ECOS Magazine - Towards A Sustainable Future

Ants and termites: our dryland farm heroes

Recent research on the role of ants and termites in dryland cropping environments suggests that they may be the unsung heroes of our marginal agricultural soils.

Michele Sabto 04-Jul-2011

Carbon farming could restore Australia's southern coastal wetlands
Feature

Australia’s southern coastal wetlands are more diverse than most people realise. In a recent paper, Paul Boon suggests they provide valuable ecological services that exceed those of inland wetland ecosystems. But these wetlands face enormous pressures from urban development and climate change. Fifty per cent of coastal wetlands have been lost from the east coast of Australia.

Catherine Lovelock, Justine Bell and Kerrylee Rogers 20-May-2013

Satellite imagery helps track tree-cover and carbon Feature Technology developed by CSIRO that makes use of satellite data to provide the most detailed maps yet of changes to Australia's forest and land-cover is enabling more accurate measurements of the carbon emissions prevented through preserving forest or replanting cleared land. Michele Sabto 20-May-2013

Community-powered science to keep Aussie icons standing
Feature

Rolling fields dotted with sheep and majestic old gum trees form a quintessential part of the Australian landscape. These paddock trees perform a critical, under-appreciated role in improving farm viability and conserving biodiversity. Through the power of social media, a volunteer army of citizen scientists has been helping in the research effort to preserve these icons.

Kylie Williams 06-May-2013

More evidence for human fingerprint on climate change
Feature

Three new published studies, each looking at a different aspect of humankind's impact on climate, all carry the same sobering message. The first study concludes that recent warming is unprecedented in 2000 years. A second reports climate zones are shifting faster due to warming temperatures. The third argues impacts from greenhouse gas emissions are not caused solely by warming temperatures.

John Cook 29-Apr-2013

Disasters happen – but software shouldn’t be one of them
Feature

Imagine you're a disaster manager and a large earthquake has just struck off the Australian coast. You know that part of the Australian coastline is about to be inundated by a tsunami but you need more information – and quickly. But what information do you need, and how do you get it?

Ryan Fraser and Arwen Cross 29-Apr-2013

Extra acid test for Australia’s oceans Feature CSIRO has just announced the deployment of a $150,000 mooring off Tasmania's Maria Island, to further Australia's research on climate change. The mooring is equipped to measure the chemistry of the Tasman Sea, specifically its acidity. So, then, what has seawater chemistry to do with climate change? 22-Apr-2013

Towards an open platform for digitising life on Earth Feature A community of scientists came together online to create a vision for the future of biodiversity research, which puts technological innovation at its heart and calls for greater openness in data sharing, standardisation and citizen science. Simon Harold 22-Apr-2013

Is Shark Bay shifting from temperate to tropical? Feature Scientists in Western Australia warn that the future of one of Australia's most extraordinary temperate seagrass ecosystems – the iconic Shark Bay – may be under threat from warmer seas, heavier floods and sea-level rise associated with climate change. Mary-Lou Considine 15-Apr-2013

Switch by switch, we’re changing the world
Feature

Earth Hour, held this year on 23 March, is the biggest people-powered action for the environment in history. This year marked the sixth national Earth Hour across Australia and the seventh for Sydney, demonstrating that the potency, power and innovation of the movement is still with us, says Dermot O'Gorman, Chief Executive of WWF-Australia.

Dermot O'Gorman 15-Apr-2013

Nature and the city
Feature

People usually think about biodiversity and nature in terms of national parks, reserves and wildlife. Yet humans have a growing urban footprint across the planet. More than 50 per cent of Australia's threatened species and ecosystems occur within the urban fringe. As Dr Richard Fuller points out, it's not just a problem for plants and animals – it seems that nature is key to the wellbeing of people in cities too.

Richard Fuller 08-Apr-2013

How does the Great Artesian Basin really work?
Feature

The Great Artesian Basin is huge and ancient underground ‘water tank' big enough to fill Sydney Harbour 130,000 times. It stretches from Cape York down to Dubbo and further west than Coober Pedy and has been providing the only reliable source of fresh water for rural communities in Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and the Northern Territory since the first bore holes were sunk in the 19th century.

Brian Smerdon 08-Apr-2013

Seasonal climate forecasts: reading tea-leaves in a digital age Feature Tea-leaves, entrails, cockatoos: we all want to forecast the future. Weather forecasts have become so commonplace we rarely think about the technology, research, computing power and millions of observations behind those couple of words: ‘mostly sunny’. Peter McIntosh 02-Apr-2013

Designing for hope
Feature

Hope is often in short supply after disaster strikes. Jenny Donovan specialises in urban design in difficult circumstances such as after disasters and conflicts. She believes her profession has a key role to play in creating physical environments where hope can flourish again. Here she talks to Michele Sabto about her new book Designing to Heal.

02-Apr-2013