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$22,000 fine imposed on Waratah thieves

<p>A spate of thefts of one of Australia's most iconic native plants have prompted a furious warning from authorities. </p> <p>More than 20 Waratahs have "disappeared" from the Brisbane Water National Park on the Central Coast alone, according to NSW National Parks, and thieves can risk a potential fine of  $22,000 for hacking the bright flower. </p> <p>“It is illegal to pick waratahs or any other plant in any area protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Act,” an NPWS spokesperson told <em>Yahoo News</em>. </p> <p>Rangers can issue a $300 on-the-spot fine to those caught illegally picking the flower.</p> <p>“The maximum fine under the Biodiversity Conservation Act is $22,000. NPWS is keen to receive details of anyone illegally picking waratahs.”</p> <p>Over the long weekend, locals in the Blue Mountains have hit out at "selfish" tourists for "ripping" waratahs from their stems, with images of the act posted on social media. </p> <p>“Just went to check on a beautiful double header waratah in local bushland only to find someone, well prepared with their secateurs, has cut it clean off. Beyond disgusted!” environmental conservation organisation Wild Blue Mountains said.</p> <p>“This is just not on. They had been giving joy to everyone who passed them but now they’re gone due to one person’s selfish actions.”</p> <p>Last week, NSW National Parks had installed signage about “helping protect the Waratah” to deter culprits from taking them and they've even painted some of the stems with a “non-toxic blue paint”.</p> <p>“Waratahs need to go through their full lifecycle to produce seeds, so picking them deprives the ecosystem of a new generation of plants,” NSW National Parks said.</p> <p>“These flowers are more than just a pretty face, they also provide nectar for birds and other native animals. Please leave them be so we can all enjoy more of these beautiful flowers in years to come.</p> <p>“If you want to pick something in a national park, pick your nose instead!”</p> <p><em>Image: NSW National Parks/Instagram</em></p> <p> </p>

Legal

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Valentine's Day proposal sparks backlash for litter

<p>While Valentines day is the perfect day to celebrate all kinds of love, Manly residents were left fuming in the aftermath of one couple's elaborate proposal. </p> <p>On Wednesday, residents were forced to pick up "hundreds of plastic petals", used candles and plastic wrapping discarded on Manly beach, which marine experts have branded "very intentional" littering. </p> <p>One local said that "no attempt was made to pick it up" and they were sure that hundreds of the petals would've already "blown into the sea to float around choking wildlife for the next several hundred years".</p> <p>"Candles were placed in the sand, so it seems the celebration took place there on the beach as well as above by the footpath," the resident wrote in a Facebook post. </p> <p> "Plastic petals are cheaper than the real thing, but surely whoever you’re doing this for would prefer fewer real petals to hundreds or thousands of fake ones.</p> <p>"I usually just pick things up and get on with it but this was all very intentional and I believe it doesn’t actually occur to some people to consider the impact when making decisions like this so I want to say: Think about your long term impact, make choices accordingly and feel better about them."</p> <p>Conservationists have also slammed the act, and said that the littering would likely result in the death of wildlife. </p> <p>"These photos are pretty shocking to see, especially knowing that these items were intentionally littered," vice president of Ocean Conservancy’s plastics program, Nicholas Mallos told <em>Yahoo News</em>. </p> <p>"In sufficient quantities, ingesting plastics like these can absolutely harm birds and sea creatures.</p> <p>He added flexible plastics and polyester petals can be deadly if it is consumed by smaller animals as it can block their digestive tracts causing them to starve, and disrupts their reproductive behaviours. </p> <p>"It takes only a few tiny pieces of plastic to kill a sea turtle hatchling, for example," Mallos said. </p> <p>"There’s no doubt the beach is a spectacular setting for an event, but it does require special attention to protect the surrounding ecosystem," he added.</p> <p>AMCS Plastics & Packaging Program Manager Tara Jones also agreed, and said there are "far better earth-safe alternatives." </p> <p>She said that "around 90 per cent of all seabirds alive today have ingested plastic of some kind." </p> <p>"Juvenile sea turtles, like the ones hatching now along the Queensland coasts, have been known to ingest hundreds of pieces of plastic in their short life.</p> <p>"Our ocean wildlife deserves better."</p> <p><em>Images: Facebook</em></p>

Relationships

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Breathtaking shots from the 2022 Travel Photographer of the Year

<p>The winners of the 2022 Travel Photographer of the Year have been announced, showcasing stunning photography with a focus on conservation and sustainability. </p> <p>The competition, regarded as one of the world’s most prestigious photography competitions, received nearly 20,000 entries from both amateur and professional photographers in 154 different countries. </p> <p>The top prize went to Slovenian photographer Matjaz Krivic who submitted a stunning shot of one of the world’s last two remaining northern white rhinos. Najin, the 33-year-old rhino, was pictured with her keeper, Zachary Mutai. </p> <p>The picture was shot in Kenya’s Ol Pejeta Conservancy and demonstrates the impact of the Cumbre Vieja volcano’s eruption on La Palma’s landscape. </p> <p>As the judges commented, Krivic told their story “beautifully and sensitively. The images are tender and intimate.”</p> <p>“I am honoured to have my work recognised and acknowledged by the judges of the Travel Photographer of the Year competition …” Krivic said of his win. “Travel and photography has been my passion and a big part of my life since I can remember and this award inspires me to continue with my journey.”</p> <p>A 14-year-old Australian, who now lives in Portugal, took home the Young Travel Photographer of the Year award. Kaia Tham’s work is shot solely on an iPhone, and the judges praised this choice by commenting, “seeing the world in a different way and exploring it with a phone rather than a camera has given this young photographer’s portfolio a fresh feel and a different perspective observing the streets of Lisbon.”</p> <p>Two other Australians received acknowledgement for their work, securing themselves special mentions from the judges - Jason Edwards with one, and Scott Portelli with three.</p> <p>2022’s People’s Choice award went to Romain Miot from France. This award is the only category in which the judges have no say on the winner - the 130 finalists are instead voted on by the general public. </p> <p>Miot’s work features a salt caravan in Mauritania’s Sahara Desert. Of the photograph, Miot said, “when I returned from the trip, I realised that this image of a camel owner ordering the dromedaries looked like a conductor with an orchestra.”</p> <p>The photos from the 2022 awards will be exhibited in May at the Royal Photographic Society as part of World Photography in Focus, ahead of the 21st Travel Photographer of the Year awards for 2023.</p> <p><em>All image credits: 2022 Travel Photographer of the Year </em></p>

International Travel

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Taronga Zoo unveils HUGE new addition

<p dir="ltr">The Sydney zoo has welcomed a new animal to its menagerie, but it isn’t like the other residents of the zoo - it’s a giant statue of a gorilla.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-ca19db92-7fff-8e07-1a3e-b37d790ed72d"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>King Nyani</em>, the world’s largest gorilla sculpture, landed at Taronga Zoo after travelling all the way from New York and was brought to the zoo on the flatbed of a large truck.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CcM-E-_rm8L/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CcM-E-_rm8L/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Taronga Zoo (@tarongazoo)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">The bronze statue, created by public artists Gillie and Marc Shattner, was inspired by King Kong and depicts a stretched out gorilla with hands that up to three people can sit in.</p> <p dir="ltr">The huge gorilla, which weighs 2.2 tonnes and is 30-metres long, was created to spread awareness of conservation efforts for gorillas and is the third in a series of giant gorillas.</p> <p dir="ltr">The first appeared in New York City in 2020 and now sits in Chicago’s Brookfield Zoo, while the second is due to be installed at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Connecticut.</p> <p dir="ltr">"We decided to create three editions after seeing the unbelievable response to the original Nyani in NYC. We knew that this was a cause that many people were willing to get behind," Gillie explained.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-ec851743-7fff-b6fd-5d95-8fea0a61d49b"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">"This was a chance to inspire three times as many people to protect gorillas to save them from extinction.”</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CcPgribhXfr/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CcPgribhXfr/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Taronga Zoo (@tarongazoo)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“We wanted to create a sculpture where the public could really get close to the silverback, both physically and emotionally,” Gillie said. “Being able to sit in his hand and look up into his gentle face, we hope they will fall in love and join the movement to save the gorillas.”</p> <p dir="ltr">King Nyani now sits next to the Centenary Viewing Platform, metres away from the zoo’s breathtaking harbour views.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-358a035f-7fff-cc08-abed-5dc98e568701"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Taronga Zoo</em></p>

Domestic Travel

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5 tips to make your fuel tank last longer while prices are high

<p>The federal government’s announcement of a halved fuel excise is no doubt music to many people’s ears. Following Tuesday night’s budget release, the excise (a government tax included in the purchase price of fuel) was <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/fuel-excise-slashed-to-ease-petrol-prices-for-six-months-20220324-p5a7mp.html">halved</a> from 44.2 cents per litre to 22.1 cents.</p> <p>It should provide some respite from high petrol and diesel prices <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-disrupted-russian-gas-supplies-will-hit-global-and-australian-prices-178023">driven by</a>Russia’s war on Ukraine.</p> <p>However, the cut is only expected to last six months. And Treasurer Josh Frydenberg <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-29/lowdown-on-when-fuel-excise-cut-will-be-seen-at-bowsers/100949562">has said</a> it will take up to two weeks before fuel prices get cheaper (and potentially longer in regional areas). </p> <h2>The costs</h2> <p>Assuming it costs A$2 per litre for petrol and diesel fuel, and an average fuel consumption of about <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/industry/tourism-and-transport/survey-motor-vehicle-use-australia/latest-release">11 litres per 100 kilometres</a> driven – driving a typical fossil-fueled passenger vehicle right now would cost about 20 to 25 cents per kilometre.</p> <p>You’re probably quite happy if you own an electric vehicle. With a <a href="https://mdpi-res.com/d_attachment/sustainability/sustainability-14-03444/article_deploy/sustainability-14-03444-v2.pdf">real-world electricity consumption</a> of 0.15 to 0.21 kWh per kilometre and <a href="https://www.canstarblue.com.au/electricity/electricity-costs-kwh/">electricity costs</a> of about 20 to 30 cents per kWh, your cost of driving per kilometre is about 3 to 6 cents. And if you can charge your vehicle’s battery for free with home solar panels, your cost per kilometre is $0.</p> <p>But for those of us who don’t own an electric vehicle, making the best use of our fuel tanks will be a priority. Here are some ways you can make your vehicle go the extra mile.</p> <h2>1. Use a smaller, lighter car</h2> <p>There are a number of things you can do to reduce your fuel use. The obvious one is to not use your car, but walk or grab your bicycle, if possible.</p> <p>If you do have to drive, try to minimise your total travel distance. One way would be to combine a number of errands into your journey and optimise your route.</p> <p>The specific vehicle you use also matters. As a general rule of thumb, <a href="https://www.transport-e-research.com/_files/ugd/d0bd25_9527cdcb01a84440a53308b3b5624320.pdf?index=true">the larger and heavier your car</a>, the more energy and fuel it will require per kilometre. Choosing a smaller car, rather than a large SUV, will definitely reduce your fuel bill. A large SUV will use almost twice as much fuel per kilometre as a small car.</p> <p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360128516300442">Research</a> also suggests that for every 100kg increase in vehicle weight, fuel consumption increases by about 5% to 7% for a medium-sized car. So in addition to driving a smaller car, it’s best to reduce your load and avoid driving around with extra weight. </p> <h2>2. Use eco-driving techniques</h2> <p>The way you drive is important too. Eco-driving involves being conscious of your fuel consumption and taking actions to reduce it. There are various ways to do this.</p> <p>Every time you brake and stop, you have to accelerate again to reach your desired speed. Acceleration uses a lot of energy and fuel, so driving smoothly, anticipating traffic and preventing stops will lead to savings on your fuel bill. </p> <p>What you want to do is flow with the traffic and keep your distance from other vehicles. It also helps to keep an eye further up the road, so you can avoid obstacles and therefore unnecessary braking and acceleration. </p> <p>If you’re in the minority of people who own a manual vehicle, drive in the highest gear possible to reduce engine load and fuel use. And if you’re in an automatic vehicle, use the “eco” setting if you have one.</p> <h2>3. Give your engine and climate a break</h2> <p>Another simple tip is stop unnecessary idling with the engine still engaged. A small car typically uses one litre of fuel per hour while idling, whereas this is close to <a href="https://www.transport-e-research.com/_files/ugd/d0bd25_2485b61095ed48f29bea980a73e74240.pdf?index=true">two litres per hour</a> for a large SUV. </p> <p>Of course, we idle regularly while waiting in traffic and generally can’t do much about that, other than trying to drive outside peak hours when roads are less congested. In other cases, we can change things. For instance, idling when a vehicle is parked will use up fuel unnecessarily.</p> <h2>4. Turn off the AC</h2> <p>Most people may not realise this, but using your air conditioner can use up quite a bit of extra fuel: somewhere between 4% and 8% of total fuel use. Using the fan instead will require less energy than air conditioning. Or even better, wind down the windows for a bit for fresh air when you are driving in the city. </p> <h2>5. Tend to your tires and consider aerodynamics</h2> <p>It also pays to keep your <a href="https://www.racq.com.au/car/greener-motoring/racq-ecodrive-research-study">tires inflated</a>, which can save you between 2% and 4% in fuel use. </p> <p>Also, your car is designed to be aerodynamically efficient. Anything that changes that, including roof racks, bull bars and bike racks, will come with an additional fuel penalty – particularly at higher speeds, such as on the freeway.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/5-tips-to-make-your-fuel-tank-last-longer-while-prices-are-high-180134" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.</em></p>

Travel Tips

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Free kids’ book raising money for koalas

<p dir="ltr">One of Australia’s most iconic native animals, the koala is officially classified as “endangered” – after widespread bushfires, drought, floods and land clearing has put these adorable little marsupials at risk of extinction. </p> <p dir="ltr">Aussie Ark president Tim Faulkner said the sheer scale and ferocity of the 2019/2020 Black Summer fires meant the number of koalas lost would “forever remain unknown”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“But when you have canopy fires of the intensity that were seen and 80% of koala habitat was burnt, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out a lot of koalas lost their lives and habitat – it’s massive,” Mr Faulkner said.</p> <p dir="ltr">While habitat loss was a grim catalyst for the upgrade to endangered, Mr Faulkner said koalas were already on a “crash course” to extinction in NSW by 2050.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The fires have done nothing but speed that up,” he said. “Can you imagine if koalas were extinct in the wild? It doesn’t even seem real, but it is.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Australia has one of the highest numbers of national parks in the world, but species like koalas are still disappearing from the very places that are supposed to enable them to run wild.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Koalas are iconic, so are (Tasmanian) devils, the platypus and echidna, but you go through all of them and devils are endangered, koalas are endangered, the platypus is near-threatened,” Mr Faulkner said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“They’re uniquely Australian. You lose them from here, they’re gone.</p> <p dir="ltr">As well as directly protecting koala habitat and ongoing fire and weed management, Aussie Ark has planted 22,000 trees of a planned 110,000, including those all-important eucalyptus trees for koala food and fodder.</p> <p dir="ltr">The animal conservation charity has also teamed up with Coles to help save everyone’s favourite tree-hugger with a free downloadable children’s book.</p> <p dir="ltr">The Picky Little Koala tells the story of Kelly the koala’s journey to find the perfect home.</p> <p dir="ltr">For every free download between now and the 19th of April, Coles will donate $1 to Aussie Ark’s koala conservation efforts, up to $100,000.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Faulkner hopes parents across Australia will share the book over Easter with the nation’s budding wildlife warriors.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Please grab the book,” he said. ”By getting it for free, you’re directly helping a koala.”</p> <p dir="ltr">An easy way to entertain kids over Easter, Coles chief marketing officer Lisa Ronson said the book would assist in koala recovery for future generations to come. Download your free copy of The Picky Little Koala from Apple Books and soon on Google Play.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-0adefc76-7fff-9063-2ed5-10a8a8368ec6"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em> Image: Getty</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Take an art-filled tour of Auckland from anywhere in the world

<p dir="ltr">There’s a new way to explore Auckland that combines public art and marine conservation - and you don’t even have to be in the country to experience it.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-9bc5803e-7fff-c053-b0e9-9ed71fd560de">The <a href="https://whaletales2022.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Whale Tales</a> project, launched by WWF-New Zealand, consists of 80 Brig Broos (large) and 80 Pēpi (mini) whale tail sculptures located throughout Auckland’s public spaces which can be explored in-person and via a virtual trail.</span></p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CaydQJQlp-x/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CaydQJQlp-x/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by WWF Whale Tales 2022 (@whaletales2022)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Each sculpture has been designed by artists from across New Zealand and comes with a story, accessed via the Whale Tales app, about the artist and what each artwork represents.</p> <p dir="ltr">The trail stretches from Pukekohe across to the Great Barrier and Waiheke Islands.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-687994df-7fff-e16f-29ec-cee433a51603">It was conceptualised to “capture the hearts of kiwis, near and far,” and catalyse “positive action to protect Bryde’s whales and restore our ocean’s health”, according to a <a href="https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK2202/S00427/wwf-whale-tales-goes-global-with-a-one-of-a-kind-virtual-trail.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement </a>from WWF-NZ.</span></p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CZycvJyJTNd/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CZycvJyJTNd/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Kate Hursthouse | NZ Artist (@katehursthouse)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">WWF-NZ chief executive Livia Esterhazy said Bryde’s whales are vulnerable to plastic pollution, unsustainable fishing practices, climate change, and other human activities.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Bryde’s whales are an indicator of ocean health. If our whale populations are healthy and thriving, it is a sign our ocean is also healthy and thriving,” Ms Esterhazy <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/300500961/whale-tales-auckland-art-project-sheds-light-on-plight-of-brydes-whales" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">The tales will be on display for 12 weeks, during which time there will also be light shows on the harbour bridge, seminars, and the launch of Hauraki Broo, a children’s book about the importance of conserving marine life.</p> <p dir="ltr">At the end of the display, the Big Broos sculptures will then be auctioned off to raise funds for WWF-NZ, while the Pēpi sculptures will be returned to the schools that made them.</p> <p dir="ltr">“So not only can you own an incredible piece of art, but the funds raised will go to support WWF’s vital work to protect our ocean and marine species, like the Hauraki Gulf’s national critically-endangered resident Bryde’s whale,” Ms Esterhazy said.</p> <p dir="ltr">To view the virtual tour, head <a href="http://trail.whaletales2022.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-179b23e3-7fff-09ab-7300-07d901b945a0"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: @whaletales2022 (Instagram)</em></p>

Domestic Travel

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How to use drones responsibly in Kakadu

<div class="copy"> <p>Drones have transformed conservation and land management over the past decade, making it easier than ever to collect high-quality data. But like all new technologies, they come with new ethical quandaries – particularly when used on country managed by Indigenous Australians.</p> <p>A group of researchers, Jawoyn Traditional Owners, and Indigenous Rangers, have addressed this with an Indigenous-led project to develop guidelines for responsible drone use in Kakadu National Park.</p> <p>The group first began to develop these guidelines while thinking about ways to monitor the ecology at Kakadu.</p> <p>“While we were there, we were working out ways for how we might monitor indicators of healthy country before and after management actions,” says Dr Jennifer Macdonald, a postdoctoral researcher at Charles Darwin University and the CSIRO, and lead author on a paper describing the protocols <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23299460.2021.1964321" target="_blank">published</a> in the <em>Journal of Responsible Innovation</em>.</p> <p>“We started talking about using drones to see how country was responding before and after cool early season fire management. And through these conversations, we realised that there was a need to make sure that the drones were used in a way that ensured that Traditional Owners had control over when and where [they] were being used and how they could best benefit local people.”</p> <p>While drones (and other technologies like motion sensors and video cameras) can be a useful supplement to Indigenous land management, they can also be used disrespectfully or irresponsibly.</p> <p>“Traditional Owners were really keen to use drones, they could see some great potential particularly for young people to learn skills,” says Macdonald. “There were young people really excited by the thought of using this technology and were keen to see the kind of data that we could collect.</p> <p>“But they were also concerned about some things. There were some concerns raised about where the drones fly and the fact that they might be able to see some restricted sites, especially gendered sites.”</p> <p>The researchers (who represented CDU, the University of Western Australia and CSIRO), have spent several years working with Traditional Owners to manage research done in Kakadu (forming the Indigenous-led Kakadu Indigenous Research Steering Committee).</p> <p>As part of this, the Jawoyn Traditional Owners spent a two-day workshop with the researchers at Jarrangbarnmi in 2019, where they worked out protocols for drone management.</p> <p>“We had a number of informal workshops that were led by Traditional Owners to make sure that everyone was welcome on country, and then we had a number of conversations where we talked through things like drone regulation, how the technology works, and then a workshop where we developed the protocols together,” says Macdonald.</p> <p>The protocols are described in full in the paper, but fall under three aims: (1) empowering Indigenous governance, (2) developing ethical and trusted research relationships, and (3) enabling ongoing Indigenous-led technological innovation.</p> <p>“Traditional Owners should be on country when drones are being used, and they should determine where they fly and what drones look at,” says Macdonald, in summary. “And young people should be able to use the drones to get benefit out of the use of that technology on their country. And in the future, the data that the drones are collecting needs to be cared for and governed by Traditional Owners.”</p> <p>The researchers believe that the guidelines, while Kakadu-specific, could be used as a framework for developing guidelines in other places.</p> <p>“People could see if the rules that we’ve come up with resonate with how they’re hoping to regulate drones as well,” says Macdonald.</p> <p>The project was funded by the Northern Australia Environmental Resources Hub of the Australian Government’s National Environmental Science Program.</p> <em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></div> <div id="contributors"> <p><em>This article was originally published on <a rel="noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/ethics/kakadu-jawoyn-drones-ethics-protocols-technology/" target="_blank">cosmosmagazine.com</a> and was written by Ellen Phiddian. </em></p> </div>

Technology

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Australia has a heritage conservation problem. Can farming and Aboriginal heritage protection co-exist?

<p>Rio Tinto’s destruction of the 46,000 year old Juukan Gorge rock shelters has led to recommendations by the Parliamentary Inquiry on <a href="https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/committees/reportjnt/024757/toc_pdf/AWayForward.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf">how Australia can better conserve Aboriginal heritage sites</a>.</p> <p>Around the time the recommendations were made, Queensland’s Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act faced an important test when a pastoralist who cleared 500 hectares of bushland at Kingvale Station in Cape York <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/qld-country-hour/scott-harris-cleared-of-breaching-cultural-heritage-act/13592850">was charged</a> with failing to protect Aboriginal cultural heritage.</p> <p>The charges were eventually <a href="https://www.northqueenslandregister.com.au/story/7474626/cultural-heritage-charges-against-scott-harris-dismissed/">dismissed</a> but the prosecution, the first of its kind in Queensland, highlights weaknesses in the law.</p> <p>Like related legislation in other Australian states and territories, Queensland’s law requires landholders to conserve Aboriginal heritage sites or risk prosecution.</p> <p>But the law has been criticised by many Aboriginal people and heritage specialists for allowing destructive development by removing any ability for government to independently assess how proposed clearing would affect Aboriginal heritage.</p> <p>Under the “duty of care” provisions in the Act, Aboriginal heritage must be protected even if it is not known to landholders. However, as the Kingvale clearing case heard, if Aboriginal heritage is not known, how can it be shown to have been lost?</p> <h2>What we learned from the Kingvale clearing case</h2> <p>In 2013, the former Newman government in Queensland removed protection for the environment by introducing the Vegetation Management Act which enabled clearing of what they deemed as “high value agricultural projects” in Cape York.</p> <p>The World Wildlife Foundation argued this would see large areas of forest and bushland destroyed. Advocates for the new Act <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2013-05-22/veg-law-pass/4705890">argued</a> primary producers are “acutely aware of their responsibility to care for the environment”.</p> <p>In opening up new areas of Cape York to clearing, this legislation posed new threats to heritage sites. In this context the landholder of Kingvale decided he did not need to assess cultural heritage when clearing 500 hectares.</p> <p>At the conclusion of the hearing into this case, Judge Julie Dick of the Cairns District Court instructed the jury to return <a href="https://www.cairnspost.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=CPWEB_WRE170_a_GGL&amp;dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cairnspost.com.au%2Fnews%2Fcairns%2Fcape-york-grazier-cleared-of-criminal-land-clearing-charges%2Fnews-story%2F1d124158e58936a302f1ee5d159ad841&amp;memtype=anonymous&amp;mode=premium">a not-guilty verdict</a>, exonerating the landholder, as the offence could not be proved beyond reasonable doubt.</p> <p>The landholder’s legal team noted in the media if their defendant had been found guilty, every landholder (including freeholders) who had cleared land, built a fence or firebreak, ploughed a paddock, or built a road or airstrip since 2003 would potentially be guilty of a criminal offence.</p> <p>The defendant argued the ramifications of the legal case were significant</p> <blockquote> <p>for the rest of Queensland […] anyone who mowed a lawn or cut down a tree since 2003 would be automatically liable.</p> </blockquote> <p>In our view, this is hyperbole. <a href="https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/view/pdf/inforce/2016-09-27/act-2003-079">Section 21 of the Act</a> makes explicit a person’s right to enjoy the normal and allowed use of their land to the extent they don’t harm Aboriginal heritage.</p> <p>Further, a person doesn’t commit an offence if they take into account the nature of the activity and the likelihood of it causing harm. Mowing the lawn is quite different to clearing 500 hectares of native vegetation.</p> <p>The setting of this activity is also important. Kingvale Station is located 100 kilometres west of the national heritage listed Quinkan Country. Heritage studies in similar landscapes across Cape York have identified scarred trees, artefact scatters, stone arrangements and cultural burial places.</p> <p>Based on our heritage experience across Queensland, it would be surprising not to find Aboriginal heritage sites at Kingvale.</p> <p>To reduce heritage risks, we assess the potential impacts of an activity, and talk with relevant Aboriginal groups about their sites and heritage values. Archaeologists and anthropologists also develop models to predict where unknown sites are likely to be found.</p> <p><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/431020/original/file-20211109-23-aylfq7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /> <span class="caption">Recorded archaeological sites across Cape York. The distribution pattern reflects several key heritage surveys. It is expected that cultural sites would be found across the cape, including within the 500 hectares cleared at Kingvale. Image by Kelsey M. Lowe.</span></p> <h2>Can farming and the conservation of Aboriginal heritage co-exist?</h2> <p>The best way to conserve heritage is for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians to work together to identify, document, and protect places. An important example is the discovery of human remains from a mortuary tree west of St George, southern Queensland.</p> <p>The site was discovered during fence clearing by the landholder, who contacted the police. We worked with the landholder who has supported the Kooma nations people to conserve the mortuary tree and enable it to remain on country.</p> <p><iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qKJs23hwLXA?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p><span class="caption">Courtesy of Tony Miscamble, NGH Consulting.</span></p> <p>A further example from Mithaka Country saw a spectacular stone arrangement discovered by a pastoral station manager, who notified the native title holders.</p> <p>All are now engaging with researchers to <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=TAWEB_WRE170_a_GGL&amp;dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theaustralian.com.au%2Fnation%2Fstones-point-way-to-indigenous-silk-road%2Fnews-story%2F8318b531d82263beab4afd089fd8d559&amp;memtype=anonymous&amp;mode=premium">investigate the site’s history</a>.</p> <p>Dozens of other examples around the state illustrate collaborative approaches to heritage conservation. But more effective legislation is urgently needed in response to Kingvale’s failed prosecution.</p> <p><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/430631/original/file-20211107-10010-f752su.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /> <span class="caption">A spectacular stone arrangement from Mithaka country. Image courtesy of Lyndon Mechielsen</span></p> <h2>How can we improve cultural heritage protection?</h2> <p>The Juukan Gorge case highlighted how Australia has a problem protecting its Aboriginal cultural heritage. The final report of the parliamentary inquiry into the disaster made several <a href="https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/committees/reportjnt/024757/toc_pdf/AWayForward.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf">recommendations</a> that could help pave a way forward.</p> <p>Instances like Kingvale emphasise more work needs to be done. The Queensland government needs to act now to address the glaring problem with its heritage legislation.</p> <p>Heritage management investment will also help. Victoria provides an example of how to improve Aboriginal heritage management. A standout action is the roll-out of a Certificate IV in Aboriginal cultural heritage management, with over 500 Aboriginal graduates to date.</p> <p>This program is decentralising heritage management and empowering Aboriginal people across Victoria, building a level of professionalism rarely seen in other states.</p> <p>Establishing treaties and agreements similar to those in Canada and New Zealand could go a long way to enable First Nations people in Australia to authoritatively protect their respective cultural heritage sites.</p> <p>Heritage conservation will remain challenging, particularly in resource-rich states like Queensland. But we can do better.</p> <p>Judge Dick’s ruling, while frustrating for the effort to conserve heritage, is crucial as it highlights weaknesses in the law.</p> <p>This trial, along with the Juukan Gorge incident, may represent a critical tipping point in the struggle to protect Aboriginal cultural heritage in Queensland and across Australia.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/170956/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/michael-westaway-118240">Michael Westaway</a>, Australian Research Council Future Fellow, Archaeology, School of Social Science, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a></em>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/joshua-gorringe-1237694">Joshua Gorringe</a>, General Manager Mithaka Aboriginal Corporation, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/indigenous-knowledge-4846">Indigenous Knowledge</a></em>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kelsey-m-lowe-1287335">Kelsey M. Lowe</a>, Senior Research Fellow, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a></em>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/richard-martin-595866">Richard Martin</a>, Senior lecturer, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a></em>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ross-mitchell-1288513">Ross Mitchell</a>, Common Law holder and director of Kooma Aboriginal Corporation Native Title PBC, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/indigenous-knowledge-4846">Indigenous Knowledge</a></em></span></p> <p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-has-a-heritage-conservation-problem-can-farming-and-aboriginal-heritage-protection-co-exist-170956">original article</a>.</p> <p><em>Image: Dave Hunt/AAP Image</em></p>

Domestic Travel

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How do conservation efforts stack up?

<div class="copy"> <p>Conservation initiatives are cropping up all over the planet to address escalating environmental threats and crumbling biodiversity – but what makes them reach a scale that has tangible impacts?</p> <p>Helping them go viral is one answer found by an international study led by Imperial College London, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-019-0384-1" target="_blank">published </a>in the journal Nature Sustainability.</p> <h2>Conservation initiatives needed to head off extinction crisis</h2> <p><span style="font-family: inherit;">The team saw that while an enormous amount of research on our “<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/nature/what-is-a-mass-extinction-and-are-we-in-one-now/" target="_blank">sixth extinction crisis</a>” has identified threats to biodiversity and the consequences thereof, relatively little research has evaluated the adoption of conservation efforts including policies, programs and projects.</span></p> <p>“Conservation initiatives like managing fishing resources and offsetting land for nature are critical for protecting biodiversity and the valuable ecosystems that help provide us with clean water and air,” says lead author Morena Mills.</p> <p>To evaluate their success, Mills and colleagues investigated 22 diverse schemes from around the world, ranging from locally managed marine areas and community resource management initiatives to government programs, NGOs and international World Heritage sites.</p> <p>The resulting database spanned terrestrial and marine ecosystems of flora and fauna managed by low- and high-income regions on local, national and international levels, from which the researchers modelled the factors that drove the spread of each initiative.</p> <h3>What helps conservation initiatives gain traction?</h3> <p>Of those tested, they found that 83% of successful schemes followed a ‘slow-fast-slow’ model – they were taken up slowly at first, then grew quickly as early adopters connect with other potential adopters.</p> <p>“We found that most of these initiatives spread like a disease, where they depend on a potential adopter catching the conservation ‘bug’ from an existing one,” explains Mills.</p> <p>The authors write that this insight is important because it suggests “a slow initial uptake rate is therefore not sufficient grounds for abandoning an initiative”.</p> <p>Once they reached a saturation point where all potential adopters had taken it up or refused it, the rate slowed down again.</p> <p>Successful schemes that followed this model include resource management systems within the local waters of communities across the Solomon Islands and Fiji.</p> <p>However, the time between initial and later adoption of protected areas from one country to the next in such scenarios was as long as 54 years, and there seemed to be “a trade-off between the speed of uptake and the final proportion of adopters”.</p> <p>The other effective models had a ‘fast-slow’ pattern, like one in Samoa where quicker adoption upfront was likely to have been made possible by the government, which supplied boats and aquaculture resources to help get communities on board.</p> <p>Others include international environmental treaties like natural World Heritage areas and the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/ecological-sciences/" target="_blank">Man and the Biosphere Reserves</a>, or wildlife management areas powered by NGOs and/or governments. These initiatives are more strongly driven and regulated and don’t rely on interactions among adopters to scale up.</p> <h3>Making conservation initiatives of the future more effective</h3> <p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Overall, however, more than half of the schemes were taken up by less than a third of potential adopters. Ideally, they would have both fast uptake and large-scale adoption, the authors write.</span></p> <p>“In our study we did not find any initiatives that were taken up relatively quickly and by a large proportion of the potential pool of adopters,” says Mills. “We are seeking to understand more about how local context facilitates or hinders spread, to help initiatives that benefit both nature and people reach scale.”</p> <p>They also found many initiatives that were never implemented effectively or were abandoned.</p> <p>“Given the long time scales required for ecological recovery,” they write, “it is important to consider the dynamics of ongoing action, as well as adoption.”</p> <p>“The persistence of biodiversity and ecosystem services depends on the adoption of effective conservation initiatives at a pace and scale that match or exceed environmental threats.”</p> <p>Although further research is needed, their findings could help inform these efforts.</p> <p>“We hope our insights into biodiversity conservation initiatives spread will allow practitioners to design them so that they reach scale,” Mills says, “which is critical for enabling them to make a tangible, lasting impact.”</p> <!-- Start of tracking content syndication. Please do not remove this section as it allows us to keep track of republished articles --> <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=26860&amp;title=How+do+conservation+efforts+stack+up%3F" alt="" width="1" height="1" /> <!-- End of tracking content syndication --></div> <div id="contributors"> <p><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/earth/sustainability/does-conservation-work/">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/natalie-parletta">Natalie Parletta</a>. Natalie Parletta is a freelance science writer based in Adelaide and an adjunct senior research fellow with the University of South Australia.</p> <p><em>Image: <span>Mark Kolbe/Getty Images</span></em></p> </div>

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Britney Spears’ father steps down as conservator

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After a long-running legal battle over Britney Spears’ conservatorship that has captured the global public’s attention, her father, Jamie, has agreed to step down as her conservator.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mr Spears has been the conservator of his daughter since 2008, meaning he has legally had control over her assets and financial decisions for the last 13 years.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, the singer’s lawyer said Mr Spears would now be stepping down from the role.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We are pleased that Mr Spears and his lawyer have today conceded in a filing that he must be removed,” Britney’s lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, said in a statement.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mr Rosengart described the decision as “a major victory for Britney Spears and another step towards justice”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to celebrity website </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">TMZ</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, though the court filing said there were no grounds for removing Mr Spears as conservator, “he does not believe that a public battle with his daughter over his continuing service as her conservator would be in her best interests”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Mr Spears intends to work with the court and his daughter’s new attorney to prepare for an orderly transition to a new conservator,” the court filing said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The pop star and her father have been in court several times recently, including when Ms Spears launched another legal bid to remove her father from the conservator role last month.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She has spoken out on social media about the court-appointed conservatorship, which was initially a temporary measure following a mental breakdown in 2008, calling it abusive and humiliating.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Twitter</span></em></p>

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The first step to conserving the Great Barrier Reef is understanding what lives there

<p>Look at this photo of two coral skeletons below. You’d be forgiven for thinking they’re the same species, or at least closely related, but looks can be deceiving. These two species diverged tens of millions of years ago, probably earlier than our human lineage split from baboons and macaques.</p> <p>Scientists have traditionally used morphology (size, shape and colour) to identify species and infer their evolutionary history. But most species were first described in the <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/027073a0">19th century</a>, and based solely on features of the coral skeleton visible under a microscope.</p> <p>Morphology remains important for species recognition. The problem is we don’t know whether a particular morphological feature reflects species ancestry, or evolved independently.</p> <p>Our new study <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1055790320302165">examined</a> the traditional ideas of coral species and their evolutionary relationships using “<a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1755-0998.12736">phylogenomics</a>” – comparing thousands of DNA sequences across coral species.</p> <p>Our results revealed the diversity and distributions of corals are vastly different to what we previously thought. It shows we still don’t know many fundamental aspects about the corals on Great Barrier Reef.</p> <p>And after three mass bleaching events in five years, not having a handle on the basics could mean <a href="http://elibrary.gbrmpa.gov.au/jspui/bitstream/11017/3569/4/Draft-restoration-adaptation-policy.pdf">our attempts to intervene</a> and help coral survive climate change may have unexpected consequences.</p> <p><strong>How do we know which species is which?</strong></p> <p>Despite being one of the <a href="https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1755-263X.2010.00146.x">best-studied</a> marine ecosystems on Earth, there are fundamental knowledge gaps around the Great Barrier Reef, including:</p> <ol> <li>how many coral species live there?</li> <li>how do we identify them?</li> <li>where are they found across the vast Great Barrier Reef ecosystem?</li> </ol> <p>Finding the answers to these questions starts with accurate “taxonomy” – the science of naming and classifying living things.</p> <p>Identifying species based on how similar they look may seem straightforward. As Darwin famously said, closely related species often share morphological features because they inherited them from a common ancestor.</p> <p>However, this can be misleading if two unrelated species independently acquire similar features. This process, called convergent evolution, often occurs when different species are faced with similar ecological challenges.</p> <p>A <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/phenomena/2015/02/06/why-an-ichthyosaur-looks-like-a-dolphin/">classic example</a> of convergent evolution is dolphins and the prehistoric ichthyosaurs. These animals are unrelated, but share many similarities since they both occupy a similar ecological niche.</p> <p>At the other end of the spectrum, morphology can vary considerably within a single species. An alien taxonomist visiting Earth could be forgiven for describing the Chihuahua and the Irish Wolfhound as two distinct species.</p> <p><strong>Bringing coral taxonomy into the 21st century</strong></p> <p>We used molecular phylogenetics, a field of research that uses variations in DNA sequences to reconstruct genealogies. From corals to humans, molecular phylogenetics has revolutionised our understanding of the origins and evolution of life on Earth.</p> <p>Molecular approaches have <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-31305-4_4">revolutionised</a> our understanding of the diversity and evolution of corals, shedding light on <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nature02339">deeper branches</a> in the coral “tree of life”. But within hyper-diverse, ecologically-important coral groups, such as the staghorn corals from the genus <em>Acropora</em>, we are still in the dark.</p> <p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1055790320302165">Our new technique</a> addresses this by comparing thousands of key regions across coral genomes (the entire genetic code of an organism) to help identify species in this ecologically important group for the first time. This method will also allow us to identify morphological features that do reflect shared ancestry and help us recognise species when diving in the reef.</p> <p>About a quarter of all coral species on the Great Barrier Reef are staghorn corals, and they provide much of the three-dimensional structure fishes and many other coral reef animals rely on, just like trees in a forest.</p> <p>Unfortunately, staghorn corals are also highly susceptible to threats such as thermal bleaching and crown-of-thorns seastar predation. The future of reefs will be heavily influenced by the fate of staghorn corals.</p> <p><strong>The risk of ‘silent extinctions’</strong></p> <p>While we don’t yet know how many coral species occur on the Great Barrier Reef or how widespread they are, many species appear to have far smaller ranges than we previously thought.</p> <p>For example, we now know some of the corals on Lord Howe Island are endemic to only a few reefs in subtropical eastern Australia and <a href="https://www.mapress.com/j/zt/article/view/zootaxa.3626.4.11">occur nowhere else</a>, not even on the Great Barrier Reef. They evolved in isolation and bleach at <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/gcb.14772">much lower temperatures</a> than corals on tropical reefs.</p> <p>This means Lord Howe Island’s corals are of far greater conservation concern than currently recognised, because <a href="https://theconversation.com/bleaching-has-struck-the-southernmost-coral-reef-in-the-world-114433">one severe bleaching event</a> could cause the extinction of these species.</p> <p>The risk of “silent extinctions”, where species go extinct without even being noticed, is one of the reasons behind the Australian Academy of Science’s <a href="https://www.science.org.au/support/analysis/decadal-plans-science/discovering-biodiversity-decadal-plan-taxonomy">Decadal Plan for Taxonomy</a>, which has led to the ambitious goal to document all Australian species in the next 25 years.</p> <p><strong>Intervening now may have unexpected consequences</strong></p> <p>In April, the <a href="https://www.gbrrestoration.org/reports#technical-reports">Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program</a> concept feasibility study found 160 possible interventions to help save the Great Barrier Reef. <a href="https://www.gbrrestoration.org/">Proposed interventions</a> include moving corals from warm to cooler waters, introducing genetically-engineered heat-tolerant corals into wild populations, and the harvest and release of coral larvae.</p> <p>What could go wrong? Well-intentioned interventions may inadvertently threaten coral communities, for example, through introduction or movement of diseases within the Great Barrier Reef. <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/amphibians/c/cane-toad/">Cane toads</a> are a famous example of unintended consequences: introduced in the 1930s to control an insect pest, they are now wreaking havoc on Australian ecosystems.</p> <p>Any intervention affecting the ecology of a system as complex as the Great Barrier Reef requires a precautionary approach to minimise the chance of unintended and potentially negative consequences.</p> <p>What we need, at this time, is far greater investment in fundamental biodiversity research. Without this information, we are not in a position to judge whether particular actions will threaten the resilience of the reef, rather than enhance it.</p> <p><em>Written by Tom Bridge, Andrea Quattrini, Andrew Baird and Peter Cowman. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-first-step-to-conserving-the-great-barrier-reef-is-understanding-what-lives-there-146097">The Conversation.</a> </em></p> <p><em> </em></p>

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The first step to conserving the Great Barrier Reef is understanding what lives there

<p>Look at this photo of two coral skeletons below. You’d be forgiven for thinking they’re the same species, or at least closely related, but looks can be deceiving. These two species diverged tens of millions of years ago, probably earlier than our human lineage split from baboons and macaques.</p> <p>Scientists have traditionally used morphology (size, shape and colour) to identify species and infer their evolutionary history. But most species were first described in the <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/027073a0">19th century</a>, and based solely on features of the coral skeleton visible under a microscope.</p> <p>Morphology remains important for species recognition. The problem is we don’t know whether a particular morphological feature reflects species ancestry, or evolved independently.</p> <p>Our new study <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1055790320302165">examined</a> the traditional ideas of coral species and their evolutionary relationships using “<a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1755-0998.12736">phylogenomics</a>” – comparing thousands of DNA sequences across coral species.</p> <p><strong>Join 130,000 people who subscribe to free evidence-based news.</strong></p> <p>Get newsletter</p> <p>Our results revealed the diversity and distributions of corals are vastly different to what we previously thought. It shows we still don’t know many fundamental aspects about the corals on Great Barrier Reef.</p> <p>And after three mass bleaching events in five years, not having a handle on the basics could mean <a href="http://elibrary.gbrmpa.gov.au/jspui/bitstream/11017/3569/4/Draft-restoration-adaptation-policy.pdf">our attempts to intervene</a> and help coral survive climate change may have unexpected consequences.</p> <p>An international team of scientists have developed a new genetic tool that can help them better understand and ultimately work to save coral reefs.</p> <p><strong>How do we know which species is which?</strong></p> <p>Despite being one of the <a href="https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1755-263X.2010.00146.x">best-studied</a> marine ecosystems on Earth, there are fundamental knowledge gaps around the Great Barrier Reef, including:</p> <p>1. how many coral species live there?</p> <p>2. how do we identify them?</p> <p>3. where are they found across the vast Great Barrier Reef ecosystem?</p> <p>Finding the answers to these questions starts with accurate “taxonomy” – the science of naming and classifying living things.</p> <p>Identifying species based on how similar they look may seem straightforward. As Darwin famously said, closely related species often share morphological features because they inherited them from a common ancestor.</p> <p>However, this can be misleading if two unrelated species independently acquire similar features. This process, called convergent evolution, often occurs when different species are faced with similar ecological challenges.</p> <p>A <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/phenomena/2015/02/06/why-an-ichthyosaur-looks-like-a-dolphin/">classic example</a> of convergent evolution is dolphins and the prehistoric ichthyosaurs. These animals are unrelated, but share many similarities since they both occupy a similar ecological niche.</p> <p>Ichthyosaurs dominated the world’s oceans for millions of years.</p> <p>At the other end of the spectrum, morphology can vary considerably within a single species. An alien taxonomist visiting Earth could be forgiven for describing the Chihuahua and the Irish Wolfhound as two distinct species.</p> <p><strong>Bringing coral taxonomy into the 21st century</strong></p> <p>We used molecular phylogenetics, a field of research that uses variations in DNA sequences to reconstruct genealogies. From corals to humans, molecular phylogenetics has revolutionised our understanding of the origins and evolution of life on Earth.</p> <p>Molecular approaches have <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-31305-4_4">revolutionised</a> our understanding of the diversity and evolution of corals, shedding light on <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nature02339">deeper branches</a> in the coral “tree of life”. But within hyper-diverse, ecologically-important coral groups, such as the staghorn corals from the genus <em>Acropora</em>, we are still in the dark.</p> <p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1055790320302165">Our new technique</a> addresses this by comparing thousands of key regions across coral genomes (the entire genetic code of an organism) to help identify species in this ecologically important group for the first time. This method will also allow us to identify morphological features that do reflect shared ancestry and help us recognise species when diving in the reef.</p> <p>About a quarter of all coral species on the Great Barrier Reef are staghorn corals, and they provide much of the three-dimensional structure fishes and many other coral reef animals rely on, just like trees in a forest.</p> <p>Unfortunately, staghorn corals are also highly susceptible to threats such as thermal bleaching and crown-of-thorns seastar predation. The future of reefs will be heavily influenced by the fate of staghorn corals.</p> <p><strong>The risk of ‘silent extinctions’</strong></p> <p>While we don’t yet know how many coral species occur on the Great Barrier Reef or how widespread they are, many species appear to have far smaller ranges than we previously thought.</p> <p>For example, we now know some of the corals on Lord Howe Island are endemic to only a few reefs in subtropical eastern Australia and <a href="https://www.mapress.com/j/zt/article/view/zootaxa.3626.4.11">occur nowhere else</a>, not even on the Great Barrier Reef. They evolved in isolation and bleach at <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/gcb.14772">much lower temperatures</a> than corals on tropical reefs.</p> <p>This means Lord Howe Island’s corals are of far greater conservation concern than currently recognised, because <a href="https://theconversation.com/bleaching-has-struck-the-southernmost-coral-reef-in-the-world-114433">one severe bleaching event</a> could cause the extinction of these species.</p> <p>The risk of “silent extinctions”, where species go extinct without even being noticed, is one of the reasons behind the Australian Academy of Science’s <a href="https://www.science.org.au/support/analysis/decadal-plans-science/discovering-biodiversity-decadal-plan-taxonomy">Decadal Plan for Taxonomy</a>, which has led to the ambitious goal to document all Australian species in the next 25 years.</p> <p><strong>Intervening now may have unexpected consequences</strong></p> <p>In April, the <a href="https://www.gbrrestoration.org/reports#technical-reports">Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program</a> concept feasibility study found 160 possible interventions to help save the Great Barrier Reef. <a href="https://www.gbrrestoration.org/">Proposed interventions</a> include moving corals from warm to cooler waters, introducing genetically-engineered heat-tolerant corals into wild populations, and the harvest and release of coral larvae.</p> <p>What could go wrong? Well-intentioned interventions may inadvertently threaten coral communities, for example, through introduction or movement of diseases within the Great Barrier Reef. <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/amphibians/c/cane-toad/">Cane toads</a> are a famous example of unintended consequences: introduced in the 1930s to control an insect pest, they are now wreaking havoc on Australian ecosystems.</p> <p>Any intervention affecting the ecology of a system as complex as the Great Barrier Reef requires a precautionary approach to minimise the chance of unintended and potentially negative consequences.</p> <p>What we need, at this time, is far greater investment in fundamental biodiversity research. Without this information, we are not in a position to judge whether particular actions will threaten the resilience of the reef, rather than enhance it.</p> <p><em>Written by Tom Bridge, Andrea Quattrini, Andrew Baird and Peter Crowman. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-first-step-to-conserving-the-great-barrier-reef-is-understanding-what-lives-there-146097">The Conversation.</a> </em></p>

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How to conserve and utilise stormwater by creating a rain garden

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ever seen the amount of rain that goes into your garden that flows off and think “what a waste?”. There are ways of capturing and utilising rain before it gets lost in stormwater drains and adds to pollution in waterways, such as a rain garden.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“A significant amount of precious storm water is lost to us and adds pollution to our waterways as unfiltered rain runs straight into rivers and oceans,” says co-founder and creative director of </span><a href="http://www.landart.com.au/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Landart Landscapes</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, Matt Leacy</span>.</p> <p>“<span style="font-weight: 400;">Creating a rain garden or storm water-smart garden is something property owners can do to make good use of rainfall,” Matt advises.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Rain gardens are self-watering and low maintenance, and help to reduce use of water in the garden, as well as filtering and purifying water so that it is then safe to be reused.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A rain garden is environmentally friendly, water efficient and can also help boost financial savings on water rates.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There are also different types of rain gardens, including downpipe diversion, a green roof, a plantar box as well as a vegetable rain garden.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here are some tips for creating a simple rain garden.</span></p> <p><strong>Choose where you’re going to get the bulk of your storm water from.</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This can be from a downpipe, driveway or pathway or from a rainwater tank, according to Matt.</span></p> <p><strong>Choose the right plantar box</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Choose a planter box that fits your space, or excavate a trench that leads water to a lower lying point in your garden,” Matt explains.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“You will need to layer your planter box with gravel, soil and sand, and then a bottom layer of gravel to aid with water filtration, and to allow the water to drain freely at the base into an exit pipe” Matt adds.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Make sure you have a waterproof liner for your planter box to ensure the storm water is captured for reuse.”</span></p> <p><strong>Check with the local nursery for best advice on plants</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Speak to your local nursery to check the best plants to use in your rain garden,” Matt suggests. “Some good options include some kangaroo paws, native grasses, native rushes and Dianella.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The main thing is to ensure that whatever you choose is both drought-tolerant and able to withstand heavy rain and water. Native plants tend to be lower maintenance and more suitable than introduced species.”</span></p> <p><strong>Cover your rain garden with mulch</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Cover your rain garden with mulch to retain moisture (not bark or straw as these float into storm water drains). Gravel is a great option,” Matt says.</span></p> <p><strong>Monitor your rain garden</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“While rain gardens are very low maintenance, you will need to weed until the plants have matured.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“You will also need to monitor your rain garden in the first heavy downpours to ensure the water is evenly distributed,” Matt says. You may need to also add plants or some rocks to help control erosion.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“If it doesn’t rain when you’re first setting up your rain garden, you will need to water your plants until they’re established,” says Matt. “Be sure to do so in compliance with local water restrictions.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">You have officially set up your rain garden!</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Photo credits: </span>Jason Busch</em></p>

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New “umbrella” species would massively improve conservation efforts

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to new research done by the University of Queensland, the introduction of “umbrella” species would massively improve conservation efforts.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Umbrella species are species which when preserved indirectly protect many other animals and plant species.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">UQ PhD candidate Michelle Ward said different choices in Australia could provide more assistance for threatened species.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The Australian Federal Government’s umbrella prioritisation list identifies 73 species as conservation priorities,” she said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“But this only ends up benefiting six per cent of all Australia’s threatened terrestrial species.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“This figure could be increased to benefit nearly half of all threatened terrestrial species for the same budget.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“One of the main reasons is that many umbrella species are chosen based on their public appeal, rather than their efficiency for protecting other species – we want to change that.” </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Researchers investigated what umbrella species could maximise the flora and fauna benefitting from management while considering costs, actions and threats.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The koala, red goshawk, matted flax-lily and purple clover are more efficient umbrella species, yet none of these appear on the existing federal government priority species list,” she explained.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Australia has committed to prevent further extinction of known threatened species and improve their conservation status by 2020.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Yet, with limited funding committed to conservation, we need better methods to efficiently prioritise investment of resources.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Professor Hugh Possingham said that in a time of crisis, smart decision making was vital.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Now is precisely the time where governments need to get their investment in nature to be as efficient as possible,” he said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Nations around the world can significantly improve the selection of umbrella species for conservation action by taking advantage of our transparent, quantitative and objective prioritisation approach.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“With a species extinction crisis, looming international deadlines and limited conservation funding globally, we need better methods to efficiently prioritise investment of resources in species recovery.”</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The study, published in Conservation Biology (<a href="https://www.vision6.com.au/ch/50178/3ct4h/2808599/Ds2b._AP0gyT630EB6_aQlNZXn05sHJG_MdYR0Ar.html">DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13430</a>), was conducted by UQ, <a href="https://www.vision6.com.au/ch/50178/3ct4h/2808600/Ds2b._AP0gyT630EB6_a6jGpUsKkQsMprfjcLi0h.html">The Nature Conservancy</a>, the <a href="https://www.vision6.com.au/ch/50178/3ct4h/2291364/Ds2b._AP0gyT630EB6_aeAh0IAz4MZ87vQ.Ij7du.html">Wildlife Conservation Society</a> and the <a href="https://www.vision6.com.au/ch/50178/3ct4h/2808601/Ds2b._AP0gyT630EB6_aXgEzA0c2ovhFWY3HjXCB.html">United Nations Development Program</a>.</span></em></p>

Domestic Travel

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New study shows that animal's lifespan is written in its DNA

<p>Humans have a “natural” lifespan of around 38 years, according to a new method we have developed for estimating the lifespans of different species by analysing their DNA.</p> <p>Extrapolating from genetic studies of species with known lifespans, we found that the extinct woolly mammoth probably lived around 60 years and bowhead whales can expect to enjoy more than two and a half centuries of life.</p> <p>Our research, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-54447-w">published today in Scientific Reports</a>, looked at how DNA changes as an animal ages – and found that it varies from species to species and is related to how long the animal is likely to live.</p> <p><strong>The mystery of ageing</strong></p> <p>The ageing process is very important in biomedical and ecological research. As animals grow older, they experience a decline of biological functions, which limits their lifespan. Until now it has been difficult to determine how many years an animal can live.</p> <p>DNA is the blueprint of living organisms and it is an obvious place to seek insights into ageing and lifespan. However, no-one has been able to find differences in DNA sequences that account for differences in lifespans.</p> <p>Lifespans among vertebrates varies greatly. The pygmy goby (<em>Eviota sigillata</em>) is a small fish that lives only eight weeks, whereas individual Greenland sharks (<em>Somniosus microcephalus</em>) have been found that lived for more than 400 years.</p> <p>Knowing the lifespan of wild animals is fundamental for wildlife management and conservation. For endangered species, lifespan can be used to understand what populations are viable. In industries such as fisheries, lifespan is used in population models to determine catch limits.</p> <p>However, the lifespan of most animals is unknown. Most estimates come from a small number of individuals living in captivity whose ages at death were known. For long-lived species it is difficult to obtain a lifespan as they may outlive a generation of researchers.</p> <p><strong>Using changes in DNA to measure age</strong></p> <p>Over the past few years researchers have developed DNA “clocks” that can determine how old an animal is using a special type of change in the DNA called DNA methylation.</p> <p>DNA methylation does not change the underlying sequence of a gene but controls whether it is active. Other researchers have shown that DNA methylation in specific genes is associated with the maximum lifespan of some mammals such as primates.</p> <p>Despite DNA methylation being linked to ageing and lifespan, no research until now has used it as a method to estimate the lifespan of animals.</p> <p>In our research, we have used 252 genomes (full DNA sequences) of vertebrate species that other researchers have assembled and made publicly available in an <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genome/">online database</a>. We then compared these genomes to <a href="https://genomics.senescence.info/species/">another database</a> of known animal lifespans.</p> <p>Using this data, we found that we could estimate the lifespan of vertebrate species by looking at where DNA methylation occurs in 42 particular genes. This method also lets us estimate the lifespans of long-lived and extinct species.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306222/original/file-20191211-95138-nfsxg8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306222/original/file-20191211-95138-nfsxg8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <span class="caption">Using DNA analysis, scientists can now estimate the lifespans of long-lived and extinct species.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">CSIRO</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></em></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Extinct species</strong></p> <p>We found the lifespan of the bowhead whale, thought to be the world’s longest lived mammal, is 268 years. This estimate is 57 years higher than the oldest individual that has been found, so they may have a much longer lifespan than previously thought.</p> <p>We also found the extinct woolly mammoth had a lifespan of 60 years, similar to the 65-year span of the modern-day African elephant.</p> <p>The extinct Pinta Island giant tortoise had a lifespan of 120 years by our estimate. The last member of this species, Lonesome George, died in 2012 at age 112.</p> <p>Interestingly, we found Neanderthals and Denisovans, which are extinct species closely related to modern humans, had a maximum lifespan of 37.8 years.</p> <p>Based on DNA, we also estimated a “natural” lifespan modern humans of 38 years. This matches some anthropological estimates for early modern humans. However, humans today may be an exception to this study as advances in medicine and lifestyle have extended the average lifespan.</p> <p>As more scientists assemble the genomes of other animals, our method means their lifespans can readily be estimated. This has huge ecological and conservation significance for many species which require better wildlife management.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/128623/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: http://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/benjamin-mayne-908831">Benjamin Mayne</a>, Molecular biologist and bioinformatician, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/csiro-1035">CSIRO</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-new-study-shows-an-animals-lifespan-is-written-in-the-dna-for-humans-its-38-years-128623">original article</a>.</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Good news: The number of tigers in India has increased

<p>Indian tiger numbers are up, according to one of the most detailed wildlife surveys ever conducted. Tiger populations have risen by 6%, to roughly 3,000 animals.</p> <p>The <a href="https://projecttiger.nic.in/News/20_Newsdetails.aspx">massive survey</a> may set a new world standard in counting large carnivores. The encouraging results validate India’s impressive investments in tiger conservation.</p> <p><strong>A mammoth effort</strong></p> <p>Large, solitary predators hate being seen. They owe their entire existence to being able to avoid detection by prey and sneak close before attacking.</p> <p>Hence, when we want to count tigers, the tigers don’t help. But accurate population numbers are fundamental to good conservation. Every four years since 2006, the Indian government conducts a <a href="https://projecttiger.nic.in/Index.aspx">national census</a> of tigers and other wildlife.</p> <p>The efforts the project team undertakes to derive the tiger population estimate are nothing short of phenomenal: 44,000 field staff conducted almost 318,000 habitat surveys across 20 tiger-occupied states of India. Some 381,400 km² was checked for tigers and their prey.</p> <p>(There is an application in with the Guinness Book of World Records to see if this is the largest wildlife survey ever conducted anywhere in the world.)</p> <p>The team placed paired camera traps at 26,760 locations across 139 study sites and these collected almost 35 million photos (including 76,523 tiger and 51,337 leopard photos). These camera traps covered 86% of the entire tiger distribution in India. Where it was too dangerous to work in the field (14% of the tigers’ distribution) because of <a href="https://www.news18.com/news/india/myanmar-army-to-continue-crackdown-on-indian-insurgents-2169501.html">political conflict</a>, robust models estimated population numbers.</p> <p><strong>Count the tigers</strong></p> <p>Collecting this volume of data would be an utter waste of time if it were poorly analysed. The teams took advice from some of the world’s foremost experts to sort the photos: pattern matching experts who could identify whether a photo of a tiger taken in the monsoon matched that of a tiger taken in the dry season while walking at a different angle, machine learning experts to speed up species identification, and spatial analysis experts to estimate the populations of tigers and their prey.</p> <p>The research team took this advice and coupled it with their own knowledge of tiger ecology to develop a census that is unique among large carnivore studies.</p> <p>We were fortunate enough to be among the non-Indian scientists invited to review this process. Peer review is a crucial part of any scientific endeavour, and especially important as early Indian tiger surveys were notoriously unreliable.</p> <p><strong>Actual numbers</strong></p> <p>So how did they do? A total of 2,461 individual tigers older than one year of age were photo-captured. The overall tiger population in India was estimated at 2,967 individuals (with an error range of roughly 12%).</p> <p>Out of this, 83.4% were estimated from camera-trap photos, and the rest estimated from robust modelling. Tiger numbers have increased by 6% per year, continuing the rate of increase from the 2014 census. This is a wonderful success for Indian conservation efforts.</p> <p>However not all is rosy. There has been a 20% decline in areas occupied by tigers in 2014 to today, although tigers have moved into some new areas (some 8% of their Indian range is new). The coordinators of the tiger survey – Yadvendradev Jhala and Qamar Qureshi – conclude that while established and secure tiger populations in some parts of India have increased, small, isolated populations and those along corridors between established populations have gone extinct.</p> <p>This highlights the need for conservation efforts to focus on improving connectivity between isolated populations, while incentivising the relocation of people out of core tiger areas, reducing poaching and improving habitat to increase prey resources.</p> <p>This will be no easy task with India’s burgeoning population, but investment from private sector tourist corporations in land acquisition along corridors and the creation of community conservancies could supplement government funding for expanding protected corridors.</p> <p>The success of India’s census has led the governments of Nepal and Bangladesh to employ the same project team to help estimate their own tiger populations. These methods can – and should – be employed for other iconic, charismatic species that can be individually identified, such as jaguars in South and Central America; leopards, cheetahs, and hyenas in Africa, and possibly even quolls in Australia.</p> <p><em>Written by Matt Hayward and Joseph K. Bump. Republished with permission of </em><a href="https://theconversation.com/some-good-conservation-news-indias-tiger-numbers-are-going-up-121055"><em>The Conversation</em></a><em>.</em></p>

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Australia’s animal extinction crisis “inevitable” under current conservation laws

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A Senate inquiry report recently released painted a grim picture for the native animals of the native Australian landscape. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The report explained that the current approach to wildlife protection was “incapable” of stopping the spiralling rates of extinction and recommended a “complete overhaul” of legislation.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Suzanne Milthrope, national nature campaign manager at the Wilderness Society, said that three native species have been wiped out in the last decade.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The evidence is clear — Australia is in an extinction crisis,” Ms Milthorpe said to </span><a href="https://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/conservation/australias-animal-extinction-crisis-worsening-and-inevitable-under-current-conservation-laws/news-story/7c19cb36c26de897c95477a07567f889"><span style="font-weight: 400;">news.com.au</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We’re number two in the world for species loss, and if we keep turning a blind eye to major threats to wildlife like deforestation, even iconic animals like the koala will go.” </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The World Wildlife Fund said that the equivalent of 14 football fields of habitat for koalas is bulldozed every day in NSW.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">WWF- Australia conservationist Stuart Blanch said that there are currently less than 20,000 koalas left in NSW and they are set to be extinct in the state by 2050.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Koalas will disappear from NSW unless the state increases legal protections of mature forests and woodlands,” Dr Blanch said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It is a wakeup call for our east coast to appear alongside notorious forest destruction hot spots such as the Amazon, Congo Basin, Sumatra and Borneo,” WWF-Australia boss Dermot O’Gorman said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Senate has called for an independent environmental protection authority with powers and funding to enforce compliance with laws. Ms Milthorpe agrees.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We welcome the recommendation for strong national environment laws that can actually stop the threats to wildlife and an independent watchdog with teeth to enforce them,” Ms Milthorpe said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“But we need more than recommendations. Positive action on the environment is showing up as a huge issue in both national polls and the recent NSW election.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“What that tells us is neither party can be a credible candidate for government without having detailed, costed policies on how they’ll deal with major causes of extinction, like the legacy of 200 years of inappropriate deforestation and the worsening impacts of climate change.”</span></p>

Domestic Travel

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Roasted rhubarb, strawberry and rose conserve

<p>Roasted rhubarb, and rose conserve, made with sweet strawberries that have been kissed by the sun is a delightful taste of summer.</p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Makes:</span> </strong>2 x 300g jars</p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Ingredients: </span></strong></p> <ul> <li>500g strawberries, washed and leaves removed</li> <li>5-6 rhubarb stalks leaves removed, about 300g</li> <li>½ cup (100g) sugar</li> <li>Juice of ½ a lemon, about 2 tablespoons</li> <li>2-3 teaspoons rose water</li> </ul> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Method:</span></strong></p> <ol> <li>Preheat oven 180 degrees Celsius.</li> <li>Cut the strawberries into halves, and rhubarb into 3cm lengths. Place on a lined baking tray and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Mix well and arrange in a single layer. Bake for 20 minutes until the fruit is tender and fragrant.</li> <li>Scoop fruit and juices into a shallow saucepan, and add the remaining sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a gentle simmer over a moderate heat.</li> <li>Cook uncovered, stirring regularly until thickened – about 20 minutes. Keep in mind the conserve will thicken some as it cools. Add the rose water to taste. Remove from the heat and cover.</li> <li>Sterilise 2 x 300g jars. Place clean jars in a 120C oven for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, boil lids for 10 minutes, drain and air dry. Carefully remove one jar from the oven, place on a wooden board and fill immediately with the hot conserve (reheated if needed). Wipe the rim and secure the hot lid. Repeat with the second jar. Cool completely, then check lids are sealed.</li> <li>Store in a cool dark pantry and use within six months. Once opened keep in the fridge and consume within four weeks.</li> </ol> <p><em>Find comprehensive home preserving guidelines in my new cookbook, </em>Homegrown Kitchen – Everyday Recipes for Eating Well<em>. For more of Nicola's recipes visit, <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.homegrown-kitchen.co.nz/" target="_blank">Homegrown-Kitchen.co.nz</a></strong></span></em></p> <p><em>Written by Nicola Galloway. Republished with permission of <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz.</span></strong></a></em></p>

Food & Wine

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Giant pandas taken off endangered list

<p>Great news for lovers of the black and white bears! Giant pandas are no longer endangered, with the panda’s official status downgraded to “vulnerable”.</p> <p>The International Union for Conservation of Nature said in a report on Sunday the panda is now classified as a “vulnerable” instead of “endangered” species.</p> <p>The panda population declined dramatically in the 1980s to an estimated low of less than 1,000 due to poaching and deforestation. Since 2014 there has been a 17 per cent increase in the wild panda population, jumping from 1,596 in 2004 to 1,864 in 2014. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has been working closely with the Chinese government to save and expand their habitat, enforce poaching bans and increase funding to their breeding project.</p> <p>“For over 50 years, the giant panda has been the globe’s most beloved conservation icon as well as the symbol of WWF. Knowing that the panda is now a step further from extinction is an exciting moment for everyone committed to conserving the world’s wildlife and their habitats,” said WWF Director General Marco Lambertini.</p> <p>“The recovery of the panda shows that when science, political will and engagement of local communities come together, we can save wildlife and also improve biodiversity."</p> <p>While pandas are not out of the woods yet, it’s great news that conservation efforts are working and that the beloved creature may still be here for future generations.</p> <p><strong>Related links: </strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/07/why-do-dogs-tilt-their-head/"><em>Why do dogs tilt their head?</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/07/test-to-find-out-how-smart-your-dog-is/"><em>Take this test to find out how smart your dog is</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/07/9-tips-for-calming-your-cat/"><em>9 tips for calming your cat</em></a></strong></span></p>

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