In this issue

	ECOS Issue 201

Features

Things warm up as the East Australian Current heads south Occasional erratic bursts southward of the East Australian Current (EAC) are thought to have moderated the weather of south-east Australia this autumn and winter and they continue to introduce tropical and sub-tropical marine species to Tasmanian waters.

Local people may be the key to scaling back wildlife crime
Law enforcement has been largely ineffective in slowing the global wildlife trade. What's really needed, say experts from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), is more participation by local communities in wildlife conservation efforts. The plight of the pangolin – the world's only mammal with scales – is a case in point.

Insects: ecological marvels, evolutionary miracles
Not only are insects diverse, they are also of immense economic and medical importance. They affect our daily lives in positive and negative ways, from pollinating our crops to spreading diseases such as malaria. But we can only start to understand the enormous species richness and ecological importance of insects with a reliable reconstruction of their relationships.

Does sustainability reporting make organisations more sustainable? ‘You can't manage what you can't measure' said the renowned management consultant and educator, Peter Drucker. Organisations measure their financial performance and communicate it through their annual reports. But how do they measure and report on the increasingly vital areas of social and environmental performance?

The science of living with fire The bushfire season isn't wasting any time this year. There have already been large fires in South Australia and NSW, and the obligatory ‘the state is a tinderbox' warnings came out months ago.

Managing top predators: culling brings its own set of problems In October, a young man surfing off the south coast of Western Australia (WA) near Esperance lost an arm and hand in an encounter with what was reported to be a great white shark. Shortly after, baited drum lines (shark hooks suspended from floats anchored to the sea bed) were deployed and two sharks were caught and killed.