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Exposing Australia’s online trade in pest plants – we’ve found thousands of illegal advertisements
Do you buy plants online? You might be breaking the law without even knowing it. We found hundreds of different invasive plants and prohibited weeds advertised on a popular online marketplace. For the first time, our research has exposed the frequent, high volume trade in pest plants across Australia. State and territory governments are adopting […]
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Australia’s least wanted – 8 alien species and diseases we must keep out of our island home
This week’s landmark report on the impact of invasive alien species revealed costs to the global economy exceeded US$423 billion (A$654 billion) a year in 2019. Costs have at least quadrupled every decade since 1970 and that trend is set to continue. Prevention is better than a cure. Stopping pests and diseases arriving and establishing in Australia […]
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The true damage of invasive alien species was just revealed in a landmark report. Here’s how we must act.
Invasive alien species are driving biodiversity loss and extinctions in every country, all over the world. Responding to the challenge, the United Nations is today releasing the first global assessment of invasive alien species and their control. It comes from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), which represents almost 140 member […]
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Invasive alien species a major threat to nature, people
A new international report, co-authored by Dr Phill Cassey from the University of Adelaide, has found that the number of alien species has been rising continuously for centuries in all regions, but are now increasing at unprecedented rates. The Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services’s (IPBES) Assessment Report on Invasive Alien Species and their […]
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How algae conquered the world – and other epic stories hidden in the rocks of the Flinders Ranges
Earth was not always so hospitable. Evidence of how it came to be so beautiful and nurturing is locked in the rocks of South Australia’s Flinders Ranges – a site now vying for World Heritage listing. Our new research seeks to better understand this near billion-year-old story. We discovered immense planetary upheaval recorded in the ranges. In two related […]
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Microbial solutions to soil carbon sequestration
The potential of soil to capture and store carbon dioxide (CO2), known as carbon sequestration, has been proposed as a compelling mitigation strategy to help address climate change. Agriculture is the primary supervisor and benefactor of global soil carbon stocks. It has an important role to play in developing practices that reduce the physical disturbance […]
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‘Humanity’s signature’: study finds plastic pollution in the world’s lakes can be worse than in oceans
A world-first study has found concentrations of plastics in some lakes are higher than in the most contaminated parts of oceans, demonstrating the extent to which plastics have invaded Earth’s ecosystems. In a study recently released, researchers sampled 38 lakes and reservoirs around the world, including in Australia, the United States, United Kingdom and Europe. […]
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New Australian laws for ‘engineering’ the ocean must balance environment protection and responsible research
The Australian Labor government has introduced a bill to regulate “marine geoengineering” – methods to combat climate change by intervening in the ocean environment. The bill would prohibit listed marine geoengineering activities without a permit. Scientists are already experimenting with ways to store more carbon in the ocean or shield vulnerable ecosystems. They include ocean fertilisation and […]
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The Murray-Darling Basin shows why the ‘social cost of water’ concept won’t work
Access to safe, clean water is a basic human right. But water scarcity or barriers to access can cause conflict within and between countries. Fights over water can be expected to intensify as the world warms, evaporation increases and rainfall becomes less predictable. So we’ll need to work even harder to resolve disputes and share this precious […]
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Uncovering online sales of Australian invertebrates
In the first study of its kind, researchers from the University of Adelaide have investigated the level of online trade in invertebrates in Australia and believe they have only uncovered the tip of the iceberg. “In a one-year period we found 264 different species of terrestrial invertebrates that were for sale online in Australia,” said […]
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