In short:

Murray-Darling carpet python populations in South Australia have declined due to loss of habitat and predation.

Trials using conservation detection dogs to find the snakes in the Riverland have so far had positive results.

What's next?

The trials are expected to continue towards the end of the year once the weather warms up.

Lawns suck. But what if they could be better? In this episode I hope to express my absolute disdain for the masochist's meadow, and make the argument for why building back native habitat is not just good for our wildlife, but us humies too.

Phillipa's Paper on road verge insect biodiversity: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science...

Get involved with or donate to the Urban Guerrillas: https://linktr.ee/urbanguerrillas

Get involved with or donate to the KooyongKoot Alliance: https://kka.org.au/how-to-help/

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/22612622

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/22612621

A mysterious, brown foam appeared on a beach an hour south of Adelaide. It was just the beginning of a toxic algal bloom that has now grown to thousands of square kilometres in size, killing precious sea life in its wake. Experts say it could be a sign of things to come.

The blame was placed on an “ongoing marine heatwave” which had seen water temperatures 2.5 degrees Celsius warmer than usual.

I wonder what prciptated the marine heatwave /s

On Kangaroo Island, which reported its first fish kills in March, some beaches were so littered with dead sea life, the smell was overpowering.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/30155075

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/22254674

The reason I don't intend to travel anymore to Australia with large groups of musicians is because it's just not environmentally tenable," Anohni says.

"The footprint is too abhorrent. The amount of carbon that I burned to get here … it's football fields full of forests for me to come here with a group."

Good on her

This time, Anohni is focused on the Great Barrier Reef, where she has spent time investigating and documenting its destruction.

"I put all the money or the proceeds from the concert into this project, Mourning the Great Barrier Reef, which has been my focus for the last month," she says.

"I've been in Queensland filming at Lizard Island with a group of marine biologists and filmmakers, documenting the state of bleaching and acidification that's currently playing out on those group of reefs."

https://www.yesmagazine.org/issue/life-after-oil/2016/02/11/how-far-can-we-get-without-flying

Hour for hour, there’s no better way to warm the planet than to fly in a plane.

In short:

WaterNSW found a 1992 petrol tanker crash and explosion was one of three likely sources of so-called "forever chemicals" found in a Blue Mountains drinking water catchment.

Firefighting foam used in historic emergency responses matched chemical signatures of the PFAS chemicals.

What's next?

Medlow Dam and Greaves Creek Dam remain disconnected from the Blue Mountains water supply system until WaterNSW is confident mitigation measures are in place.

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/22252156

Seabirds have been fishing plastic from the ocean and feeding it to their chicks, researchers say. One bird was found to have ingested nearly 800 pieces.

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cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/38011266

Sydney (AFP) – A vast bloom of toxic algae is killing more than 200 species of marine life off the southern coast of Australia, scientists and conservation groups say.

The algae -- Karenia mikimotoi -- appeared in waters around South Australia state in March, causing mass deaths in species including sharks, rays, crabs and octopuses.

"There are carcasses littering beaches," said Brad Martin, a manager of the non-profit fish conservation group Ozfish.

"It is common for our volunteers to say: 'We walked for one kilometre along the beach and saw 100 dead rays and other marine life'," he told AFP.

Beaches on wildlife-rich tourist draws such as Kangaroo Island, Yorke Peninsula and Fleurieu Peninsula have been affected.

The bloom stretches across 4,400 square kilometres (1,700 square miles), Martin said -- an area larger than Japan or Germany.

Karenia mikimotoi has been detected around the world since the 1930s, including off Japan, Norway, the United States and China where it has disrupted local tourism and fishery industries, causing millions of dollars worth of damage.

But Martin said South Australia had not previously experienced a toxic algae bloom of this scale or duration.

The South Australian government said the event is thought to have been driven by a marine heatwave, as well as relatively calm marine conditions.

Marine biologist Shauna Murray, who identified the algae species for the authorities, said it damages the gills of fish and prevents them from breathing.

"It is not pleasant," said Murray, from the University of Technology Sydney.

"It will probably take some time for the ecosystem to recuperate."

While conditions usually ease towards the end of April, there had been no relief yet, South Australian Environment Minister Susan Close said this month.

"We need a big change in weather to break this thing up -- there is nothing we can do to precipitate this," she told national broadcaster ABC.

In the meantime, South Australian authorities have urged beachgoers to avoid swimming in water that is discoloured or foamy, warning that it can irritate the skin and affect breathing.

Climate change has led to an increase in the frequency and duration of marine heatwaves across Australia, which significantly affects marine ecosystems.

The new impact counter helps you visualize the climate impact you’re having with Ecosia. The more seeds you collect, the more of a difference you’re making with us! Collecting seeds allows you to level up. Your climate impact grows with each level.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/43558961

The world has been gripped by the case of Australian woman Erin Patterson, who was charged with the murder of three people after allegedly serving them a lunch of beef wellington containing poisonous death cap mushrooms (Amanita phalloides).

A new element of the sensational story emerged in court this week, when prosecutors reportedly alleged Patterson used iNaturalist to locate and visit places where death cap mushrooms were known to grow.

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/21579593

The head of research at the fossil fuels campaign group Lock the Gate Alliance, Georgina Woods, said global heating caused by burning fossil fuels was “already affecting Australian businesses, community wellbeing, household bills and national security” and damaging “our extraordinary natural heritage”.

Gavan McFadzean, from the Australian Conservation Foundation, said the country’s thermal coal exports were an “appalling contribution” to the climate crisis and a “major handbrake” on global efforts to cut emissions. He said the major parties were running on a “unity ticket” of trying to get the Australian public thinking “there’s nothing to see here”.

As Thoreau pointed out long ago, what use a home with no livable planet. :(

Both major parties have argued that there remained a global market for fossil fuels and if Australia reduced its sales they would just be replaced by coal and gas from other countries in a way that would lead to no overall gain but would hurt parts of the local economy.

This is like arguing if we don't sell weapons to Russia, North Korea will and then being ok with that.

I get it's the "drug dealer problem" but neither the LNP or the ALP would suggest dealers are ok ?

Vote Green

Communication breakdown The Community Engagement Review into the renewable energy sector by the Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner found 92 per cent dissatisfaction with how project developers engaged the local community.

It pointed to poor practices in the sector, sparking negative experiences and community pushback.

There is a notable tension between community engagement efforts and the rigid policy frameworks that shape renewable energy development.

It can mean communities are consulted, but their input is sidelined because of policy restrictions and that leads to distrust and perceptions of an unfair or tokenistic process.

Genuine community fears can also be exploited by vested interests and misinformation actors promoting questionable claims to fuel community resistance and backlash.