SER in the News

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2007

11 December: Tropical birds need emergency help against climate change - Report (ABC Queensland)

A Northern Territory scientist is calling for the emergency conservation of over 60 tropical Australian bird species under threat from climate change. Charles Darwin University's professor Stephen Garnett issued the warning in the latest State of Australia's Birds report. Professor Garnett says many birds live in specific areas and would be vulnerable if their habitats change. (full text)

5 December: LifeMatters - Indonesian asylum seekers (ABC Radio National)

A group of 16 Indonesians, including ten children rescued from their leaking boat in late November in the Timor Sea is now in detention on Christmas Island. This group is from Roti, an Indonesian island, where their livelihood has been severely affected by Australia's crackdown on illegal fishing. How will the Indonesians be housed on Christmas Island and what are their rights? (link)

28 November: Eden's lost horizons (SMH)

Rising seas are just one part of global warming that could destroy Kakadu as we know it. As the CSIRO predicts big rises in temperature over the next 30 years, Stephen Garnett, a professor of tropical knowledge at Charles Darwin University, warns that over the past decade the sea levels on our northern coast have been rising at four times the global average, partly in response to the shape of the Timor Sea towards New Guinea; such shallower seas are more prone to expansion through heat.

23 November: Is there a case to extend fishing rights to Indonesians? (Radio Australia)

Discussion of the current and underlying situation regarding Indonesian fishing boats in Australian waters. In light of the most recent group of sixteen Indonesians now in detention on Christmas Island. The six adults and ten children from the island of Rote were rescued from a sinking boat by the Australian navy on Wednesday and are believed to be seeking asylum in Australia. The Australian government has dismissed suggestions it should be doing more to help. (listen here)

30 October: Mozzie News (ABC TV Darwin)

A world first study into mosquito eradication could reduce the need for aerial spraying of insecticides. A joint project between CDU and the Department of Health has begun a study on the effects of various breeding control methods for mosquitoes around Darwin's swamps. (view segment)

5 October: Forest loss 'leads to longer, more severe floods' (SciDev.Net)

Deforestation increases the frequency and severity of flooding in developing countries, according to a recent study. While a link between deforestation and flooding has been suspected for many years, the study, published online in Global Change Biology is the first to support the hypothesis with global-scale evidence. (full text)

30 September: Byebye birdies - 45 species feeling the heat (The Age)

In a paper to be published next month, The history of threatened birds in Australia and its offshore islands, Professor Garnett makes a long list of disturbing predictions as to the viability of our bird life because of feral species running amok, human sprawl and climate change. The paper predicts 45 Australian bird species will be threatened to some degree by increases in temperature by 2050. The impact of climate change, long predicted, "is now starting to show an impact on numbers".

14 September: Climate Change and northern Australian birdlife (Stateline)

Professor Stephen Garnett discusses the impact of climate change on 387 bird species in northern Australia. He's warned of a potential catastrophe as global warming raises sea levels and floods important wetland habitats. At greatest risk are those birds with the smallest range because they have nowhere else to go, and water birds from geese and ducks, to herons, ibis, egrets and brolgas.

23 August: Bush Business Course Takes Off (National Indigenous Times)

A course in the Northern Territory is showing Aboriginal people how to build successful enterprises based on local natural resources. The intensive Natural Resource and Livelihoods course developed by Charles Darwin's School for Environmental Research teaches participants what it takes to run a successful business in remote Australia. (full text)

31 July: TRaCK Research Hub Officially Opened (ABC)

As interest in the rivers and water resources of northern Australia grows, an exciting new initiative called TRaCK, the Tropical Rivers and Coastal Knowledge research hub, has been formed to improve our understanding of these resources. A consortium of research organisations and government agencies has been formed to invest more than $30 million to improve our understanding of northern Australia’s rivers and estuaries over the next four years.

The TRaCK consortium is led by Charles Darwin University, CSIRO, Griffith University, Land and Water Australia, the North Australia Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance and the University of Western Australia.

20 July: Crocodile War (Townsville Bulletin)

Queensland Environment Minister Lindy Nelson-Carr released results from the department's 2007 survey of crocodiles on Wednesday amid claims of a population rise in urban areas. The results would suggest crocodile numbers in the North are not exploding, they are in fact dwindling. But Charles Darwin University crocodile expert Dr Corey Bradshaw was dubious about the survey's results. (full text)

19 June: KNP in danger (Channel 7, Melbourne)

Studies at Kakadu NP, NT, show carbon levels have accelerated plant growth and trees are in danger of salt poisoning due to increased CO2.

25 May: Whale shark on the decline, scientists fear (The Australian)

The mysterious whale shark species that lures eco-tourists in droves to the pristine Ningaloo Reef off Western Australia could be in decline, scientists fear. Numbers of the gentle giants are steadily dwindling and little is known about the slow-growing long-lived species, researchers from the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and Charles Darwin University say. (full text)

9 May: Panic over for threatened rainforest species? (New Scientist)

It has been the one environmental question that everyone could agree on: cutting down the rainforest is a disaster for biodiversity. Or is it? According to two respected tropical researchers, the future may not be so bleak after all. In fact, pretty soon the rainforests of the world will start to grow back, and many species on the brink of extinction will recover. (preview article)

8 May: Land work improves Aborigines' health: study (ABC News Online)

A three-year Northern Territory study has seen improvements in the health of Aboriginal people who are employed to look after land. Indigenous health experts are now urging all state and territory governments to expand natural and cultural resource programs in remote Indigenous communities.

1 April: Holy cow! The survival of the banteng (ABC National Interest)

Do we have a duty to protect a species and its adopted habitat on behalf of the rest of the world? This question is raised by the case of a herd of banteng cattle introduced 150 years ago to the Northern Territory, and now living wild - and flourishing - in the Garig National Park on the Cobourg Peninsula.

26 March: Cane toads keep coming (news@Nature)

Tony Griffiths was quoted commenting on a paper by researchers from Yale University and University of Sydney about the predicted expansion of cane toads into southern Australia and the potential impact of cane toads on native species.

11 February: Bounty on croc eggs

A bounty could be placed on wild crocodile eggs to help Queensland farmers meet international demand for leather. (full text)

6 February: Just how bad is the biodiversity extinction crisis? (MongaBay.com)

In recent years, scientists have warned of a looming biodiversity extinction crisis, one that will rival or exceed the five historic mass extinctions that occurred millions of years ago. (full text)

26 January: Scientists, producers hose down dam water plans (ABC News online)

Northern Territory scientists and the pastoral industry are sounding a note of caution over any plans for dams on tropical rivers to supply water for irrigated farming. (full text)