world are in decline, ground-breaking research has revealed why reef shark numbers are returning to a coral reef off Australia.

Will Queensland’s new land clearing bill save the state’s trees?

Will new legislation in Queensland slow rampant land clearing or will farmers and landowners continue to ignore the law or exploit loopholes to raze more of Australia’s fast disappearing forests?

Nine ways to fix Australia’s draft ‘strategy for nature’

Despite its ‘green’ image, Australia has a woeful environmental record and the Federal Government’s draft conservation strategy will do little to protect our fragile natural environment. Australia’s Ecological Society offers 9 ways to improve the proposed policy before it is too late.

Yes, kangaroos are endangered – but not the species you think

While our iconic large kangeroos are safe from extinction, many smaller and lesser known species are threatened by cats, foxes and mass scale habitat destruction.

Why don’t environmental laws prevent deforestation?

Despite its ‘green’ image, Australia has some of the worst rates of deforestation in the world, exacerbating climate change and the loss of biodiversity. We need better laws, and stronger enforcement, to protect our precious natural vegetation.