Page 66 – ECOS

Deep under the sea: seeking options to save a delicate world

Deep sea corals are under threat from climate change. Scientists are searching for ways to protect the fragile ecosystems deep in the ocean.

Explainer: ocean acidification

The carbon sequestration service provided by the oceans comes at a price. The cost of carbon dioxide uptake is a gradual increase in the acidity levels of the oceans, which could have serious impacts on marine life.

Invasive ants get fired from Tiwi Islands

The Tiwi Tropical Fire Ant Project won the Biodiversity category of the 2015 United Nations Association of Australia World Environment Day Awards, for two of the largest invasive ant eradications ever achieved

Conservation parks are growing, so why are species still declining?

It’s now five years since the International Year of Biodiversity, and nearly 15% of Earth’s land surface is protected in parks and reserves. By 2020, we should reach the agreed global target of 17%. This is good news for species diversity, right? Not really.

CSIRO is conducting the world’s best practice methane emissions research

When attempting to answer questions about whether the coal seam gas industry (CSG) is less greenhouse intensive than the coal industry, one of the big factors to consider is fugitive methane emissions—the amount of methane that leaks from the CSG wells.

The lure of the camera trap

Scientists have been developing smart new ways of using cameras to deepen our knowledge of ecosystems and their animals.

Research leaves a legacy for Australia’s fisheries

Australia’s fishing zone is the world’s third largest, and the $2.4 billion commercial fishing and aquaculture industry employs over 11,000 people. Research helps keep the industry and the marine ecosystem sustainable.

The good-news El Niño story for Western Australia’s oceans

El Niño might provide the coastal waters of Western Australia (WA) with some welcome relief from the heat.

We need to get smarter to save shorebirds from rising seas

Every year five million shorebirds migrate between the Arctic and Australia along a bird superhighway known as the East Asian-Australasian flyway. Coastal development is destroying the tidal flats birds depend on, and sea level rise is emerging as an additional threat. A new artificial intelligence technique offers a conservation solution.