Zoe Kean
Damage to sensitive sea floor ecosystems sparks calls for tighter regulation of the tourist ship industry in the Antarctic region. 1h ago 1 hours ago Mon 9 Jun 2025 at 4:01am
In 1953 Sherpa Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary become the first two people to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Just under 10 years later, Norgay made his mark in another place of wild beauty — Tasmania. Sun 17 Nov Sun 17 Nov Sun 17 Nov 2024 at 8:19pm
Huge patches of forest in Tasmania have rapidly turned brown over recent months, with many trees dying after a dry summer. As climate change causes hotter and drier weather, can we expect more tree deaths in the future? Wed 8 May Wed 8 May Wed 8 May 2024 at 11:19pm
Shimmering blue seas below pink and green skies are all possible in Australia's southern-most state which is a nexus for glowing oddities. Tue 22 Aug Tue 22 Aug Tue 22 Aug 2023 at 1:08am
Scientists say they can bring the extinct thylacine back from the dead within a decade, but does anybody want them to? The resounding answer to an ABC survey is "Yes". Sat 19 Aug Sat 19 Aug Sat 19 Aug 2023 at 9:33pm
Should the thylacine be brought back to life? Professor Andrew Pask — leader of the Thylacine Integrated Genetic Restoration Research Lab at Melbourne University — answers your questions about plans to de-extinct Australia's only marsupial apex predator. Sat 19 Aug Sat 19 Aug Sat 19 Aug 2023 at 9:33pm
How a tin miner living in remote Tasmania helped discover what may be the world's oldest and most mysterious clone that has excited scientists for years. Sat 29 Jul Sat 29 Jul Sat 29 Jul 2023 at 2:42am
Welcome to Tattsmania. From mountains, devils, tigers, and tunes, why is it that tattoos are so popular in Tasmania? Thu 20 Jul Thu 20 Jul Thu 20 Jul 2023 at 9:32pm
This simple task can help save you money and keep you warm in winter. You've just got to remember to do it. Sun 16 Jul Sun 16 Jul Sun 16 Jul 2023 at 11:50pm
The death of a platypus found in a city suburb may reflect the fate of the entire species if we don't pay closer attention to how this Australian animal is faring. Fri 14 Jul Fri 14 Jul Fri 14 Jul 2023 at 8:12am
How the pademelon often tricks the world into thinking it is the extinct thylacine, and seven other wild pademelon facts. Tue 11 Jul Tue 11 Jul Tue 11 Jul 2023 at 11:22am
In 1805 black swans, kangaroos, and the world's last King Island emu lived amongst the sweeping lawns of the Château de Malmaison in Paris. So how did this creature make it to an empress' garden? Tue 27 Jun Tue 27 Jun Tue 27 Jun 2023 at 7:23am
Tasmania's native bees aren't as notorious as the Tassie devil or the swift parrot. But these tiny, unassuming and strangely beguiling bugs are incredibly important to the state's forests and fields. Sat 20 May Sat 20 May Sat 20 May 2023 at 12:32am
James Chung Gon arrived in Australia to try his luck on the goldfields of Bendigo. Legend has it that all he had to his name was a shilling in his pocket, but he turned it into a fortune. Wed 3 May Wed 3 May Wed 3 May 2023 at 7:54am
Sometimes dubbed mermaid's purses, these strange and wonderful works of nature are a common find on Australian beaches and scientists want beachcombers to help them learn more. Mon 20 Mar Mon 20 Mar Mon 20 Mar 2023 at 5:48am
In 1997, Tasmania became the last Australian state to decriminalise sex between men, and one activist believes that enduring homophobia can be directly traced to the penal colonies of the island's past. Fri 3 Mar Fri 3 Mar Fri 3 Mar 2023 at 12:02am
First they discovered that wombats created their famously square poos in the intestine and not at "point of exit". Now, the same team of scientists has explained how wombats poo such "perfectly consistent" pellets. Thu 23 Feb Thu 23 Feb Thu 23 Feb 2023 at 3:28am
We want to hear from you — should the Tasmanian tiger be brought back to life? And what will that mean for First Nations people, the environment, and the ecosystem? Fri 25 Aug Fri 25 Aug Fri 25 Aug 2023 at 12:53am
The dingo fence does its job keeping the predator at bay — but that single change has cascading effects on the environment, right down to the shape of the sand dunes. Thu 9 Feb Thu 9 Feb Thu 9 Feb 2023 at 3:49am
Long-spined sea urchins — the "single biggest threat" for reefs in eastern Tasmania — are arriving via an ocean current supercharged by climate change. So what can be done about it? Thu 2 Feb Thu 2 Feb Thu 2 Feb 2023 at 10:18pm
Being an adult who does not drive can come with setbacks, judgement and unexpected benefits. Here are your stories. Thu 2 Feb Thu 2 Feb Thu 2 Feb 2023 at 3:17am
Unusually dry weather is leaving the state's Wilderness World Heritage Area sensitive to fire. It's a prospect that threatens a living fossil that traces its history to the ancient super-continent Gondwana. Fri 27 Jan Fri 27 Jan Fri 27 Jan 2023 at 8:48pm
Driving is seen as such a common skill that Rosie, Tim, and Sophie are often met with shock when they tell people they don't drive. Thu 19 Jan Thu 19 Jan Thu 19 Jan 2023 at 12:18am
While spotting a badly-stuffed platypus in an overseas museum may draw a laugh from visiting Australians, scientists say poor taxidermy is a serious matter that can affect a species' survival. Thu 5 Jan Thu 5 Jan Thu 5 Jan 2023 at 1:26am
Bushwalking can be about more than just the destination. For Bin Ling, it's also about the plants she sees on the way.
Fri 16 Dec Fri 16 Dec Fri 16 Dec 2022 at 3:05am
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ABC News
29 minutes ago
- ABC News
New 'risk-mapping tool' aims to prevent bird deaths from powerlines
Craig Webb says he does not want to share images of dead eagles on his social media pages. "But the fact is there are so many that I feel like everyone needs to know," the Raptor Refuge founder said. "I wish there was none. I'm not trying to cause trouble. I'm just trying to put it out there … how many of these birds are succumbing to powerlines." Raptor Refuge is a not-for-profit sanctuary in southern Tasmania dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and release of the state's birds of prey. Mr Webb said a "high percentage" of the birds that came into the sanctuary were injured by powerlines. "There's a real threat to them out there, and we see countless birds brought in with damages, or they're dead," he said. Technology that is used to mitigate against the risk of birds being electrocuted includes flappers — small reflective disks that hang from powerlines — perches, and covers. TasNetworks said more than 600 kilometres of its distribution lines had flappers, perches or covers installed — up from 140 kilometres in 2023-24. It has also used what is called the "delta design standard" that spreads lines further apart to reduce electrocution risk. Tasmania's powerline network includes 20,310 kilometres of distribution lines. University of Tasmania researchers, in partnership with TasNetworks, have released a new "risk-mapping tool" aimed at preventing powerline bird deaths. By tracking 23 wedge-tailed eagles over six years, the research team built a model that predicts where eagles are most likely to cross powerlines, and where the risk of death is highest. Lead researcher James Pay said powerlines were among the leading causes of injury and death for large birds of prey in Tasmania, and globally. It is hoped the data will help TasNetworks identify where mitigation technologies are most needed. "There's some other models that [TasNetworks has] been working on as well," Dr Pay said. "We're combining them all together to help guide where to put either the different designs of the powerlines or the bird flappers more proactively — rather than relying on where the birds have already been killed." TasNetworks said it invested almost $1 million every year in bird protection. In 2023-24, 11 threatened birds were "impacted" by powerlines, down from 26 reported incidents in 2022-23, according to TasNetworks. Mr Webb is concerned the number of birds injured or killed by powerlines in Tasmania is under-reported. "These birds are found under or near powerlines where there are people around," he said. "So you can imagine how under-reported this is because there are so many powerlines that aren't near people and aren't near townships that are not going to be found." More than 9,400 powerline crossings at "risky altitudes" were recorded during the project. Mr Webb said it was "a significant number". "If we can learn from that and do some more mitigation work in those areas, well, that's fantastic," he said. However, he said more investment in implementing mitigation was needed. "It's taken all this time to really realise what's happening and how these birds can see these powerlines. "We've got to catch up to all those kilometres and kilometres of powerlines that have never had anything and, in fact, make it mandatory that all new powerlines have flappers on them." Dr Pay said installing mitigation technologies could be costly. "The only thing that really holds it back is the amount it costs to get these things put out and also to maintain them," he said. "It'd never be feasible to put them everywhere, but [it is feasible] to target them where they're needed, using methods like the model that we've developed." TasNetworks said mitigation technologies were installed "all the time, based on high-risk areas and new reporting". "We're investing strongly in new technology like fibreglass cross-arms and the delta design standard to make the network itself more bird safe, in turn reducing the need for flappers and perches," a spokesperson said. If you find an injured or dead raptor in Tasmania call 1800 RAPTOR (1800 727 867).
ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Ending Victoria's timber industry has created a 'time bomb' in the state's mountain ash forests
Vast tracts of Victoria's alpine forests are one major bushfire away from oblivion, according to a growing number of scientists. Alpine ash, a tall eucalypt, is most vulnerable to fire because it takes at least 20 years to produce seed. "There's probably about 80,000 hectares which is young forest currently and will be young forest for the next decade or so," University of Melbourne scientist Tom Fairman said. Dr Fairman, a future fire risk analyst at the School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences, has calculated that in the past two decades, half of the state's mountain forests have been ravaged by bushfire. After six high-intensity major fires in those years, government agencies have re-sown tens of thousands of hectares of burnt country, broadcasting seed from aircraft to reach impenetrable slopes and valleys. With fires occurring on average every four years, young alpine ash that has not sprouted since then are at high risk of summer bushfires killing them all. Dr Fairman called it a "ticking time bomb". He and other leading scientists, alarmed at the precarious state of the mountain forests, have accused the Victorian government of not doing enough to address the problem. Owen Bassett, a silviculture, or forest, scientist has spent decades working on the post-fire recovery of Victoria's 600,000 hectares of alpine and mountain ash forests. From a mountain near Mount Hotham he looks across ridges of dead trees rolling to the horizon. Some are weather-bleached skeletons, others are strewn across the bare ground. Devastating fires, not logging as some claim, are to blame. The trees, which grow to 80 metres, once flourished here but this landscape is so degraded some want alpine and mountain ash declared a threatened species. Successive fires have thwarted attempts to re-seed the trees. Mr Bassett said the sudden shutdown of Victoria's native timber industry in 2023, six years earlier than expected, had inadvertently further jeopardised this ecosystem. Vic Forests, which was responsible for collecting and preserving vital eucalypt seed for forest regeneration, was closed. "In their absence, DEECA [Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action] is attempting to put together a seed program," Mr Bassett said. The government has just awarded tenders to seed harvesting contractors who scale the giant trees to gather the tiny pinhead-sized seeds at the tree's crown. Landline can reveal the contracts are only for one to two tonnes of seed from alpine and mountain ash species in the next two years. Mr Bassett describes the amount as "woefully low". In past years about three times that amount was collected. He believes 17 tonnes of seed is now needed to ensure there are sufficient supplies to re-seed burnt areas after severe bushfires. He said responsibility for the alpine forests should be broadened and favours the establishment of privately funded seed banks supported by corporate and community donors to assist the state. Victoria's native species seed bank was depleted following re-seeding efforts after the Black Summer bushfires. Next to no seed has been collected since the timber industry shut down and seed-harvesting contractors were retrenched. Brendon Clark, long regarded as the industry's best harvester, did not put in a tender for the latest seed collection contract. He said the amount of seed and the remuneration were both inadequate. "Our forest is in serious trouble," Mr Clark said. Watch ABC TV's Landline at 12:30pm AEST on Sunday or stream any time on ABC iview.
ABC News
21 hours ago
- ABC News
Broken Hill teenager Molly Molloy selected for NASA program in Texas
Outback New South Wales teenager Molly Molloy is no stranger to the vast, glittering expanse of the night sky and next month she will pursue that interest on the other side of the world. The 17-year-old from Broken Hill is one of two Australian students selected to take part in an annual education program at the United Space School (USS) in Houston, Texas. Run by the Houston Association for Space and Science Education (HASSE) and operated in partnership with several international education organisations and NASA's Johnson Space Centre, the program immerses students in a NASA-like environment to plan a simulated mission to Mars. Molly, who learnt of the program in early primary school, said she was thrilled to find out her application was successful. "I was very, very excited," she said. "It came at a good time to hear some good news — I'd just lost my grandfather earlier that day. "It's such a great opportunity, especially to go to America … to learn so much." Molly's interest in the stars began at an early age and has also been motivated by local amateur astronomer Trevor Barry, who has worked with NASA. "She heard his story when he won the Australia Day Award [in 2021] … he really inspired her," Molly's mother Kellie Molloy said. Mr Barry, a former mine worker, swapped underground darkness for planets and galaxies decades ago and built an observatory in his backyard. His research, particularly his observations of gas giant Saturn, is used by NASA, has been published in peer-reviewed science journals and has earnt him the highest national and international awards achievable by a non-professional. But the 73-year-old said his various accolades paled in comparison to seeing young people develop an interest in astronomy. "I always make the point that 90 per cent of the population or more never look up, aren't interested," Mr Barry said. "It's a goal in my life to inspire young people to actually head towards the sciences, particularly space astronomy. "There's going to be so many opportunities going for [Molly] and it's great to see this young lass embrace that." Molly is not sure what awaits her in America, but she is looking forward to learning new skills that she hopes will help with her long-term goals. "At the moment, I'm looking at a career in engineering — I'd like to be an electrician," she said. "When [the program] accepted me, they asked what career path I wanted to take and they were very surprised [but] excited that someone wanted to be an engineer." Ms Molloy said there was a chance her daughter would come back home with a new dream. "This is something that will be an eye opener for [Molly]," she said.
