Latest news with #freshwater
ABC News
18 hours ago
- General
- ABC News
Hughenden's freshwater crocodile Houdini has found a friend, locals say
Locals in a small north Queensland town say resident crocodile Houdini has found himself a friend. High school captain Lake McDonald believes pictures he has taken prove there are now two freshwater crocodiles living in Hughenden's lake. "We got out of the car, as and we got closer to the lake I noticed [the new crocodile] was smaller than what we'd seen before," the 17-year-old said. "I'd taken some photos [of both] and they do not look the same in person at all." For months Hughenden locals have been adjusting to life with their first reptilian resident. "We saw the first earlier this year when we had our school's cross-country race around the lake," Lake said. Freshwater crocodiles are endemic to northern Australia and are commonly found in river systems north of the Tropic of Capricorn. They differ in size, temperament and snout shape to saltwater crocodiles. Sightings of a second freshwater crocodile in the Hughenden Recreational Lake began after significant rain in March, according to Flinders Shire Mayor Kate Peddle. "We have not one, but two crocodiles now," she said. "There's a lot of comparisons going on at the moment — counting the scales and looking at the necks and how thick they are. "We're not sure entirely how long he or she has been in there, but we suspect it potentially has come down through the rain." Both of Hughenden's resident "freshies" will stay in place as the council examines ways to coexist with them in peace. Cr Peddle said officers from the Department of Environment, Science, Tourism, Science and Innovation advised that the crocodiles could not be relocated because they were a protected species. There is no human fatality caused by a freshwater crocodile on record, but in 2022, a woman was left with a laceration to her arm after she was bitten while canoeing with her family in the Ross River, near Townsville. Cr Peddle said the council would consult with the community about whether they would like to see precautionary signs put up at the lake. Hughenden resident Zeena Lauder thought that was important. "It is a good idea, especially for tourists who are unaware," she said. "I am concerned that one could be a girl and one could be a boy, which could cause an issue." Lake said he felt comfortable with the crocodiles around.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Common vegetable extract found to remove most microplastics from water
An extract derived from okra and fenugreek can remove over 90 per cent of microplastics from water, according to a new study that may help develop safe ways to get rid of the toxic material. Microplastic particles, ranging in size from a billionth to a millionth of a metre, have become widespread environmental pollutants in the last 50 years. They are produced during industrial processes or when plastic debris breaks down in the environment. A growing body of research warns that exposure to microplastics, and in particular their collection in human tissues, may lead to adverse health conditions like stroke and several types of cancer. Scientists have been attempting to develop methods to effectively remove these tiny fragments from the environment as well as from the human body. They have now found that the natural polymers that make okra slimy and give fenugreek its gel-like texture can trap most of these microplastic particles in water. The new study, published in the journal ACS Omega, shows that an okra and fenugreek extract can remove up to 90 percent of microplastics from ocean water, freshwater and groundwater. Natural polymers in okra and fenugreek as well as tamarind grab onto microplastic particles, causing them to clump together and sink to the bottom. This makes it easier to separate the tiny plastic particles from water. Researchers also optimised a process for making okra and fenugreek extracts. They made the extracts by soaking sliced okra pods and blending fenugreek seeds in separate containers of water overnight. They then removed the dissolved extracts and dried them into powders. The powdered extracts were found to contain natural long-chain sugar polymers called polysaccharides. Just a gram of either powder in a litre of water was found to trap microplastics effectively. The dried okra and fenugreek extracts removed nearly 70 per cent to 90 per cent of the plastic in an hour, researchers found. A mixture of equal parts of the powders removed 70 per cent of the plastic particles within 30 minutes, according to the study. Researchers said the plant extracts performed significantly better than commercially available synthetic polymers currently used in wastewater treatment. When researchers tested the extracts on water collected from local waterbodies, they found that okra worked best in ocean water, fenugreek in groundwater, and their combination in freshwater. 'Utilizing these plant-based extracts in water treatment will remove microplastics and other pollutants without introducing additional toxic substances to the treated water,' Rajani Srinivasan, an author of the study from Tarleton State University in the US, said, 'thus reducing long-term health risks to the population.'
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Ministers quizzed over bottom trawling, freshwater, axing Predator Free 2050
Environment Minister Penny Simmonds has defended deep cuts to environment funding at a sometimes scrappy scrutiny hearing, which also saw opposition MPs challenging the government over weakening freshwater rules, bottom trawling near Auckland, and axing funding for Predator Free 2050. Green MP Lan Pham asked Simmonds what risks she saw from about $650 million in cuts to funding for the Ministry for the Environment across the previous two Budgets. "When you compare that to an annual budget of $528m in total, you san see that it's significant," Pham said. "Minister, you've been overseeing those cuts and some of the most damaging legislative changes we've seen in decades." Simmonds said budgets for the ministry were decreasing anyway under previous government. "We are doing things like using the much greater waste levy to go across a range of environmental issues," she said. "It's about getting value for money." "This country could not afford to keep spending the way it had been," Simmonds said. Labour MP Rachel Brooking said none of the government's strategic priorities for reforming environment laws talked about improving the environment and asked if a better environment was Simmonds' goal. "Your strategic priority document talks about improving the RMA (Resource Management Act) to be more efficient and effective but... there is nothing here about improving the environment." Brooking said waste management policies had been weakened. "You're consulting on removing the national bottom lines for freshwater," Brooking said. "These are all things that seem to go in the opposite direction from improving the environment." Simmonds said she did want a better environment but was focused on action. "The question highlights very clearly the difference between ideological statements and commentary and getting things done, and that's what this government is about, getting things done, getting product stewardship schemes in place, getting waste funding used to improve the environment," she said. The government reallocated much of the money from waste levies from purely funding waste-cutting schemes towards paying for broader environmental work in the Budget. "You're quite right, we haven't indulged in ideological rhetoric of the previous government but we are getting on with doing the things [that will help]." Simmonds was asked by Pham for the evidence behind her statements that the balance had swung too far in favour of the environment. "We are managing risk, risk if there is not economic growth, risk if there is not sufficient housing... there is risk of not having development and there is risk of any development that we do on the environment," Simmonds said. In a scrappy exchange over conservation, Minister Tama Potaka was asked about the decision to axe funding for Predator Free 2050 as well as changes to the protection of the Hauraki Gulf from bottom trawling. Green MP Celia Wade Brown said axing funding for Predator Free would only shift the work to an "overstretched" Department of Conservation and asked how volunteers were expected to keep investing their time in culling pests when the government was pulling funding out of conservation. Labour's Priyanca Radhakrishan asked Potaka how he squared the decision to disestablish funding for the Predator Free 2050 company with his statements a few months earlier about its crucial role in eradicating pests. Potaka said the Department of Conservation had had to go through a process of cost savings just as "nearly all portfolios have had to give up something". "One of those choices was to remove the funding for Predator Free 2050 Limited and disestablish that company." He said there had been some duplication between the company and the department, and "a lot of the mahi" could be undertaken by the department. "I think it is important to delineate between opinions and facts," Potaka said. "There is a strong opinion that we are not committed to Predator Free 2050 (the goal) and that is entirely inaccurate, we are consulting right now on a predator free strategy and... we have allocated a significant amount of money." He said 14 jobs would be lost from the closure of the company but some might be redeployed. Potaka accused Brooking of being "out of control" during a heated conversation about wildfire protection rules sparked by a herd of Wapiti deer, a type of elk, which the government recently decided to protect in Fiordland National park. Brooking asked Potaka if Wapiti ate the undergrowth of native forests in National Parks. "Yes, they do eat undergrowth but they also contribute significantly to tourism and getting the economy moving again and we're really thrilled to have partnered with the [Fiordland] Wapiti Foundation... and others," Potaka said. Potaka said he was carrying out conservation reforms because of some "archaic arrangements". Brooking asked, "Is the New Zealand Conservation Authority an archaic arrangement?" and noted it was included in the proposed reforms. "I've never said that, and you imputing that I did I think is out of control," Potaka said. Brooking could be heard saying "settle" during Potaka's answer. Potaka also defended changes to bottom trawling in the Hauraki Gulf under questioning from Green co-leader Marama Davidson, which became another heated discussion. Davidson asked if the minister had sought advice from officials "about the impact of continuing to allow for disruptive trawling and how that will impact on his purview of protection of ecosystems and indigenous species, and what further extra cost or work it might take to fix up that destruction?". "I'm not aware of any extensive advice that has been proffered to me on trawl corridors in the Hauraki Gulf but what I am aware of is extensive advice that's very celebratory of our tripling of the protection [area] in the Hauraki Gulf, which we are going to follow through," Potaka said. On freshwater, Associate Environment Minister Andrew Hoggard said he knew of a vegetable grower producing a quarter of the country's leafy greens who was operating illegally because the council couldn't give him a consent. He defended the proposal to get rid of national bottom lines for water quality. "I'm aware of catchments where water is coming out of nature at quality worse than bottom lines." "We can't just live with no jobs, no economy in an idyllic little paradise." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Zawya
3 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
DMCC signs deal with aqua-index to support first water-backed digital token
DUBAI - DMCC, the leading international business district that drives the flow of global trade through Dubai, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with AQUA-INDEX, a global pioneer in water commodities trading. This landmark collaboration supports AQUA-INDEX's initiative to launch the world's first digital asset token backed directly by freshwater resources, revolutionising how water is traded, valued, and managed globally. The token – the first of its kind globally – is backed by verified, drinking-quality water stored in global reservoirs and will enable investors, hedgers, traders and the general public to trade, hold and take delivery of fresh water as a commodity. By combining financial innovation with water market expertise, the partnership offers a practical mechanism for unlocking new liquidity and transparency in global water supply chains. Under the partnership, AQUA-INDEX will benefit from DMCC's extensive global network, world-class services, advanced infrastructure, and leading commodity marketplace, facilitating the effective trading and investment in water assets. AQUA-INDEX will enhance the availability and exchange of knowledge around global water usage and pricing and provide access to essential trading and hedging products for DMCC and its member companies. DMCC will not directly own or manage the token itself. Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, DMCC, said, 'Nearly half the global population experiences water scarcity for at least part of the year, yet water remains the only critical resource without a mature, regulated market. We are proud to partner with AQUA-INDEX to drive a transparent, neutral, and legally coherent structure and marketplace for water to secure the future of a resource that has long been undervalued. This is the next clear milestone in the formation of DMCC Water Centre, where we will not only bring the conversation of water to the forefront, but also attract the sector's leading companies to create a global centre in Dubai for water innovation, security, sustainable best practice, knowledge and education, while ensuring that the world's most transported commodity has the ability to reach water distressed areas.' Yaacov Shirazi, Chairman and Founder of AQUA INDEX, said, 'Pricing water by the value of its usage, standardisation of water by its mineral content and quality, and turning water to a new asset class for a financial trading, is a gamechanger in the world economy. It will establish new levels of water management which prevents scarcity, contamination, and lack of access." The announcement forms part of DMCC's ongoing efforts to establish the DMCC Water Centre, a dedicated ecosystem for the global water industry that positions Dubai as a central, neutral hub for water trading and innovation. The Water Centre brings together WaterTech innovators, logistics providers and commodity traders under one platform.
Al Bawaba
4 days ago
- Business
- Al Bawaba
Dmcc Signs Strategic Mou With Aqua-index to Support First Water-backed Digital Token
DMCC, the leading international business district that drives the flow of global trade through Dubai, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with AQUA-INDEX, a global pioneer in water commodities trading. This landmark collaboration supports AQUA-INDEX's initiative to launch the world's first digital asset token backed directly by freshwater resources, revolutionising how water is traded, valued, and managed token – the first of its kind globally – is backed by verified, drinking-quality water stored in global reservoirs and will enable investors, hedgers, traders and the general public to trade, hold and take delivery of fresh water as a commodity. By combining financial innovation with water market expertise, the partnership offers a practical mechanism for unlocking new liquidity and transparency in global water supply the partnership, AQUA-INDEX will benefit from DMCC's extensive global network, world-class services, advanced infrastructure, and leading commodity marketplace, facilitating the effective trading and investment in water assets. AQUA-INDEX will enhance the availability and exchange of knowledge around global water usage and pricing and provide access to essential trading and hedging products for DMCC and its member companies. DMCC will not directly own or manage the token Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, DMCC, said: 'Nearly half the global population experiences water scarcity for at least part of the year, yet water remains the only critical resource without a mature, regulated market. We are proud to partner with AQUA-INDEX to drive a transparent, neutral, and legally coherent structure and marketplace for water to secure the future of a resource that has long been undervalued. This is the next clear milestone in the formation of DMCC Water Centre, where we will not only bring the conversation of water to the forefront, but also attract the sector's leading companies to create a global centre in Dubai for water innovation, security, sustainable best practice, knowledge and education, while ensuring that the world's most transported commodity has the ability to reach water distressed areas.'Yaacov Shirazi, Chairman and Founder of AQUA INDEX, said: 'Pricing water by the value of its usage, standardisation of water by its mineral content and quality, and turning water to a new asset class for a financial trading, is a gamechanger in the world economy. It will establish new levels of water management which prevents scarcity, contamination, and lack of access. Water as a collateral will have a significant monetary impact enabling countries and municipalities to increase infrastructure capabilities. AQUA-INDEX, with a new initiative of tokenized water resources, presents the validation of the concept. The collaboration of AQUA-INDEX's patented innovations with the DMCC Water Centre will ensure a leading breakthrough in water ecosystems.'The announcement forms part of DMCC's ongoing efforts to establish the DMCC Water Centre, a dedicated ecosystem for the global water industry that positions Dubai as a central, neutral hub for water trading and innovation. The Water Centre brings together WaterTech innovators, logistics providers and commodity traders under one platform. The introduction of a water-backed token forms a key pillar of DMCC's Water Centre strategy, offering new tools for hedging risk, improving allocation and financing critical infrastructure across water-stressed regions. Further details on the token's trading mechanism, delivery points and relevant regulatory frameworks will be announced in due course.
