conservation – Australian Science

Water, water everywhere?

Kelly Burnes — Tue, 20 Aug 2013 06:33:34 +0000

Gulf of Carpentaria showing Flinders River in north Queensland. Department of Natural Resources via www.abc.net.au

We often don’t plan for water in the broader sense when we think of developing communities and towns. The water pipes are underground, sure, and they flow to the water and sewer treatment plant, and we have water whenever we command the faucet to release it. But when you think about it, the water cycle is lost on the ground. The holistic concept of it being a cycle is washed away. Water is seen more as a nuisance, a problem, something to be taken care of rather than a resource. This is the real problem. While water is a need, and a serious one globally for clean water, water is treated more as an expectation, a guarantee of service.

In order to create more sustainable and resilient developments, we need better management and regulation of water resources. Better governance. Water efficiency, water quality, conservation, drought prevention, supply and demand issues, these are topics that local, state and national governments must tackle, and soon. Water is critical to economic development in terms of manufacturing and technology.

Population distribution is skewed as cities and towns dot the coastlines. Over half of the world’s population lives within 200 kilometres (120 miles) of the coast. As we’ve seen increasingly over the past few years, extreme weather events such as cyclones, hurricanes and the resulting floods can cause great devastation to civilisation.

There are design elements that can enhance a community’s relationship with water. Creating driveways and sidewalks out of permeable surfaces rather than bitumen; installing green roofs; rain barrels and gardens to collect water are just a few solutions. Harvesting runoff from buildings (rain barrels) can be used to flush toilets or recycled water for watering lawns and washing. Integrating water into town planning can minimize damage to infrastructure during extreme weather events.

Better water management, which means integrating the water cycle with the urban environment, will produce more sustainable communities in the future. Can you imagine the alternative if we didn’t? A world without water would not last long. The human body can last about 3 days without water. Water and sanitation is a human right, with 3.4 million fighting for their survival each year for clean water. With the global economy’s current fixation on innovation, if we don’t recognize the basic resources needed to allow creativity to flourish, it will all be for nought.

Please check your local conservation office for water resources and other conservation practices you can adopt. These websites will also give you more information and ways to make a difference.

http://www.environment.gov.au/water/index.html

http://water.org/

http://www.charitywater.org/

Cite this article:
Burnes K (2013-08-20 06:33:34). Water, water everywhere?. Australian Science. Retrieved: May 11, 2024, from http://australianscience.com.au/news/water-water-everywhere/

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World Oceans Day – 7 June 2013, Live Event

Kelly Burnes — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 00:28:05 +0000

The Great Barrier Reef, © Gary Bell/Oceanwidelmages.com, via Australian Conservation Foundation website

Good morning Australians and to the rest of the world! Today is World Oceans Day and to celebrate this important day, a special, world first, 12-hour event will broadcast live from the Great Barrier Reef! Richard Fitzpatrick, a marine biologist and Emmy award-winning underwater cinematographer, along with other marine experts and reef ambassadors will take you on a journey as they showcase the diverse beauty and awe that is the Great Barrier Reef. The event starts 7 June 10:00 AM (AEST). The countdown is on and you can watch here at Queensland’s YouTube Channel!

You’ll see live underwater broadcasts that include sharks, whales, manta rays and turtles. 30-minute panel sessions will take not only underwater at the reef, but from Lady Elliot Island and Reef HQ Aquarium. The panel discussion will feature both local and international marine biologists and experts who will highlight why protecting our oceans is so important.

And why is it so important? Well, Australians, if you haven’t seen the news from yesterday, listen up.

A new CSIRO study, reported by the Herald Sun, finds the ocean is littered with rubbish, 74 per cent of it is plastic and it is impacting sea creatures, including turtles, sea birds and whales. There are 5.2 pieces of debris for every person in Australia and 3.2 pieces of rubbish for every metre of beach. The waste is not coming from other countries, it is coming from cities and other major areas in Australia. And while Australia does have great waste management practices, It’s important to note that more must be done to keep the beaches and waters pristine. Take action on this World Oceans Day. Find a beach clean up, join a surf life saving club, volunteer at a conservation park – do something to help protect the ocean which is vital both to our global economies and societies.

Cite this article:
Burnes K (2013-06-07 00:28:05). World Oceans Day - 7 June 2013, Live Event. Australian Science. Retrieved: May 11, 2024, from http://australianscience.com.au/news/world-oceans-day-7-june-2013-live-event/

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Rare echidna species not so extinct after all?

Markus — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 00:22:29 +0000

Speaking as a European, Australia has something of a reputation for having some rather unusual wildlife. Easily the most unusual are the small handful of monotreme species – the echidnas, and the duck-billed platypus. The only species of egg-laying mammals in the world today, these little creatures may once have been quite widespread. Now, however, they’re only found in Australia and New Guinea. One species in particular, the long-beaked echidna, is critically endangered. It was believed to have been extinct in Australia for over 30,000 years (and only found in New Guinea), since the last ice age. It was believed, that is, until recently. And the evidence for this rediscovery came from a rather surprising source.

100 years ago, biologists worked a lot differently to the way they do today. Back then, it was common practice to travel to remote places and collect specimens – by way of hunting animals, shooting them, and getting a taxidermist to stuff them. While this bloodthirsty pokemon attitude may seem ghastly to our modern sensibilities, it was once simply the way things were done, and many such specimens are still on display in museums. Though it should be added that such specimen collecting is widely outlawed today.

Nonetheless, one such specimen was found in London’s Natural History Museum. The creature had been “collected” in Australia in 1901, scientifically described, and had subsequently been stored and forgotten about entirely. I have to wonder what those researchers may have done if they’d realised the true significance of this unassuming little creature.

The fascinating thing is really that this little preserved creature is the keystone for the entire study. Just one single specimen. However, it was very well documented and most certainly came from Australia. Its discovery was quite serendipitous too, when zoologist Kristofer Helgen from the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, was paying a visit to the London Natural History Museum.

From the description it was tagged with, this echidna had been found on Mount Anderson, in sparsely populated Northwest Australia. Following up the find, researchers decided to investigate further. In West Kimberley, they spoke to some aboriginal communities where people recounted stories of how their parents used to hunt echidnas which were much larger than the others. Using photographs, they identified those large echidnas as the same long-beaked echidna species still found in New Guinea.

So the big question is, are long-beaked echidnas still found in Australia today? This discovery does give us some more information about how adaptable these spiny little animals are; long-beaked echidnas can evidently survive in both arid Australian scrub land and lush New Guinea rainforests. Until a living animal is found, it’s impossible to make any definite statements. And finding them is no easy task. They’re nocturnal creatures, and the known populations of them in New Guinea are difficult to find. All the same, conservationists can be hopeful that long-beaked echidnas may not be extinct in Australia just yet.

Cite this article:
Hammonds M (2013-02-07 00:22:29). Rare echidna species not so extinct after all?. Australian Science. Retrieved: May 11, 2024, from http://australianscience.com.au/biology/rare-echidna-species-not-so-extinct-after-all/

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