Logan and Albert Conservation Association
Getup and express your opinion to add to the discussion on topics discussed at the Australia 2020 Summit. Although it has wrapped up its discussion, you can still contribute to Getup's! Get involved and talk about what you want our country's future to look like.
'Australia faces an unprecedented challenge from climate change. We risk losing our natural heritage, our rivers, landscapes and biodiversity. We have a brief opportunity to act now to safeguard and shape our future prosperity,' says the introduction to the 'Population, Sustainability, Climate change, Water and the Future of our Cities' section of the 2020 Summit initial report.
Read how the Summit says we can manage our environment.
Call for submissions
The Honourable Paul Lucas, Deputy Premier and Minister for Infrastructure and Planning; the Honourable Desley Boyle Minister for Tourism, Regional Development and Industry; and the Honourable Andrew McNamara, Minister for Sustainability, Climate Change and Innovation are proposing to prepare a State Planning Policy (SPP) under the Integrated Planning Act 1997. The SPP will provide a statewide framework for appropriate planning and regulation of land use surrounding high impact industries, with the aim of minimising the potential for land use conflicts and adverse impacts on the environment. The Department of Infrastructure and Planning invites submissions on: the issues to be addressed by the SPP and how those issues should be addressed. The closing date for submissions was COB Wednesday 11 June 2008. More information is available on the Department of Infrastructure and Planning website.
About one-fifth of Queensland's plant species can be found within the Scenic Rim Region. Six species guides are available to cover the former Beaudesert Shire area. Rainforests of the Scenic Rim are part of the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves of Australia which is a World Heritage listed area, providing habitat for more than 200 rare or threatened plant and animal species including the Albert Lyrebird and spotted taile quoll. Biodiversity fact sheets or links are available here.
Two documents Climate Change Strategy 2008 and Climate Change Mitigation Action Plan are available for download and comment on council's website by 30 May 2008. To have your say an online feedback form is available.
Andrew Campbell is an environmental consultant based in Queanbeyan NSW and an independent director of the Cooperative Research Centre for Future Farm Industries. He was previously chief executive of
The fate of the kangaroos on defence land in the ACT was discussed across the globe in newspapers and blogs. The volume of protests has presently stayed the cull and management of the confined native animals is still a challenge. The Australian Science Media Centre (AusSMC) publishes the thoughts of scientists on its Science Blog page. In the latest series of blogs, two scientists give their views about the vexed issue of the proposed kangaroo cull in the ACT.
Other documentation that can be considered is available from the RSPCA campaign website and their report known as the Kangaroo Shooting Code Compliance Report which is available online at www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/trade-use/publications/kangaroo-report/index.html
Healthy Home is a unique online tool designed to help you reduce the environmental impact of your home, as well as offer information to assist you in protecting your house and family from from potential environmental hazards eg air pollution, toxic chemicals. In addition it also provide an online calculating tool to help you find out how much rainwater you can expect to harvest from your roof area. This website is provided collaboratively by Suncorp and Planet Ark.
Planet Ark runs a number of environmental campaigns and initiatives. Go to their website, click on any of the buttons to learn how to participate eg recycling, putting used printer cartridges into a ‘Cartridges 4 Planet Ark’ recycling box, recycling Aluminium Cans, and buying environmentally responsible products. You can even shop online.
FaunaNet is an online gateway to resources and expertise in biodiversity and conservation. The Australian Museum's Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Research (CBCR) has coordinated the resources of FaunaNet into five modules.The site is here.
The Australian Museum has unique and extensive collections of natural science and cultural artefacts. The Museum's Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Research (CBCR) is committed to the investigation and conservation of biodiversity. The internet provides a powerful means for the Centre to communicate its research results, and to provide both the scientific and broader communities with access to information on the biodiversity of NSW. To this end CBCR has developed a website dealing specifically with the Fauna of NSW - called FaunaNet. FaunaNet includes the following components:
FaunaNames
FaunaNames provides easy access to the New South Wales Master Names List (MNL). The MNL is a list of the valid scientific names of animals found in New South Wales. It is the ideal tool for taxonomists, systematists, biologists and ecologists to access knowledge of the scientific nomenclature and classification of the fauna of New South Wales. CANRI funding assisted in the development of this site.
FaunaMap
FaunaMap is the Australian Museum's online fauna mapping system. Through FaunaMap the user can: create maps showing the collecting location of specimens held in the Australian Museum fauna collection and obtain a list of the species held in the AM collections, from specific Local Government Areas, Bioregions, National Parks or Mapsheets.
Invertebrate Resources
A database of resources focused on the field of invertebrate research and discovery. The database includes websites, books, CD's, journals and online keys, as well as organisations devoted to invertebrate research and conservation.
FaunaKeys
This site provides access to a range of taxonomic keys for identifying selected invertebrate and vertebrate groups in New South Wales and Australia. The illustrated interactive keys combined with information pages and photo images of taxa provide hands-on education for both beginners and professionals in the field. CANRI funding assisted in the development of these keys.
Wildlife of Sydney
Wildlife of Sydney provides natural history information on a wide variety of animals that might be encountered in and around Sydney. The site allows Sydneysiders and visitors access to information about the great biodiversity that surrounds them. As well as about 400 species profiles the site describes the habitats where the animals and has a number of interactive features including games and a quiz which are based on aspects of the animal's biology or an ecological theme.