Sailshel

Is eating farmed salmon worth snuffing out 40m years of Tasmanian evolution? | Tim Flannery Without the strongest conservation efforts, it can’t be long before the Maugean skate – and other marine living fossils in Australia – are wiped out * Explore the series – Last chance: the extinction crisis being ignored this election Australia is justly famous as a place where ancient species, long extinct elsewhere, live on. After aeons of adversity, Australia’s living fossils often survive only in protected habitats: the Wollemi, Huon and King Billy pines, the Queensland lungfish and even the Tasmanian devil (which thrived on the mainland at the same time as the Egyptians were building the pyramids) are good examples. Such species are a source of wonder for anyone interested in the living world and they should serve as a source of hope that, given half a chance, even ancient, slow-changing species can survive periods of dramatic climate change. Australia’s largest repository of living fossils is arguably the cool, shallow marine waters off its southern coastline. Despite that fact that most of us enjoy a swim, snorkel or walk on the beach, the biological importance of our shallow temperate seas is almost entirely unrecognised. Continue reading...

Is eating farmed salmon worth snuffing out 40m years of Tasmanian evolution? | Tim Flannery

White bellied sea eagles (Haliaeetus leucogaster)
#nature #birds #Australia

Rainbow lorikeet (Trichoglossus moluccanus).
#nature #birds #biodiversity #Australia

Humpback whale song and human language are more similar than you might think. Here’s why Researchers have found a pattern indicating certain ‘words’ are used more often than others – but humans won’t be speaking whale any time soon * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Humpback whale song is structured in a…

Humpback whale song and human language are more similar than you might think. Here’s why

‘Serious concerns’: national assessment reveals rivers flowing into the Great Barrier Reef are getting more polluted

A new study of water quality in Australian rivers reveals surprising changes since the turn of the century: good for the Murray-Darling Basin but bad for the reef.

DNA of rare mussels found in River Seine raises hopes Paris clean-up is working Scientists taking samples from city’s river did not expect to find presence of under-threat molluscs

Here's today's #OceanOptimism #EarthOptimism - or, I suppose river optimism.

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/f...

USAID is a massive funder of global biodiversity conservation

Shutting it down will accelerate the extinction of endangered species and the collapse of our life support systems

Reflections on today’s beach walk.
#nature #beach #photography #clouds #Australia

Climate Change and Our Regions Future, With Joelle Gergis. Hosted By Bangalow CWA Join Dr. Joëlle Gergis, IPCC climate scientist, for a conversation on climate change, resilience, and the future of our region. Free event, limited seats!

Northern Rivers locals! I'll be speaking in Bangalow next week about climate change and our region's future. Tickets are free, but seats are limited: events.humanitix.com/climate-chan...

Keep this message on loop until the USAID mess is solved!

That first glimpse of the water on an early morning walk ❤️
#happyplace #nature #ocean #beach #Australia

Disappointing to find this balloon (and the remnant of another) on the beach this morning. Also picked up 3 bait packets and various other plastic wrappers.
#marinedebris #beachwalk #balloons #Australia

Leaders in the Pacific raise alarm over ‘direct impact’ of Trump’s climate retreat and aid freeze Samoa’s prime minister says US withdrawal from Paris climate agreement is ‘very disappointing’ and puts the survival of Pacific countries at greater risk Leaders and environmental advocates in the Pacific have expressed alarm over Donald Trump’s decision…

Leaders in the Pacific raise alarm over ‘direct impact’ of Trump’s climate retreat and aid freeze

Congratulations Lisa Blair!
Australian multi record-breaking solo sailor Lisa Blair has received an OAM in the Australia Day honours, saying she is grateful for the recognition to keep shining a light on her Climate Action Now campaign to protect the ocean.

Swarm of jellyfish swimming in bioluminescence looks ‘magical’ – but it’s a warning sign Biologist says the massive numbers of jellyfish and algae in Tasmania’s Storm Bay are ‘drivers of harm in the ocean’ * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast A “magical”…

Swarm of jellyfish swimming in bioluminescence looks ‘magical’ – but it’s a warning sign

Juvenile white-bellied sea eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster.
#nature #birds #biodiversity #Australia

Juvenile white-faced herons Egretta novaehollandiae.
#birds #nature #biodiversity #Australia

Silver gull feather.
#birds #beachcombing #nature

A visiting damselfly (no idea what species) in the garden.
#nature #biodiversity #urbangarden #Australia

Australian white ibis (Threskiornis moluccus). NSW.
#nature #birds #biodiversity #Australia

Stunning!

Optimist: The cup is half full
Pessimist: The cup is half empty
Climate scientist: THE CUP IS RAPIDLY APPROACHING AN IRREVERSIBLE TIPPING POINT AND THERE ARE NO OTHER CUPS

Need some armchair adventures as the days shorten in northern climes? Or some beach reading for folk in the south?
All my tales of travel in #SouthAfrica & #Europe are just $2.99 or less. See mybook.to/LivingAboardSeries & mybook.to/AfricanWaysSeries for starters! #welovememoirs

Tesseropora rosea the pink (or rose) barnacle - one of my favourite barnacles ❤️
#beachcombing #australia

Blue dragon Glaucus atlanticus (NSW, Australia).
#biodiversity #nature #marinelife

Australasian darter Anhinga novaehollandiae.
#Australia #birds #biodiversity

Unprecedented changes in Antarctica ice prompt researchers to issue emergency statement Hundreds of polar researchers issue an emergency statement calling for urgent action to deal with the impacts of climate change in Antarctica.

🌊 "Nowhere on Earth is there a greater cause of uncertainty in sea-level rise projections than from East Antarctica, in Australia’s backyard. The East Antarctic Ice Sheet alone holds enough water to raise global sea levels by approximately 50m if completely melted."
www.abc.net.au/news/2024-11...

Little penguins Eudyptula minor.
#nature #marinelife #australia #biodiversity