Last year there was one morning when Tasmanian Blennies seemed to be everywhere on the mussel beds in Melbourne’s Port Phillip Bay. They were swimming over rocks in abundance. The …
Chaos reduction
How fragile is life on Earth? A rock from an iron ore mine housed in Museum Victoria gives us a clue. It’s a visual reminder of the instability that happens …
Insect rewilding. Love and hate in grasshopper country
A little known insect rewilding project happened this week in Melbourne Australia. Several thousand Key’s Matchstick Grasshoppers were introduced into Royal Park. Rewilding is modern conservationWhy is animal conservation important? …
Posters in Scotland have conservationists all of a flutter. They claim that seagulls pollute the sea. The answer to the question: ‘Can seagulls pollute the sea?’ is, yes, in theory. …
Reversing extinction using wildlife: the ultimate power of nature
Our species’ obsession with controlling nature is almost overwhelming. But one animal can never force an outcome. No matter how hard we try, our efforts to create ecosystemsHow ecosystems function …
After hearing Michael Pollan interviewed recently I acquired a copy of his book This is Your Mind on Plants. Pollan describes three substances that have had profound impacts on culture …
Why is Queensland flooding? Koalas may be your best hope
Why is Queensland flooding? Climate models couldn’t predict it. Climate scientists are saying that the water cycle is intensifying twice as fast as models suggest. Many of us who observe …
A recent study published in the Journal of Paleoecology looked at the size of fish in the last interglacial period. It found that anchovies were less numerous. So, researchers conclude, …
The underlying simplicity of ecological system structure Ecology gives you an understanding of how most things work and that ecosystemsHow ecosystems function An ecosystem is a community of lifeforms that …
Climate extremes are worse at the edge. A one metre rise in sea level can still affect you if you live five metres above the water. Global warming is a …