Browsing Tag
wetlands
3 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…
Scientists despair as farmers clear nature hot spot
A globally significant savanna that supports an array of threatened species is being cleared for agriculture without any scrutiny under environmental laws, scientists say. There's rising alarm about the extent of unchecked land clearing in the Northern Territory's tropical savannas, south of Darwin. Conservationists used a webinar attended by federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek on Wednesday to implore her to stop "rampant clearing" that's putting an untold number of species at risk. That includes in the territory's savannas - one of the world's last extensive, largely intact natural landscapes that support an extraordinary mix of plant and animal species found…
Buffalo culling could become new carbon credit goldmine
Feral water buffaloes emit greenhouse gases and destroy native wetlands, but that could all change if managing the invasive species was included in carbon offset programs. Researchers at Charles Darwin University have calculated that taking charge of water buffalo populations could generate millions of dollars in carbon credits, while reducing their environmental impact. "We looked at how feral animal control programs could impact future populations and what that means for methane emissions over the next 20 years," said Hugh Davies, lead author on the study and a researcher specialising in mammal ecology at the university. Reducing water buffalo numbers is…