Terrain NRM

Farmer - Water Sampler - Waterway Lover.
Wendy Finlayson helps with one of our water monitoring projects. "I love seeing how much life and activity there is in the creeks and drains, and seeing how our farming culture can work in with our waterways".

#waterways #wettropics #watersampling

Jane Goodall in a tall rainforest looking up into the canopy with binoculars in her hands.

"The greatest danger to our future is apathy. ... What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make." - Vale Jane Goodall (1934-2025).

From frog saunas to butterfly puddles: 8 ways to turn your homes into a wildlife refuge Urban sprawl has forced native animals and humans to live close together. Here are eight ways to make your home a refuge for wildlife.

Australian cities are also important in our efforts to conserve biodiversity.

#biodiversity #urbanplanning

‘It’s Such a Blessing’: The Farmers Embracing Solar Arrays | Atmos From summer squash to sheep’s wool, a variety of agricultural products may grow better beneath an awning of solar panels.

atmos.earth/climate-solu...

Nature at its best. One of our field officers spotted this moth during vegetation surveys in broad leaf tea tree woodlands.

#broadleafteatree #moths #wettropics

Why Is Science Important? (21 Reasons) The value of science extends beyond the breakthroughs that headline news stories; it is also found in the reassuring consistency with which it...

"Science is a quiet companion, one that fuels our homes, keeps us healthy, and opens our eyes to the wonders of the world."

enlightio.com/reasons-why-...

Fish ‘fingerprints’ in the ocean reveal which species are moving homes due to climate change Tracking these shifts is crucial for understanding how climate change is transforming our oceans.

Fish DNA - 'Sherlock Holmes' scientists are using it up to see which fish species are moving to new homes off the east coast of Australia as climate change changes temperatures, ocean currents and habitats...

#eDNA #DNA

Chattering in the treetops: It's baby season for Spectacled Flying-foxes and a vulnerable time for this endangered species given their maternity roosts in residential areas.

We've created this FAQs page: terrain.org.au/baby-bat-sea...

#bats #spectacledflyingfox #endangered

Qld can unlock Australia’s biofuels future - sugar is the key Stay informed about the industry with the latest media releases from CANEGROWERS, keeping you up to date with valuable news and insights

"Towns like Cairns, Mackay, Bundaberg, Townsville, Childers and Tully could become bio precinct hubs, producing clean liquid fuels, biogas and renewable electricity."

#renewableenergy #sugarcane #biofuel

Mangrove Buffers: Protecting Critical Infrastructure in Cairns Cairns is one of Australia’s most climate-exposed cities. Mangrove buffers could help defend against storm surges.

A conversation we need to have, as we look to natural systems to manage multiple hazards.

#mangroves #wettropics

Sharing our tropical paradise with Spectacled Flying-foxes... Heatwaves in 2018–19 led to 23,000+ deaths in the Cairns region. Now we're working to help this endangered species prosper, and to build better relationships between flying-foxes and their human neighbours.

#endangered #bats #flyingfox

The climate solutions worth funding — now When it comes to climate solutions, "now is better than new, and time is more important than tech," says scientist Jonathan Foley. He presents a six-part framework to more efficiently address climate ...

www.ted.com/talks/jonath...

Soil: One of our most valuable natural assets. Sugar cane farmers in the Wet Tropics are trialling different cover crops - in previously fallow paddocks - to improve their soil's health.

terrain.org.au/what-we-do/s...

#soil #soilhealth #wettropics

In Cairns this week... So we are presenting on our biodiversity credit scheme, Cassowary Credits, and co-hosting field trips all over the Wet Tropics region - to biodiversity hotspots, farms, erosion remediation sites, wetland restoration sites, nature refuges and more.

#biodiversity #wettropics

Researchers develop new material to help combat 'forever chemicals' They're called '"forever chemicals" because of their extreme durability, but Adelaide researchers say they have developed a new method to combat PFAS.

Scientists at an Adelaide lab have been working on a new method to break down PFAS, involving a photocatalyst powder and UV light.

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09...

#PFAS

Using Trash to Track Other Trash | Hakai Magazine An Australian organization is taking “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” to heart with its ghost net clean-up program.

Congratulations Tangaroa Blue. This not-for-profit organisation is using 'trash' - GPS-enabled buoys that wash up on Far North Queensland beaches - to track and recover abandoned fishing nets, known as ghost nets.

#ghostnets #queensland #greatbarrierreef

Fish for lunch! A striated heron with quite the mouthful on the banks of the Daintree River. Image: Rebel Warren

#Daintree #worldheritage #heron #wettropics #mangroves #fishing

Recycling alone won’t limit the scourge of soft plastics in our everyday lives What else can Australian households and individuals do to reduce their soft plastic waste?

Things we can all do to reduce our soft plastic waste...
"Australia is still the second largest per capita consumer of single-use plastics in the world, our per capita use is excessive, with much packaging completely unnecessary.”

Nature can keep up with climate change – but not at this speed » Yale Climate Connections Earth’s systems evolved to handle disturbance, but human-driven climate change is pushing them past the breaking point.

"The problem today isn’t change. It’s the speed of change. We can’t just plant more drought-resistant crops or assume that nature will catch up. We must slow down the system."

yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/08/natu...

Turtle love: Photographer Conor Moore says: "It took a few attempts to get the turtles used to me swimming underneath them." Taken at the Frankland Islands south of Cairns, this image was an entry in the 2025 Wet Tropics Waterways Photo Competition.

#turtles #wettropics #franklandislands #cairns

Future scientists and land managers. At a local creek learning about the importance of clean water and how to look after our waterways and the Great Barrier Reef.

#NationalScienceWeek #greatbarrierreef

Want to see Australia’s rare and remarkable species for yourself? Here are 10 standout spots It’s entirely possible to see shy mountain pygmy-possums, alpine dingoes or furry cuscus with your own eyes – if you know where to go and how to look.

Ulysses butterflies, Australia’s largest snake, rare waterfall frogs, Lumholtz’s tree kangaroos, green ringtail possums, musky rat-kangaroos... The Wet Tropics region's biodiversity is off tap! There are nine other great places in this story too.

#biodiversity #wettropics

Bridging the gaps. It's what we do in the biodiversity, soil, waterway health and climate fields as a natural management resource organisation.

terrain.org.au #nrm #preyingmantis #insects

International efforts to reach agreement on reducing plastic pollution are disappointing. But we don’t need to wait for a treaty to make changes in our own lives. 👉 theconversation.com/the-glo...

Those eyebrows... The southern cassowary. Image: Terrain's Bronwyn Robertson. Recent research suggests one purpose of the cassowary's distinctive casque may be to feel the low vibrating sound made by other cassowaries over long distances.

#cassowary #wettropics #endangered

The Daintree gets an 'A'. The least modified river catchment in our region - with a high proportion of protected areas - has again topped the Wet Tropics Waterway Health Report Card, even with floods/landslides after Cyclone Jasper... showing less modified landscapes cope better.

#Daintree #climate

If the Great Barrier Reef had a voice, it would be screaming 😱

Picture shows a 500yr old bleached coral, clinging to life - off Heron island, April 2024.

Where rainforest meets reef. Two world heritage areas in Australia's Wet Tropics. Conor Moore's winning image of Etty Bay in the 2025 Wet Tropics Waterways Photo Competition.

#worldheritage #rainforest #reef #greatbarrierreef #wettropics #sustainabledevelopment

Stunning in gardens but a menace in our world heritage rainforests. We are working with Mamu LandSea Rangers to remove African Tulip from lowland rainforests in the Wet Tropics.

#Africantulip #weeds #wettropics #rainforest #worldheritage

Mossman sugarcane growers trial new crops due to mill closure For more than 125 years cane growers in Mossman have delivered a crop to the mill for crushing, but for some this year will be the last.

Making fuel from plants: Farmers in the Wet Tropics are trialling bana grass crops and considering a transition from sugar to biofuel production...

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07...

#biofuel #banagrass #wettropics