News

French Inspection Team Says Abandoned Wilkes Station Poses ‘Clear Risk’ to Antarctic Environment

3 July 2024

A French inspection team has raised concerns about an abandoned Australian base in Antarctica, saying it poses a “clear risk” to the environment, with reports of oil slicks in the vicinity. Wilkes Station, located three…

Read more

Doing Mundane ‘Housework’ in Spectacular Surroundings: How Tasmania’s Caves are Cleaned

3 July 2024

Each winter, a team of Tasmania Parks and Wildlife staff take on the task of cleaning the state’s show caves. The crew removes clothing fibres, microplastics, and dirt and spores brought in on visitors’ shoes.…

Read more

Climate Crisis Driving Exponential Rise in Most Extreme Wildfires

25 June 2024

The climate crisis is driving an exponential rise in the most extreme wildfires in key regions around the world, research has revealed. The wildfires can cause catastrophic loss of human life, property and wildlife and…

Read more

Aboriginal Land Managers Restoring Bass Strait Island lungtalanana to Pre-colonial Conditions Facing Big Hurdles

11 June 2024

Marsupial trap in sight, palawa man Andry Sculthorpe traipses through the blackened heath of lungtalanana, a small island off the north coast of Tasmania. After five nights of trapping on Clarke Island, lungtalanana’s colonial name,…

Read more

New Exhibition Turns Spotlight on Marine Species and Habitats Under Pressure

28 May 2024

Human activities and a changing climate are putting species and ecosystems under pressure. In Antarctica, marine predators are on thin ice. In Tasmania, many marine species and habitats are found nowhere else on earth. And…

Read more

How Marine Temperatures are Influencing Key Abalone Food Sources

28 May 2024

Researchers have found ocean warming is impacting the nutritional quality of seaweed as a food source for Blacklip abalone off eastern Tasmania, which is adversely affecting the body condition of these molluscs during warmer years.…

Read more

Youth Climate Action Fund Info Session

28 May 2024

Climate change is impacting our lives now. Youth-led climate action is vital to tackling this crisis and can unlock greater benefits across our city such as reducing costs of living, improving health and restoring nature.…

Read more

Dieback Hits Tasmanian Forests After Dry Summer as Reserachers Investigate Impact on Trees

21 May 2024

Huge patches of forest in Tasmania have rapidly turned brown over recent months, with many trees dying after a dry summer. But what this signals for forests in the future as the climate continues to warm is…

Read more

AI Poison Devices are the Latest Weapon in Fight to Save King Island Endangered Birds from Feral Cats

21 May 2024

The critically endangered King Island scrubtit and King Island brown thornbill are among five Australian bird species considered most likely to become extinct within 20 years. Both are subspecies endemic to the island, and their…

Read more

Here Are Five Quick Facts About Australian Native Bees and How You Can Help on World Bee Day

21 May 2024

Flowers, honey and plenty of produce: bees play a vital role in nature’s ecosystem, and without them, we wouldn’t have any of these things.  To mark World Bee Day, experts have spoken to the ABC…

Read more

Back to the Wild: Rescued Red Handfish Returned to the Sea

15 May 2024

Red handfish have been returned to the wild, after scientists rescued them this summer to protect their fragile population from record high sea and atmospheric temperatures. Scientists at the University of Tasmania’s Institute for Marine and Antarctic…

Read more

AFS Global STEM Changemakers: Australia – New Zealand

15 May 2024

Addressing global sustainability challenges requires engaging diverse young people in every corner of the world. To this end, AFS is proud to unveil 75 full scholarships for the AFS Global STEM Changemakers: Australia-New Zealand, a…

Read more