Despite Australia’s efforts to protect marine life, global fish stocks are collapsing due to overfishing. A key example is the jack mackerel - its numbers in the Southern Ocean have been decimated by 90% in just the last two decades. Now industrial fishing fleets are sailing further and further south into waters off Antarctica in [...]

A significantly lower carbon price in Europe will put “Australian business at a stark competitive disadvantage,” according to a National Party spokesperson. The Australian Government plans to introduce a flat $23 per tonne CO2 tax on high emitters in July. However, European financial giant Societe Generale’s assessment of stagnating EU economies and expanding low-carbon energy [...]

Top scientists have called on legislators to reject what they claim is a seriously flawed plan to save the Murray-Darling Basin. The Wentworth Group of scientists criticised the $9 billion infrastructure and water buy back plan proposed by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority. The draft plan aims to return 2750 billion litres of water annually to [...]

Environment groups claim the conservation agreement released today by the Tasmanian and Commonwealth governments fails to adequately deliver on the first key conservation outcome promised by the Tasmanian Forests Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA). The coalition of groups urged both governments to bring an immediate end to logging that has continued in forests earmarked for protection and [...]

Conservationist Miranda Gibson has spent weeks sitting 60 meters above the ground, at the top of a tree in the middle of Tasmania’s south-western wilderness. Miranda made the commitment to remain on her tree-top platform until the area of forest receives the protection that was promised by State and Federal governments in August 2011. The Tasmanian [...]

Landscape management expert Peter Andrews believes unpredictable weather across Australia is more likely due to widespread gross mismanagement of our land than the impact of global warming. Andrews briefed the Sydney Morning Herald’s Paul Sheehan on the direct connection between land use and weather systems, while also strongly criticising management of the Murray-Darling Basin and [...]

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has announced it is using a donated military-style remote controlled drone to track the Japanese whaling fleet. The new technology gives the protest group a new edge in its campaign of direct interventions to stop whaling. Earlier this month it was revealed that the Japanese Government is using $29 million from [...]

Friends of the Earth is calling on the Australian Government to intervene after the reported death of three and critical wounding of nine more protesters by Indonesian Police on the island of Sumbawa. FoE says the community was protesting against the opening of the Bima Gold Mine due to environmental concerns when police opened fire. [...]

Greenpeace is calling on the Queensland Government to reject an application by mining company Waratah Coal to create Australia’s biggest ever coal mine in the Galilee Basin. The group claims the proposed “China First” mine will see open cut mining in the 8000-hectare Bimblebox Nature reserve and result in millions of tonnes of CO2 emissions.

A concerning spike in forest clearing in New South Wales is revealed in a newly released government report. A total of 42,700 hectares of trees were cleared for forestry, farming or infrastructure in 2010; that’s 38% more than the previous year and almost double the average seen over recent decades. About half of the forest [...]