Issue 215

Intact ecosystems the best buffer against climate change

When talking about solutions to help mitigate and adapt to climate change, we shouldn't forget that intact ecosystems offer some of the best prospects.

Protection and detection: improving waterway health in India and Australia

Anu Kumar knew that people in India were getting sick from exposure to pesticides and impurities in their waterways, and she wanted to do something to help. Working with Indian women, she was able to improve the health and safety of entire communities. Now, her work in detecting micropollutants is helping to clean up Australian waterways.

The planner’s new best friend: we can now track land-use changes on a scale of centimetres

Constant, complex changes in cities and mine sites are hard to monitor. Drawing on digital aerial photography, it's now possible to track land-use and vegetation changes in areas as small as 10-20cm.

It’s official: 2015 was the hottest year ever recorded

2015 was the world's hottest year ever by a long shot. But what drove the record temperatures, and what role did climate change play?

Future bushfires will be worse: we need to adapt now

The Christmas Day fires that struck the Victorian town of Wye River are an example of how to get emergency responses right.

Capture and captivation: Australia’s moths and butterflies

Moths and butterflies have enchanted naturalists for centuries. Beloved among insects, the Lepidoptera - as they are known in scientific circles - have been collected, curated and classified in their millions.

It’s official: our honey bees are some of the healthiest in the world

According to a new CSIRO survey, Australia can now proudly call itself home to one of the healthiest populations of European honey bees in the world.

A fine balance: saving Australia’s unique wildlife in a contested land

The Brigalow Belt in Queensland is a national hotspot for wildlife, including many species found nowhere else in the world. It is also one of the most transformed and contested areas in Australia. New research looks at the best way to conserve these species, attempting to balance competing uses of the region.

Finding win-wins: carbon offset schemes and Indigenous co-benefits

With careful and thoughtful engagement, carbon offset schemes can be designed to ensure they deliver both carbon mitigation benefits and associated benefits for Indigenous peoples.