Apr 042014
 

ABC NewsOriginal story by Rachel Carbonell, ABC News 

The Queensland Government is under fire from conservationists over the granting of new land clearing permits in the north of the state.

The Wilderness Society says weakening of vegetation management laws last year has led to large-scale clearing applications.

Campaigner Gavan McFadzean says the biggest example is a permit granted to Strathmore Station, a big cattle station in the gulf savannah country near Georgetown.

Queensland land clearing legislation, the Government says the legislation changes are part of its vision to expand Queensland's agricultural economy. Photo: ABC News

Queensland land clearing legislation, the Government says the legislation changes are part of its vision to expand Queensland’s agricultural economy. Photo: ABC News

“We’ve discovered through a tip-off that [land clearing] is now broadscale and at an alarming rate,” he said.

“One of the biggest examples of that we’ve discovered is in the Gilbert catchment at Strathmore, where an application for 30,000 hectares of clearing – that’s about 134 Brisbane CBDs of clearing – has been granted.”

Mr McFadzean says the legislative amendments are undermining the land clearing legislation introduced in Queensland nearly 20 years ago.

“During the 1980s and 1990s Queensland was clearing at an alarming rate, it was actually an emerging environmental crisis,” he said.

“If Queensland was a country, in the early 90s it would have been one of the worst land clearers in the world, on par with Brazil, the Congo Basin, Borneo and Indonesia.

“It was through the 1996 native Vegetation Act introduced by the Beattie government that land clearing was brought under control.”

Queensland Minister for Natural Resources and Mines Andrew Cripps says the legislation changes are part of the Government’s vision to expand the state’s agricultural economy.

“What the amendments to the vegetation framework that the Queensland Parliament passed last year are doing is providing opportunities for the sustainable expansion of agriculture in Queensland,” he said.

“The Queensland Government went to the last state election with a commitment to build a four pillar economy here in this state and that included agriculture, and we’re changing the regulatory environment to provide for those opportunities.”

Mr Cripps says it is this kind of agricultural development the Queensland Government is keen to support.

“I think the opportunities for Strathmore Station to undertake an expansion of their existing grazing enterprise by taking into account some cropping agriculture on their property, is a great example of the opportunity that the Queensland Government is providing to grow sustainable communities in Cape York Peninsula,” he said.

“Strathmore Station is in fact growing sorghum at the moment under the high value agriculture framework to improve the sustainability of the existing grazing operations, and I think that is going to be a tremendous thing for communities in Cape York Peninsula.”

Land clearing will create opportunities, says station owner

Strathmore Station owner Scott Harris says his permit to clear 28,000 hectares is aimed at improving the environmental health of the land, as well as making it more productive.

He says it will be done in an environmentally sensitive manner.

“The environmental aspects of Strathmore Station, the land there, historically has been very degraded,” he said.

“It is chock-a-block full of weeds, rubber vine, there’s feral animals there.

“This is more about not clearing pristine wilderness that everyone thinks this is about, trying to return the environment back to somewhere like before white man settled there.”

Mr Harris says the application is part of a plan to expand his operation, that will create up to 200 jobs, and economic opportunities for others in the region, including Indigenous communities further north.

“With it there is a big opportunity for the landholders in Cape York to be able to become a person that can purchase cattle, which is a great help to the Indigenous communities up there, because at the moment they’re quite hamstrung in the respect that they’ve got nowhere to sell their cattle.”

But Mr McFadzean questions the economic argument behind the proposal.

“The so-called high value agriculture that’s allowed at Strathmore is for fodder cropping which even the CSIRO has stated, earlier this year in its report, would only be viable in two to three years out of every 10,” he said.

“So if the bar is set so low for high value agriculture agriculture in Queensland, we’re very concerned that rampant land clearing will return to this state.”

He says there is no public scrutiny of permit applications or approvals.

“We fall on those incidents of land clearing by accident but god only knows how much land clearing is happening in Queensland, and at an increasing rate, and that’s what we’re extremely concerned about.”

The Queensland Government says all applications for land clearing must meet strict environmental and economic criteria.

Apr 022014
 
Back From the Brink: Issue 6Back from the brink is a periodical publication produced by EHP’s (the Department of Environment and Heitage Protection) Threatened Species Unit.

The publication provides information about what is happening in threatened species recovery around Queensland.

In this issue

  • Concern for Raine Island turtles
  • Counting koalas and creating habitat in South East Queensland
  • Family fun day at Daisy Hill
  • Woongarra Coast turtle conservation work
  • Keeping track of flatback turtles
  • Spring has sprung: launch of a new species database
  • Summer loving: monitoring little tern breeding success
  • Science or Art? A jump in the mistfrog population
  • Find your calling: the search for the rufous scrub-bird
  • Forestry and threatened species: guiding practices for species conservation

 

Apr 022014
 

ABC NewsOriginal story by Emilie Gramenz, ABC News

The Queensland Government says it is considering building up to eight new dams in the south-east.
Water pours from a floodgate at Wivenhoe Dam after the 2011 flood. Photo: Kerrin Binnie/ABC News

Water pours from a floodgate at Wivenhoe Dam after the 2011 flood. Photo: Kerrin Binnie/ABC News

The State Government’s flood plan was yesterday opened to public comment and proposes earlier water releases from Wivenhoe Dam, north-west of Brisbane, during major flood events.

Premier Campbell Newman is expected to announce further details of proposed new dam sites today.

Transport Minister Scott Emerson says the State Government is also investigating raising the Wivenhoe Dam wall by up to eight metres.

“It will be flooded in the future, but if we look at ways and means to mitigate the amount of flooding that will occur, we want to do that,” he said.

“What the Premier will be discussing today will be ways we can possibly do that, including changes to Wivenhoe and changing the walls at Wivenhoe.”

Mr Emerson says the Government is focused on preventing a repeat of the destruction of the 2011 floods.

“We’ll be going out there, making an announcement today and detailing it to the public, and getting their feedback,” he said.

“The announcement comes after the Government’s flood plan was yesterday opened to public comment.

“It proposes earlier water releases from Wivenhoe Dam during major flood events.”

Apr 012014
 

Original story by Emilie Gramenz, ABC News

A new flood plan for Brisbane may allow six bridges in south-east Queensland to be flooded by faster releases of water from Wivenhoe Dam during major rain events.

Wivenhoe Dam spillway, previously dam operators had to consider the six bridges before releasing water from Wivenhoe Dam. Photo: Giulio Saggin/ABC News

Wivenhoe Dam spillway, previously dam operators had to consider the six bridges before releasing water from Wivenhoe Dam. Photo: Giulio Saggin/ABC News

The plan includes the proposal to release millions of litres of water earlier from the dam, north-west of Brisbane.

Under the proposal, bridges at Mt Crosby weir, Colleges Crossing and Savages Crossing, as well as the Burton, Kholo and Twin bridges, west of Brisbane, would be allowed to flood faster and more often as millions of litres of water was released from Wivenhoe Dam.

Previously, dam operators had to consider the six bridges before releasing water from Wivenhoe.

Queensland Water Minister Mark McArdle says the move could prevent catastrophic flood events like the one in 2011.

“The bridges that normally go out will go out earlier and more frequent,” he said.

“The trade-off is from that better flood mitigation and maybe hundreds of thousands of buildings saved in the Brisbane region by doing so.

“We understand quite clearly the concern people will have, but at the other end of the spectrum we need to protect property and protect lives as well, and the trade-off here we believe is worthwhile looking at.”

Premier Campbell Newman says the plan will prevent heartbreak.

Mr Newman says the Government is determined to better manage future floods

“This strategy is designed to avoid a mass release of water as occurred during the 2011 flood event, to save businesses and homes from a repeat of the heartbreak,” he said.

Flooded Colleges Crossing in Brisbane's west on November 20, 2008. Photo: ABC TV News

Flooded Colleges Crossing in Brisbane’s west on November 20, 2008. Photo: ABC TV News

South-east Queensland councils have cautiously welcomed the plan.

The Ipswich City Council is calling on the State Government to allocate funds to flood-proof Colleges Crossing bridge.

Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale says many of the bridges, including Colleges Crossing, need urgent attention.

“It’s too low, it needs to be raised,” he said.

“This is a good start – at least we know what we’re going to do – now let’s fix the bridge.

“They’ve got to start lifting the height of it, that way we’re not dependent on Colleges Crossing and it won’t inconvenience people.”

The Somerset Regional Council has welcomed the plan even though it will flood several bridges.

Somerset Mayor Graeme Lehmann says the Council will not be pushing for compensation if the plan is enacted.

“We could always say that we want those bridges lifted above the flood level but the cost of doing that would be absolutely astronomical,” he said.

“I think people understand – nobody wants to see houses and businesses flooded – an early release of the dam will help.”

Councillor Lehmann says flooding the bridges is a necessary inconvenience.

“When those bridges are going to get taken out, have a contingency plan for the people who live on the other side of those bridges,” he said.

Mr McArdle says flood mitigation funds may be made available in the future.

“We are certainly looking at what we can in regard to those bridges,” he said.

The State Government’s flood plan is now open to public comment.

Mar 302014
 

Original story by Matt Osley, Queensland Times

WITH all the rain about, many anglers think their fishing opportunities go down the drain. That is not the case and in some circumstances the fishing can actually improve.
PRIZE CATCH: Kyle Fletcher took out the mangrove jack competition last weekend at the Gold Coast with this cracker 59.5cm fish. It was caught on a surface lure.

PRIZE CATCH: Kyle Fletcher took out the mangrove jack competition last weekend at the Gold Coast with this cracker 59.5cm fish. It was caught on a surface lure.

The mouths of rivers are a great place to start.

Fresh water pushing down the rivers and meeting the salt water can create a dirty water line.

This dirty water line is a favourite attraction for large jewfish, flathead, estuary cod and threadfin salmon.

These fish can be targeted in a similar way to each other.

Local live bait is the best. However, if you can’t catch or net your own, try freshly defrosted pilchards, squid or large endeavour prawns.

Try to use little weight as you want the bait to move around a little in the current to help in the presentation.

A run-out tide is the best after a lot of rain as it concentrates the baitfish a little more.

Lures can also work and vertical presentations like Jackall Transams and heavily rigged paddle tails like the Norries Spoon tail or Keitech Fat Impact are great for this situation.

Simply drop the lure to the bottom and slowly work the lure back to the boat.

Allow plenty of pauses to keep the lure in the strike zone.

In the fresh, many of the dams and rivers actually fish much better after an influx of water.

As the rivers rise with the incoming water, the bass and other predatory fish make the most of this and begin to hunt in the shallows for stranded insects, frogs and other food items.

Small surface poppers can be great early in the day with shallow divers coming in when the surface strikes quieten down.

In these shallow waters, bass will often take baits of live worms or shrimp.

If you want to try your hand at luring, try the Megabass Dog-X and Type-X or the Luckycraft Sammy 65. These are great lures and replicate a host of different prey items.

Another great place to try would be Hinze or Maroon dams.

Both of these dams respond well to the rain, and fish particularly well early in the morning with surface lures the same as you would use in the rivers being the common theme.

Focus your attention around the edge of these dams as the fish will move into the shallows to take advantage of freshly flooded grasses and all the prey.

Mar 272014
 

News release from Queen’s University, Belfast

Queen's University, Belfast

One of the most serious threats to global biodiversity and the leisure and tourism industries is set to increase with climate change according to new research by Queen’s University Belfast.

Researchers at Queen’s have found that certain invasive weeds, which have previously been killed off by low winter temperatures, are set to thrive as global temperatures increase.

The team based at Quercus, Northern Ireland’s centre for biodiversity and conservation science research, predicts that invasive waterweeds will become more widespread over the next 70 years.

Floating pennywort - Comber. Photo: John Early

Floating pennywort – Comber. Photo: John Early

The researchers say that additional management and legislation will be required if we are to stop the spread of these pest species.

Four species in particular could establish in areas on average 38 per cent larger than previously thought due to projected climatic warming. The water fern, parrot’s feather, leafy elodea and the water primrose, are already highly problematic throughout warmer parts of Europe. Invasive species are considered to be one of the most serious threats to global biodiversity, along with climate change, habitat loss and nutrient addition.

The estimated annual cost of invasive species (plants and animals) to the UK economy is £1.8 billion, with £57 million of impact on waterways including boating, angling and waterway management.

Funded by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), the research has been published in the journal Diversity and Distributions. It looked at the global distributions of 15 invasive plant species over a 69 year period.

Dr Ruth Kelly, from the School of Biological Sciences at Queen’s, who led the study, said: “Traditionally upland areas have been protected by low winter temperatures which kill off these invading weeds. Now these are likely to become increasingly vulnerable to colonisation.

“On the island of Ireland currently about six per cent of the island is unsuitable for these invasive species but we think this will drop to less than one per cent by 2080. This type of research from Queen’s is an example of how we are creating a more sustainable future and shows how monitoring the impact climate change is having is important for many reasons. This project will allow the NIEA and other agencies to begin their planning on how to address future issues and ensure our waterways remain a valuable economic and recreational resource.”

Dr Kelly added: “It’s not all bad news, however, as our most common invasive waterweed, the Canadian pondweed, is likely to become less vigorous perhaps allowing space for restoration of waterways and native plant communities.”

Dr Michael Meharg, from the NIEA, said: “Invasive waterweeds can be a major problem in lakes and rivers throughout Britain and Ireland. Such plants are fast growing and often form dense mats of vegetation which may block waterways and cause problems for boating and fishing, and, therefore, to the leisure and tourism industries. Dr Kelly’s research is crucial in planning for the future as we know invasive waterweeds will also out-compete native aquatic plants species and alter habitats for insects and fish.”

The full research paper is available here:

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ddi.12194/abstract

Mar 262014
 

Original story by Matthew Cusack, Echo Net Daily

Students from Ocean Shores Public School are excited about the launch of a Wetland Discovery Teaching Kit based around their school’s wetland trail, which is home to the critically endangered Mitchell’s Rainforest Snail.

A live Mitchell’s snail was recently discovered at the school’s wetland trail and the launch will be attended by Dr Jonathan Parkyn, snail expert from Southern Cross University, who will be delivering a presentation on the conservation, ecology, and habitat of these rainforest critters.

“Mitch” (Thersites mitchellae) at home in the Ocean Shores Public School wetland. Photo: Simone Haigh

Finding some more snails at school would be ‘really good, because there aren’t many left,’ said school vice-captain Oliver Cronin.

The discovery of a live Mitchell’s Rainforest Snail is significant because it is one of an estimated 500 remaining adult snails, which are primarily threatened by loss of habitat from land clearing and the expansion of urban areas.

They enjoy areas with palm and fig trees in the low-lying rainforests and swamplands of the north coast; however, their range has now diminished to a meagre 5km².

The snails in question are larger than the garden variety – around 5cm across the shell – and their shells are also more conical than those of regular snails.

Ocean Shores Public School boasts an ecologically significant wetland area backing onto a dedicated nature reserve but the wetland trail, which was initially constructed in 1994, had become overgrown and inaccessible over time.

In 2009 the school decided to make restoration of the wetlands trail a priority and teamed up with WetlandCare Australia, which helped with the removal of invasive weed species, planting, building up the path and removing the school’s back fence for effortless access to the area by wildlife, among other improvements.

Then in 2011 Ocean Shores Public School won an Impact Award of $50,000 for their community partnerships from the NAB Schools First awards program, which rewards improved outcomes for students through school-community joint ventures.

Ocean Shores Public School brings a strong environmental focus to education and has established partnerships with WetlandCare Australia, Bird Buddies, DuneCare, community gardens, Southern Cross University, local farmer markets, Byron Shire Council, and Agtrix, a Billinudgel-based company for agricultural and environmental monitoring systems.

Ocean Shores Public School students enjoying the school's rejuvenated wetland

Ocean Shores Public School students enjoying the school’s rejuvenated wetland

The wetland trail was further improved with the addition of learning stations and a bush-foods area.

Nesting boxes now have cameras networked to classrooms so children can see up close some of the animals that make their school home, including squirrel gliders and numerous bird species.

School Captain Maia Shaw said, ‘the wetland trail is really important because it helps us learn about the environment and conservation’.

The teaching kit launch will be held at the school on Friday (March 28) from 10am to 1pm and members of the public are welcome to attend.

Hopefully with potential eco-experts such as the students at Ocean Shores Public School on the case, creatures such as the Mitchell’s Rainforest Snail will still be around for future generations to enjoy.

Mar 262014
 

The ConversationBy Ove Hoegh-Guldberg at The Conversation

Scientists are meeting this week in Yokohama, Japan, to finalise and approve the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Working Group II – the part of the IPCC process that seeks consensus on the likely impacts of climate change, as well as how it might change the vulnerability of people and ecosystems, and how the world might seek to adapt to the changes.
Rousing the Kraken: climate change could make life in the ocean much harder. Image: Mary Evans Picture Library/Alamy/Wikimedia Commons

Rousing the Kraken: climate change could make life in the ocean much harder. Image: Mary Evans Picture Library/Alamy/Wikimedia Commons

The oceans are a new focus of this latest round of IPCC assessment, and while one cannot preempt the report to be delivered next week, there are likely to be some important ramifications for our ability to deal with the growing impacts from non-climate-related stresses such as overfishing, pollution, and habitat destruction, as well as ocean warming and acidification.

To put it simply, a failure to deal with our changing climate will make it far more difficult to deal with the many other threats already faced by our oceans.

If you’ll pardon the pun, the ocean is in deep trouble, and that trouble will only get deeper if we don’t deal decisively with the problem of climate change.

Ecosystems already under stress

I am deeply concerned about the state of the world’s oceans, as I believe we all should be. The argument is pretty simple. Human activities are increasingly affecting the oceans, which are the cornerstone of life on our planet. These impacts are causing the decline of many ecosystems and fisheries. As a result, the risks to people and communities are rapidly expanding.

Throw in ocean warming and acidification, and you have many scientists predicting the dangerous and unprecedented decline of ocean processes and ecosystems.

Not only is this decline tangible and measurable, but models (from simple to advanced) show future projections of sea temperature rising above the known tolerance of many organisms and ecosystems.

The pace of this change now has many world leaders concerned about the future of the world’s oceans and their dependent people and businesses. This is led to an increasing number of past and future conferences focusing on how we can tackle the scale and rate at which marine ecosystems and resources are deteriorating and changing.

This concern has led to commitments such as the Global Partnership for Oceans. In a dramatic 2012 speech, outgoing World Bank President Robert Zoellick positioned the partnership to galvanise resources and take real action on reversing the decline of the world’s oceans. Soon afterwards, the partnership – which involves more than 150 governments, companies, universities and non-government organisations – declared a set of objectives to meet by 2022, including to:

  • Halve the current rate of natural habitat loss, while increasing conservation areas to include 10% of coastal and marine areas;
  • Reduce pollution and litter to levels that do not harm ecosystems;
  • Increase global food fish production from both sustainable aquaculture and sustainable wild-caught fisheries.

This sounds like a tall order. However, under a stable climate, I have few doubts that we could come close to achieving these broad objectives. It might take some time, but I think we would get close.

Unfortunately though, we are not in a stable climate.

Climate poses an extra layer of threat

Over the past 50 years, increasing amounts of energy and carbon dioxide have been flooding into the ocean through the burning of fossil fuels and changes to land use. Initially, the ocean was fairly inert to these changes because of its large volume and thermal mass.

However, just like the eponymous monster in John Wyndham’s apocalyptic novel The Kraken Wakes, the ocean is now stirring and big changes are beginning to happen. Ocean temperatures and acidity are increasing in lockstep with average global temperature and atmospheric carbon dioxide content. Many of these changes are unprecedented in 65 million years.

While some changes, such as the extent of mixing of heat into the deep ocean, have been relatively unexpected, the energy content of the ocean has been increasing steadily. In reality, the widely proclaimed “hiatus” in surface warming simply represents heat being driven into the oceans.

Heat content of the ocean, atmosphere and land since 1960. Figure 1 Church et al. Geophys. Res. Lett. (2011)

Heat content of the ocean, atmosphere and land since 1960. Figure 1 Church et al. Geophys. Res. Lett. (2011)

The problem with climate change in the context of dealing with the growing threats from overfishing, pollution and habitat destruction is that the goalposts are constantly shifting. If we continue to push sea temperature upward by 0.1-0.2C per decade, we begin to shift species, and hence fisheries – some are already moving at up to 200 km per decade. Trying to manage a fishery or protect an ecosystem, when the best conditions for the organisms involved are moving polewards at such a rate, may well become impossible in many circumstances.

Future goals

This means that if the Global Partnership for Oceans is to meet its ambitious goals, we must deal decisively with the problem of emissions from the burning of fossil fuels and land-use change.

If we don’t, then with all due respect to the partnership’s efforts, we are set to waste billions of dollars trying to address problems that will only get swamped by a fast-changing climate.

As outlined in last September’s IPCC Working Group I Report, stabilising the climate will require world carbon dioxide emissions to be brought onto a trajectory far below what governments and companies are set to emit over the next 20 years if business is allowed to continue as usual.

A lack of such decisive action will indeed wake the Kraken – committing us to ocean, and indeed planetary, impacts that are likely to last for many thousands of years.

The Conversation

Ove Hoegh-Guldberg receives funding from the Australian Research Council and carries out research on coral reefs and the impacts of climate change. He is affiliated with the University of Queensland, AIMS, Stanford University and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation. He is a Coordinating Lead Author for the AR5 of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

This article was originally published on The Conversation.
Read the original article.

Mar 242014
 

Original story by Jeanavive McGregor and Jake Sturmer, ABC News

The latest United Nations report card on the impacts of climate change predicts Australia will continue to get hotter.

Sunset over Adelaide. Scientists believe the world is still on track to become more than two degrees Celsius warmer. Photo: Ching-Ling Lim

Sunset over Adelaide. Scientists believe the world is still on track to become more than two degrees Celsius warmer. Photo: Ching-Ling Lim

The ABC has obtained drafts of the report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Scientists believe the world is still on track to become more than two degrees Celsius warmer – and that potentially means whole ecosystems could be wiped out.

Chapter 25 of the IPCC’s report has identified eight potential risks for Australia:

  • The possibility of widespread and permanent damage to coral reef systems – particularly the Great Barrier Reef and Ningaloo in Western Australia.
  • Some native species could be wiped out.
  • The chance of more frequent flooding causing damage to key infrastructure.
  • In some areas, unprecedented rising sea levels could inundate low-lying areas.
  • While in others, bushfires could result in significant economic losses.
  • More frequent heatwaves and temperatures may lead to increased morbidity – especially among the elderly.
  • And those same rising temperatures could put constraints on water resources.
  • Farmers also could face significant drops in agriculture – especially in the Murray-Darling Basin.

Worst-case scenario could see 40 per cent drop in production

The report said the worst-case scenario for the Murray-Darling Basin, south-east and south-west Australia would mean a significant drop in agricultural production.

The rigorous report process

The upcoming report includes 310 lead authors from 73 different nationalities.

Australian scientists are heavily involved as authors and reviewers of the Working Group reports.

Lesley Hughes, the lead author of the paper on Australasia, says Australia “punches above its weight”.

“We are disproportionately a larger group than you might otherwise think based on our population in the IPCC authorship team,” she said.

“We have a lot of scientists working on climate change issues and that is because we see Australia as being particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.”

The reports take up to five years to produce, undergoing a rigorous review process.

For example, 48,000 review comments were received on the upcoming report.

Professor Hughes says the process is not really a matter of achieving consensus, but rather is about evaluating the evidence.

The Australasia chapter alone has 1,000 references.

“They are certainly the largest reports ever produced on climate change and its associated risks but I think probably some of the most careful documents put together anywhere,” she said.

“I rather naively thought that eight people and 25 pages to write, how long can it possibly take to write three-and-a-bit pages?

“The answer to that is about three years. There is much discussion about the weight of evidence so it’s a very long, detailed and careful process.”

CSIRO chief research scientist Mark Howden said the latest science predicts production could drop by up to 40 per cent under a severe drying scenario.

“At current rates of emissions, we are likely to go past two degrees,” Dr Howden said.

“There are various analyses that indicate it’s highly unlikely that we’ll stay below two degrees in the absence of major activities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“The longer we delay activities to reduce those … emissions, the more likely it is we’re going to go above two degrees.

“Higher degrees of temperature change also carry with them higher degrees of rainfall change, both in terms of their average rainfall and likely increases in rainfall intensity.

“Both of those have implications for agriculture and both of those aren’t necessarily good.”

Despite forecasts of less rain and hotter temperatures, irrigators maintain they have a central role to play in the nation’s future.

“That is why you have irrigation. It evens out those severe weather events such as a drier climate,” National Irrigators Council chief executive officer Tom Chesson said.

“People forget that Australia is so far ahead when it comes to water management. We are the cutting edge of water management in the world.

“It would be a [mistake] to think that we have been sitting on our hands and doing nothing. Necessity is the mother of all invention.”

Concerns about future of coral reefs

The final draft of the Australasia chapter raises serious concerns about the future of the the nation’s coral, finding there is likely to be “significant change in community composition and structure of coral reef systems in Australia”.

University of Queensland marine scientist Ove Hoegh-Guldberg says there are already concerns about the rate of change.

“We’re seeing changes which haven’t been seen since the dinosaurs,” Professor Hoegh-Guldberg said.

“If we continue on this pathway, corals continue to plummet and places like the Great Barrier Reef may no longer be great.

“If we keep on doing on what we’re doing – and that’s ramping up local and global stressors – coral reefs will disappear by the middle of this century or be in very low amounts on reefs around the world.”

Ocean temperatures continue to rise

Three years ago during a plenary session in Venice, the member nations of the IPCC resolved for the first time to include a separate chapter on oceans for the Working Group II report.

Oceans cover 71 per cent of the planet’s surface and changes to the ocean’s environment are playing a central role in the management of climate change.

Scientists agree that the ocean’s surface temperatures have continued to increase throughout the 20th century and into the 21st.

IPCC drafts indicate the Indian, Atlantic and Pacific oceans have warmed by as much as half a degree, which has profoundly altered marine ecosystems.

Rising water temperatures and some levels of ocean acidification mean species are on the move.

Changed migratory patterns of fish and other catch pose significant risks to commercial fishers and other coastal activities.

Sea urchins once found only as far south as New South Wales have made their way to Tasmania.

The CSIRO’s Elvira Poloczanska said the urchins could destroy kelp forests, which had flow-on effects for rock lobsters.

“Kelp forests, much like forests on land, provide a habitat for a huge number of species,” Dr Poloczanska said.

“So a number of fish, vertebrates – including commercial species such as the rock lobster.

“As the forests disappear, so these species will disappear from the particular area as well.”

But interestingly, scientists do see some benefits and opportunities for some commercial fishing and other aquaculture industries in line with these changing patterns.

Despite progress being made on mitigation and adaptation measures, land management practices including pollution, nutrient run-off and overuse of marine resources also pose risks to marine life.

The report calls for internationally recognised guidelines to assist adaptation strategies already in place.

The report is due to be released on March 31.

Mar 202014
 

News release from Fisheries Queensland

The illegal destruction of mangroves on the foreshore at Lota on Brisbane’s southside is likely to have impacts on local fish and crab populations.

Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol district manager Brett Depper said recent reports of deliberate poisoning and cutting of mangroves at Lota were being investigated.

“Several mangroves on the seaward edge of this community have evidence of die back,” Mr Depper said.

“We are urging anyone with information to contact the Fishwatch hotline on 1800 017 116.”

Mr Depper said that this is not the first time this type of mangrove destruction has happened in the area.

“This is an ongoing problem and it is obvious that whoever is responsible for killing these plants has no respect for this vital community resource and no idea of the mangroves’ value to the local environment,” he said.

“If mangroves continue to be needlessly destroyed there will certainly be significant impacts on the precious resources of Moreton Bay.

“Any loss of mangroves like these will have a flow-on effect to the fish and crab populations they support.

“Healthy tidal fish habitats are not only important to the animals that live in or migrate through the bay, they also support important community activities such as fishing and help protect from erosion.”

Mr Depper said anyone caught destroying mangroves or marine plants will face heavy fines.

“Fines of up to $330,000 can be imposed for the destruction of marine plants,” he said.

“Marine plants including all mangroves, seagrass and saltmarsh species are protected by the Queensland Fisheries Act 1994 and prior approval is required for any works or activities that could disturb, destroy or damage them.

“This protection applies to all marine plants on private, leasehold and public lands and it doesn’t matter if these plants are deemed to be alive or dead.”

For more information on mangroves, visit www.fisheries.qld.gov.au or call 13 25 23. Follow Fisheries Queensland on Facebook and Twitter (@FisheriesQld).