The Queensland Government has announced the protection of the largest remaining continuous stretch of open eucalypt bushland in South East Queensland — the Flinders Karawatha Corridor. The corridor extends from Karawatha Forest in Brisbane’s southern suburbs to Flinders Peak, on to the south side of Ipswich and down to the Wyaralong Dam near Boonah. The corridor is about 563.5km² or 56 350 hectares in size and about 60km long. The area’s natural values and rural pursuits are under intense pressure from urbanisation and other uses as the population continues to increase in South East Queensland.
Construction of an internationally significant plant conservation facility, PlantBank, has now commenced at the Australian Botanic Garden, located at Mount Annan on Sydney’s south-western outskirts. The ultimate goal is to collect and store seeds or live tissue from all of Australia’s 25,000 plant species to preserve Australia’s biodiversity and establish a hub for research. Up to 200 million living seeds may eventually be stored in its thermally-efficient, refrigerated vault, designed to withstand fire and other threats.
Bushland and Urban Biodiversity Management in a Changing Climate is the final report of the investigation that looked into the current understanding of the impacts of climate change on local governments ability to manage their biodiversity and bushland assets. The report has been prepared by the Eastern Alliance for Greenhouse Action (EAGA) which was established in 2008 to provide a regional framework for local stakeholders to work together on climate change and greenhouse gas projects in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria.
Biodiversity and its conservation are among the main global topics in science and politics and perhaps the major challenge for the present and coming generations. Biodiversity Hotspots is written by international experts from different disciplines comprises general chapters on diversity and its measurement, human impacts on biodiversity hotspots on a global scale, human diversity itself and various geographic regions exhibiting high levels of diversity. In addition to the classic hotspots in the tropics, the book also highlights various other ecosystems harbouring unique species communities including coral reefs and the Southern Ocean. It presents a chapter introducing the 35th hotspot, the forests of East Australia.
The Victorian Government is introducing a new approach to conserve biodiversity in Melbourne’s growth areas. The Conservation Strategies for Melbourne’s Growth Areas build on the strategic approach of the Melbourne Strategic Assessment, which evaluated the impacts of the expansion of the Urban Growth Boundary and associated transport infrastructure on matters of national environmental significance protected under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). Public comments are invited on the draft Biodiversity Conservation Strategy and Sub-regional Species Strategies, with submissions closing at 5pm on Tuesday 20 December 2011.
The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2010, published in September 2011, is the third in a series of action plans that have been produced at the start of each decade. The book analyses the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) status of all the species and subspecies of Australia’s birds, including those of the offshore territories. The book contains some surprises – some alarming, some encouraging. The status of some birds has improved over the last two decades as a result of dedicated conservation management. Some may not have changed status but at least they are holding their own. Many, however, are continuing to decline and a distressing number are new to the list.
Join an Earthwatch Australia Melbourne Microbats team to discover microbat habitats and nesting locations, conduct night surveys by trapping bats and locating bats with bat detectors, and learn about the threats facing microbats. This year Melbourne Microbats research teams will be treated to a complete dusk till dawn experience sleeping overnight inside the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne – something usually unavailable for the general public – while also being able to enjoy the Ford Fiesta Moonlight Cinema in the gardens while waiting for the microbats to come out.
Join the Earthwatch Australia Bandicoots on the Brink Family Weekend and visit one of Sydney’s hidden wonders, North Head Sanctuary – a spectacular area of endangered banksia bushland, diverse birdlife, military remnants with magnificent views of the harbour and the beautiful northern beaches – to lure and catch bandicoot predators on camera.