Aussie Enviro

No cuddly, furry or bright feathered friends. Today we’re going to dive into NSW coasts and look at two endangered species: a habitat and one of the species that needs it for survival.

Scientists are rebuilding endangered native underwater pastures of Posidonia Australis seagrass and helping White’s Seahorse come back from the brink. Posidonia used to grow extensively from southern Qld all the way down to the NSW south coast but the usual culprits, development and physical disturbances have wiped out most of these underwater meadows.

Seagrasses are true flowering plants with root systems that stabilise sediment and prevent erosion. Their meadows trap carbon much faster than terrestrial forests. They also provide essential nurseries for fish and invertebrates.

Seahorses swim vertically and use their tails to remain within their habitats by grasping & wrapping around seagrass leaves and other plants to camouflage, anchor & feed. If there is no posidonia habitat the seahorses cannot survive.

‘Seahorse hotels’ have been developed to help both habitat and seahorses. These are 1m x 1m steel mesh cages to which marine life can attach, mimicking the tangled complexity of the original habitat. On the seafloor the hotels become encrusted with corals, sponges and algae, attract tiny crustaceans and so provide an ideal ecosystem for seahorses.

The hotels also benefit the posidonia by acting as buffers from wave action and mitigating sand inundation. And, as posidonia is replanted and thrives, fish like snapper, flathead, bream and pyjama squid return and thrive too. If you want to learn more go to: https://www.unsw.edu.au/research/cmsi/research-projects/Marine-Environmental-Sustainability/seagrass

More about seahorses: Seahorses have remarkable adaptations including hard bony armour on the body, the prehensile tail, binocular vision, excellent camouflage and a really interesting mode of reproduction.

Colouration Seahorses in general are known for their ability to change colour depending upon their habitat, what they have eaten, and also as part of courtship and 'greeting rituals'. White's Seahorses change from their usual sombre colouration into far brighter shades of cream and yellow.

Breeding behaviours are remarkable The male seahorse has a pouch into which the female seahorse lays her eggs. In White's Seahorse, the male fertilises the eggs and cares for them for about three weeks (depending upon several factors including the temperature). During this time, he aerates the pouch, and most remarkably of all, nourishes the eggs through a capillary network in the pouch with his own 'placental fluids'. At the end of the 'pregnancy', the male gives birth to 100-250 fully formed young seahorses of about 1 cm in length which swim away to care for themselves. The male then 'becomes pregnant' again almost straight away. White's Seahorse is monogamous (females and males form permanent pairs) and breed from October to April.

Here's some more on seahorse hotels and LOTS of little seahorses! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MC-lTTP0Hig

cross-posted from: https://aussie.zone/post/32053141

In short:

A retired Sea Shepherd vessel used in anti-whaling campaigns has been restored and primed for a conservation comeback.

The flagship vessel was rescued from the scrap heap in 2019, with skipper Kerrie Goodall spending more than 4,000 hours to bring it back to life.

What's next?

The ship has left Newcastle Harbour, bound for Melbourne, where it will participate in marine conservation campaigns.

Blue banded bees pollinate our vegetable gardens. Microbats eat up to 1,200 mosquitoes a night and powerful owls keep rodents at bay. But could we go one step further, and change our homes to invite native animals in as housemates?

Cities are biodiversity hotspots and have an important role in tackling the extinction crises for animals, plants and insects. As cities continue to sprawl, our buildings have become increasingly important habitat for wildlife...

Animals are not the only ones to benefit. Evidence shows noticing wildlife at home can lead to better mental health. Co-habitating with wildlife can also help you feel more at home.

Here's the headings of the eight easy ways to invite wildlife into your home and backyard. For the details go to the article and enjoy!

1. Give butterflies a drink from your air con

2. Provide city birds with scarce nesting material

3. Move indoor plants away from windows

4. Remove the concrete from your backyard

5. Leave the cavities in your houses unsealed

6. Plant the ‘missing’ layer birds need

7. Keep your cats inside

8. Build a frog sauna

Some great talking points and facts you can use with anti-renewable diehards. It's gobsmacking what mainstream media gets away with.

A happy conservation story. A positive way to use invasive species. Tbh, if the Hormuz and war situation continues for a protracted period, these fish could also be put to beneficial use to feed people.

Bridie Armour and Ben Chapman launched their project to create dog treats out of European carp in 2024, directing a portion of profits towards revegetation and the reintroduction of native fish.

They never expected to put a serious dent in the numbers of carp plaguing the river, but wanted to help educate people about the problem and the ultimate need for a "systematic solution".

"Our part to play is more about the education in getting people aware of the issue because so many people my age don't even know what carp are," Ms Armour said. "Or they don't even know they're an invasive species."

Planting grass or succulents along tram tracks can cool streets, cut pollution and make cities feel more beautiful.

A complex issue but in Australia we have been pretty slow in meeting the challenges of waste plastic. Perhaps the Hormuz Bluez will get us more motivated.

Too often, companies that use plastic as an input make purchasing decisions that are driven by the lowest short-term price, even when that increases exposure to future shocks and supply risks. As the current crisis is showing, that can be costly.

Delays in strengthening recycling systems mean greater reliance on imported fossil-based plastics, more local waste sent to landfill or export and missed opportunities to create jobs in collection, sorting, reprocessing and advanced manufacturing.

The clear solution is to close the cost gap. There are many ways we can move in this direction, such as:

• improving collection systems
• designing packaging that is easier to recycle
• reducing contamination in household bins
• investing in modern sorting technology and more reprocessing capacity.

Individuals cannot fix global supply chains on their own, but they do shape the quality of material entering the recycling system. Buying products made with recycled content helps create demand for local recycled plastic.

Correctly sorting household waste and keeping recyclables clean can also reduce contamination, making plastics easier and cheaper to process. Reusing items where possible matters too.

The circular economy is not only built in factories and policy offices.

[An] alternative source of jet fuel proposed by government and industry is "sustainable aviation fuel" (SAF), a type of biofuel that can be made from oilseeds such as canola, as well as sugar cane, agricultural and forestry "residues" such as barley stalks, and even used cooking oil and municipal organic waste...

SAF is used in low levels by airlines as part of their fuel mix, but it is not made in Australia.

Australia exports huge volumes of tallow and agricultural feedstocks such as canola to refineries overseas, and then imports the refined SAF.

While six refineries make biodiesel and ethanol, none are dedicated to SAF.

"The fact that we basically grow canola here, then we ship it overseas, turn it into sustainable aviation fuel and then buy it back, is nuts," Infrastructure Minister Catherine King [has said].

"The technology is there," Stephen Forshaw, who represents Airbus in Australia, said. "We have the ability to do this."

So, how much homegrown jet fuel could Australia actually produce, what would it cost, and how long would it take to produce it at a scale that would be viable?

Yes, another email you can send, but only consistent and unrelenting voices from voters will get a look in so we must not stop.

More than 2,200 species and ecological communities are now listed as threatened with extinction. Their loss jeopardises not only wildlife, but also the natural systems that support our food security, water supplies, human health, climate resilience and economy.

Analysis by the Biodiversity Council (an independent expert group founded by 11 Australian universities to promote evidence-based solutions to our biodiversity crisis) shows that the fed govt spends around 50 times more harming nature than helping it.

$26 billion every year - 4% of the federal budget - flows to financial subsidies and tax breaks for activities that damage the environment, including fossil fuel extraction and large mining projects.

Meanwhile, only 0.06% of the federal budget is spent on direct actions to protect and restore nature...

Big multinational corporations don’t need more help. Nature does.

The solution is achievable: 1% of the fed budget would provide enough funding to:

• Prevent extinctions
• Recover threatened species
• Restore degraded landscapes
• Protect at least 30% of each of Australia’s land and sea ecosystems

That is why an alliance of environmental organisations are now calling for 1% for nature.

Tell your MP that Australians want a healthier and more sustainable future. Send an email via this link: https://biodiversitycouncil.org.au/take-action/nature-needs-one-percent

Solar Citizens have an email you can send this week to all State and Territory Energy Ministers who are meeting to discuss the fuel crisis.

Let them know this is also a cost of living crisis for people locked out of cheap, clean solar power. You can ask them to:

👉 Table tax law changes to unlock solar for renters at this extraordinary Energy Ministers Meeting (ECMC)

👉 Unlock solar for renters — not just homeowners

👉 Work with the Federal Government to deliver this smart tax law change in the May 12 Budget

For more details and to send the email: https://solarcitizens.good.do/solarforrenters/Energy_Ministers_Solar_for_renters/

You probably saw the post that zero_gravitas put up 3 days ago. Well, in case you didn't read it here's FDotM' cartoon version which you can read quicker. The indignation is the same at the lack of care and responsibility.

My problem with articles like these is that I can point out all the issues:

Charging turns out to be fiddly and time-consuming.

No it's not

There's no tap-and-go option, and I need to scan a QR code, download an app, and set up an account. It takes me another 10 minutes because the verification email never turns up.

Yes the FIRST time, this is like saying an iphone is difficult and time consuming... because you have to set it up first

There's no tap-and-go option

You mean this? https://evie.com.au/autocharge/

Just plug in. No app, no tap.

...

The NRMA recommends charging "to 80 per cent unless more range is absolutely needed" as a courtesy to other drivers.

So what did he do? Like a typical petrol driver he:

But for this experiment, I charge from 46 to 100 per cent. It takes about an hour.

._.

This is the thing, if I know he's done a shit job on something I know about, how badly are they writing about topics I don't know about?

Thanks for nothing

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/36765344

The Albanese government overhauled policy and promised significant pollution cuts – but carbon offsets are still being used as an excuse

Wow, one day we may be able to converse with sperm whales!

The Mountain Pygmy-possum lives only in alpine and subalpine areas on the highest mountains of Victoria and NSW. The total population has grown in the last few years but it is still less than one thousand. Adults average 40g (less than one and a half ounces for US folk) but vary from 30 grams in spring up to 80 grams in autumn when they fatten for winter hibernation. They are our only hibernating marsupial and the only Australian mammal to be entirely restricted to the alpine zone above the winter snowline; it is dependent on the insulation provided by snow for its survival.

You say it looks like a mouse? Well, it's a little larger in size, its tail is part furry and coiled, it has 5 (not 4) front toes, and joined (syndactyl) second and third back toes.

The MPP lives on the ground in rocky areas where boulders have accumulated below mountain peaks. It survives winter by fattening in late summer and autumn and hibernating for up to seven months, from autumn until the snow melts in spring. Seventy percent of the diet is invertebrates such as the migratory Bogong Moth, caterpillars, beetles, spiders and millipedes; the remainder comprises fruits and seeds.

One litter of four young are produced in spring; young are independent by late summer; breeds when one year old; average longevity is two to three years but females may live up to thirteen years and males five years.

This is the latest video I've found of the MPP. There are others but they are older so some of the figures given are not up to date. The video shows that recently MPPs have been studied and bred in a sanctuary with the hope of keeping them from extinction. https://www.msn.com/en-us/video/animals/dozen-critically-endangered-mountain-pygmy-possums-successfully-bred/vi-AA1YOTSn

I wouldn't call the decision incomprehensible. I'd call it irresponsible and ecocidal. 😡

cross-posted from: https://aussie.zone/post/31732255

It looks like OpenStreetMap has them listed as a garden, which I think makes sense: https://www.openstreetmap.org/query?lat=-33.887330&lon=151.199083

An official South Australian estimate says 5.62 billion plastic produce stickers enter the Australian produce supply chain every year. At an average of just 0.02 grams each, that's more than 112 tonnes of stickers annually...

This is symbolic of a much bigger problem: the creeping, insidious nature of plastic pollution and the way responsibility is shifted away from the companies that create it. These stickers suit supermarkets, packers and automated checkout systems. But the cost is pushed onto composters, councils, gardeners, soil and - eventually - our health.

The evidence is strongest on two things. First, these stickers break down into microplastics, which combined with the forever chemicals in their inks, poison our soils, food systems and health. Second, alternatives already exist. Compostable labels made from cellulose, wood pulp and starch-based materials are technically viable. Laser marking can remove the sticker altogether in some cases. What's missing isn't innovation. It's political will.

So here is what should happen. Governments should legislate a rapid transition away from plastic produce stickers and require certified compostable, non-toxic alternatives wherever labels are still needed. And in the meantime, all of us need to do our best to keep these stickers out of compost and FOGO...

As the weekend draws near I hope you find some time to watch this video of a diverse range of Aussie wildlife that enjoy a creek and its surrounds. Animals filmed by a trail camera over one day include platypus, water dragon, wedge-tailed eagle and more. Look at these unique creatures, listen to the sounds of birds and water. Relax...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3l06KAvQvY

Fast fashion’s environmental toll is being addressed head-on by Australia’s first Textile Recovery Facility in Ipswich, Qld, run by Salvos Stores.

It is capable of processing up to 5,000 tonnes of textile waste annually, and it operates with advanced AI and robotics which sort and decontaminate textiles, separate materials and remove zippers and buttons. Resaleable items are sent to Salvos Stores, while non-wearable textiles are channelled into recycling and recovery.

With Australians buying an average of 27 kilograms of clothing each year (😮 😠), let's hope this $4.97 million Queensland Government-backed initiative is replicated all over the country. Surely there must be others. If you know, let us know.

Human-driven threats facing Antarctic wildlife are many, and cumulative. To respond, we need to better protect Antarctic habitat and the species that live there. We need to reduce the interaction of marine species with industrial fishing. And we must improve how we assess current and suspected threats in Antarctica, when there is growing evidence of impacts.

Defining these animals as endangered is a stark reminder of how quickly Antarctica is changing before our eyes. Without a rapid reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and sustained conservation action, these species may be lost forever.