Browsing Tag
nature
4 posts
Explosion in croc numbers triggers feral feast fallout
Northern Australia's massive crocodile population is munching its way through huge numbers of feral pigs, with the apex predator's changing diet having a significant impact on the environment. Since they were protected in 1971, croc numbers in the Top End have exploded 25-fold from one every five kilometres of river to more than five per kilometre. In terms of biomass, or the collective bulk, of the largest and some would argue most misunderstood reptile on the planet, that represents a whopping increase from less than 10kg per kilometre to 400kg. Researchers have studied data from eight Northern Territory river systems…
‘Armageddon’: the cultural cost of disturbing Gunlom
It is said Bula sleeps at Gunlom Falls, at the base of sickness country; a spirit so powerful the Jawoyn people liken it to Armageddon. Until 2019, thousands of tourists traipsed through the culturally significant site in Kakadu National Park known as Gunlom Falls, many trying to get Instagram selfies at the famous waterfalls featured in the 1986 cult-classic Crocodile Dundee. But the significance of this place predates the film. It is a gathering place, a ceremony place, and "a special place", according to Bolmo traditional owner Rachael Willika. For years, traditional owners and Parks Australia have been locked in…
Fears land clearing will lead to tree mammal extinction
Land clearing is leading to tree mammal numbers declining in northern Australia as researchers fear it could end in extinction. A study deployed 187 nest boxes in trees in Garig Gunal Barlu National Park in the Northern Territory to see whether the number of hollows was contributing to a decline in mammals that use the habitats. It found 67 per cent of the nest boxes were used by tree mammals at least once. The replacement for natural tree hollows was used primarily by brush-tailed rabbit rats followed by savanna gliders, black-footed tree rats, fawn antechinus and northern brushtail possums. "This…
Cross-cultural map is as functional as it is beautiful
It looks like something that might adorn the walls of the National Gallery. Like an oversized piece of art, with echoes of Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri's exquisite dot paintings and John Olsen's fluid landscapes. But the work that's emerging on a large expanse of canvas is a cross-cultural map that is as functional as it is beautiful. And while it's far from finished, it's already aiding landscape management efforts on traditional lands in the Northern Territory desert. The Ngalurrtju Aboriginal Land Trust is a 323,128 hectares tract of land on the edge of the Tanami Desert that abuts the Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary, managed by the…