The Australian Institute of Marine Sciences claimed to be the first to demonstrate the role of fisheries in crown-of-thorns outbreaks. The fact that fish control starfish on the Great Barrier …
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 …
I had the most extraordinary encounter the other day which got me thinking. Can we talk to animals through body language? It was in Melbourne over Easter. We decided to …
Many animals are present temporarily, like migratory birds or even wildebeest, while insects and rodents are tiny and fastidious. Aardvarks on the other hand are ancient. Indeed, there are fossil …
Thank you Rod Holden for sharing this paper from The Lancet last week. The piece is titled ‘National responsibility for ecological breakdown: a fair-shares assessment of resource use‘. It identifies …
Amazing and vital work on koala conservation was reported by the ABC this morning. Conservationists and vets believe they have successfully wiped out chlamydia in a Brisbane koala population though …
The headline of this article on Caribou triggered a thought about our use of these terms. When do we say conservation, preservation or protection? I choose these words carefully because …
The power of orangutans in ecosystems Have you ever asked, or answered the question ‘why are orangutans important?’ Because for most people it may never have occurred to them, yet …
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 paper just published in the journal Ecography identifies the impact of animals on global ecosystem processes. Researchers used data from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). …