More habitat has been given up legally in 2025 so far than any other year since the animals were listed as threatened, analysis shows
Loss of koala habitat shows ‘total failure’ of nature laws, conservationists say
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More clearing of koala habitat has been approved under Australia’s nature laws in 2025 so far than in any other year since the marsupial was listed as a threatened species, according to an analysis by the Australian Conservation Foundation.
The destruction of 3,958 ha of bush approved across eight projects, including a coal mine in Queensland, equates to about four Sydney airports’ worth of clearing.
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
09/06/2025 - 15:00
09/06/2025 - 15:00
Samuel McLennan has spent two years salvaging fish farm waste and other marine debris from Tasmanian shores for his oceangoing vessel. McLennan's boat, which he named Heart, has slowly made its way across the Bass Strait to Victoria. Otis Filley joined McLennan aboard for part of the journey
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09/06/2025 - 15:00
Minns government to create one of the largest national parks in the state as forest advocates welcome ‘historic’ victory
Loss of koala habitat shows ‘total failure’ of nature laws, conservationists say
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The Minns government has confirmed its long-awaited great koala national park, announcing it will add 176,000 hectares of forest to existing reserves in mid-north New South Wales to create one of the largest national parks in the state and protect more than 12,000 koalas.
The premier, Chris Minns, and environment minister, Penny Sharpe, said the government would put an immediate moratorium on logging within the park’s boundaries and roll out a jobkeeper style support package for workers at affected timber mills in the region.
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09/06/2025 - 10:00
After a years-long battle, organic dairy ranches are being expelled from Point Reyes national seashore to revitalize the ecosystem
Rodd Kelsey gazed out on the golden slopes of Point Reyes national seashore sweeping down to the rugged California coastline, pointing to the patches laden with invasive stalks of prickly thistle and browning sod. These are some of the hallmarks of the region’s recent history, he said – but they also showcase the opportunities for its future.
A new chapter is unfolding on the striking landscape located some 70 miles (113km) north of San Francisco. The unique patchwork of wild and pastoral ranges operated by the National Park Service (NPS) has spent decades mired in battles between local ranchers operating on the lands and environmentalists who see their presence as a blight.
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09/06/2025 - 08:00
Livestream of voyage to bottom of one of country’s deepest lakes draws thousands – but no sign of Tahoe Tessie yet
The cobalt waters of Lake Tahoe have long captivated the public, helping drive the area’s massive tourism industry and even attracting urban legends about what lies in the cold, shadowy depths.
Theories have ranged from an aquatic creature named Tessie to perfectly preserved bodies dumped by the mafia decades ago.
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09/06/2025 - 07:00
These wildfires tend to burn in more remote areas and grow larger faster, posing a higher risk to public safety and health
The climate crisis will continue making lightning-sparked wildfires more frequent for decades to come, which could produce cascading effects and worsen public safety and public health, experts and new research suggest.
Lightning-caused fires tend to burn in more remote areas and therefore usually grow into larger fires than human-caused fires. That means a trend toward more lightning-caused fires is also probably making wildfires more deadly by producing more wildfire smoke and helping to drive a surge in air quality issues from coast to coast, especially over the past several years.
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09/05/2025 - 23:00
Flooding in northern India and Pakistan has destroyed homes – and hundreds of thousands of acres of crops
For days, farmers in the Indian state of Punjab watched the pounding monsoon rains fall and the rivers rise with mounting apprehension. By Wednesday, many woke to find their fears realised as the worst floods in more than three decades ravaged their farms and decimated their livelihoods.
Hundreds of thousands of acres of bright green rice paddies – due to be harvested imminently – as well as crops of cotton and sugar cane were left destroyed as they became fully submerged in more than five feet of muddy brown flood waters. The bodies of drowned cattle littered the ground.
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09/05/2025 - 20:35
Beaches from Manly to Narrabeen closed after death of 57-year-old who leaves behind wife and child
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A man has died near Dee Why on Sydney’s northern beaches after being bitten by what is believed to be a large shark, in what police have called “a great tragedy”.
Shortly after 10am on Saturday, New South Wales emergency services were called to Long Reef beach following reports a man had suffered critical injuries.
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09/05/2025 - 12:12
Scientists found that Red Sea corals can endure warming seas but grow much smaller and weaken under long-term heat stress. Though recovery is possible in cooler months, rising global temperatures may outpace their resilience, endangering reefs and the people who depend on them.
09/05/2025 - 11:40
Maureen Gilbert, 83, was discovered drowned in her home after river in Chesterfield overflowed
The son of an 83-year-old woman who died during Storm Babet has called for more money to be invested in protecting homes from flooding.
An inquest at Chesterfield coroner’s court heard on Friday that Maureen Gilbert drowned in her home in Chesterfield after the River Rother overflowed on 21 October 2023 during the storm.
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