Exotic diseases represent a significant threat to Australia’s unique fauna and flora. Dramatic declines in frog numbers in the 1970s were initially blamed on habitat destruction associated with logging. It was not until twenty years later that the disease Chytridiomycosis caused by the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis was positively identified and is now officially recognized […]
Tag Archives | Weeds & Ferals
Potentially Even Bigger Feral Cats to be Imported into Australia
Feral cats, along with wild dogs and foxes, are thought to have a devastating impact on populations of small native animals in parts of the Australian bush. But the future may be even bleaker with a larger and more ferocious breed of cat, known as the Savannah, expected to be introduced into Australia in the […]
Campaigning Against Cane Toads
Peter Garrett, Australia’s Opposition Environment Spokesperson, is reported in the Age as having said, A federal Labour government would commit $2million to a national plan to stop the spread of cane toads into the south and west of Australia. Alas, his is pledge is unachievable; as cane toads are already in Western Australia. I saw […]
Of Cattle and Conservation
…In another part of Australia, cattle grazing has been identified as detrimental to World Heritage values, by potentially initiating soil erosion, altering under-storey vegetation and fire regimes. Cattle grazing has also been associated with the introduction of weed species such as pasture crops and assisting in the spread of other weeds. The Wet Tropics grazing […]
Government Misrepresents Extent of Land Clearing: A Note from Ian Mott
The latest satellite (SLATS) data on Queensland clearing is now available and it provides an interesting insight into how data can be presented in a way that is quite remote from the truth on the ground. The report, Landcover Change in Queensland 2004-2005 can be seen at www.nrw.qld.gov.au/slats The annual average area cleared in the […]
Queensland Government Investigated Over Tree Clearing Case
I was pleased and surprised to read today at Farm Online that the actions of six Queensland Government employees is being investigated over the Ashley McKay saga. I detailed the sorry story in a piece at this blog entitled ‘Tree Clearing in Queensland: One Man’s Battle Against Bureaucracy’ posted in October 2005. It began: “About […]
Under Threat in Australia, Grassland Birds?
While groups like the Wilderness Society run advertisements suggesting that in western Queensland and New South Wales broadscale tree clearing is a major environmental threat, many local landholders argue the problem is quite different. They claim that trees are replacing once open grassland over vast areas and that these ‘invasive woody weeds’ are the real […]
Burke’s Backyard Infested with Native Invasive Scrub: Media Release from Community Group
The following media release was distributed by a group called the NSW Regional Community Survival Group* after TV personality Don Burke was interviewed by radio personality Alan Jones in Sydney yesterday: “Australia’s pioneer lifestyle presenter and Chair of the Australian Environment Foundation, Don Burke, has called upon the Iemma Government to make further changes to […]
Publish or Perish: A Note from Anthony Gibson
Nyngan farmer Anthony Gibson, spokesperson for the NSW Regional Community Survival Group, has warned government officials and the public to be aware of Dr Barry Traill’s limited scientific credentials on the ecology of woody weeds. Following is the rest of the media release from the NSW Regional Community Survival Group: “An exhaustive search of the […]
Rats Destroyed the Forests on Easter Island: Terry Hunt
Easter Island has been described by Jared Diamond as the “clearest example of a society that destroyed itself by overexploiting its own resources”. Prof Diamond has told and retold the story and drawn a parallel between the ecological disaster he says befell Easter Island and our likely fate because we are cutting down too many […]
Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD has worked in industry and government. She is currently researching a novel technique for long-range weather forecasting funded by the B. Macfie Family Foundation.