Ecos articles from April 2004

Ecos archives from April 2004

A focused year.(Editorial)
April 1, 2004... This issue carries the first two of our forthcoming Ecos focus topics, planned to cover what are seen as some of the most important current national subjects by our newly appointed Editorial Advisory Committee. More about the EAC later. The...

Sea levels are rising while storms intensify.
April 1, 2004... A study has confirmed that, under enhanced greenhouse conditions, the sea level in the Australian region is rising at rates that will have a significant impact over decades to come. Higher seas and changes to cyclone intensity are likely to...

Leading wave energy plant begins construction.(Energetech)
April 1, 2004... Australian company Energetech says its innovative wave energy plant at Port Kembla is on track for start-up at the end of the year, claiming it will put Australia at the forefront of the burgeoning wave energy industry. The system employs...

E-document incentive helps reforestation.
April 1, 2004... In an applaudable initiative, investor services and stakeholder communications company Computershare has conceived a scheme to save costs and encourage the redirection of mountains of documentation into nationally significant reforestation...

Shark decline caught on camera.
April 1, 2004... A study by the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), using Baited Remote Underwater Video Stations (BRUVS), suggests severe over-fishing is behind a rapid decline in dwindling shark populations in parts of northern Australia. The...

Positive action on coal-fired power emissions.
April 1, 2004... A significant step has been taken to try to reduce the disproportionately heavy greenhouse gas emissions coming from the nation's coal-fired power stations. Reflecting a proactive approach to tack ling one of our biggest environmental...

Illegal takes outweigh legitimate Southern Ocean fishing.
April 1, 2004... Over the last eight years, the value of illegal catch taken in our southern waters surpassed that recorded by licensed operators, reinforcing concern over the undermining of fisheries' management efforts, and unresolved legal issues. ...

Protection measures against Antarctica's tourist invasion.
April 1, 2004... Australia is leading the initiative to control the impact of rapidly increasing Antarctic tourism, and to ensure that operators are properly regulated. At a special Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting of Experts in Norway during March,...

Ningaloo Marine Park expanded.
April 1, 2004... The Federal Government announced in March an increase to boundaries of Western Australia's Ningaloo Marine Park by 259 square kilometres, approximately 12 per cent of the total area, to include two expired petroleum leases. Minister for...

2004--a year to build on.(Progress)
April 1, 2004... AFTER INITIATION by the Western Australian Government and the Royal Australian Institute of Architects, the Federal Government has positively embraced the labelling of 2004 as the Year of the Built Environment, rolling the concept out as a...

Do greener cities mean healthier people? How do we measure the effect and role of urban green-areas on our lives? The groundbreaking work of a cross-disciplinary project is answering that question and helping to direct the planning of 'livable' cities.(Progress)
April 1, 2004... Australia is one of the most urbanised countries in the world, with more than 90% of the population living in cities and towns. By 2030, more than 60% of the world's population is expected to have made a similar transition, moving from a...

SkyCool--extraordinary paint on a hot tin roof.(Progress)
April 1, 2004... An invention by Conrad Wojtysiak, an industrial chemist with a passion for paint and solving problems, has led to a new roof coating that almost defies the conventional laws of physics. SkyCool[TM] provides a profound cooling effect that can...

Showing the way to building innovation.(Progress)(Evergen consortium)(Cover Story)
April 1, 2004... A new consortium known as Evergen--a collaboration between industry, government, CSIRO and other R&D providers--is on a mission to encourage innovation in the construction industry. It wants to facilitate cultural change so that innovation,...

Ethanol: what's it all about? Ethanol has crept into our petrol, the media, and our lives, and is a confused issue. Steve Davidson looks at why it's on the agenda, who's behind it, and whether it is really a viable green fuel.(includes related article: Ethanol--a renewable fuel)
April 1, 2004... Although alcohol was blended into road transport fuel in Australia as early as 1929, fuel ethanol use is now equivalent to a miniscule 0.2% of this country's petroleum and diesel consumption. Yet, in the last few years, fuel ethanol (normally a...

Could alcohol fuels be cropped?(Progress)
April 1, 2004... Mr Barney Foran of CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, and colleagues Dr David Crane, of the UK Centre for Human Ecology, and Mr Chris Mardon, a Melbourne-based consultant, have been taking an over-the-horizon view of the potential of bio-alcohols,...

A view to the future of Australia's fisheries: according to the Australian winner of 2003's prestigious Japan Prize, the path forward for our national fisheries is in improved data, ecosystem research, cutting-edge management policies, and a scheme that rewards sustainable practice. Dr Keith Sainsbury spoke to Wendy Pyper about his optimistic vision.(Profile)
April 1, 2004... In the days before underwater cameras, CSIRO Marine Research fisheries ecologist, Dr Keith Sainsbury, spent hours diving on trawl nets to assess their impact on marine habitats. It was an exciting time for the young scientist, with hundreds of...

Taking stock: southern bluefin on the line: southern bluefin tuna is classified as endangered and yet, is still heavily fished internationally. Management of the stock is the ultimate fisheries case study, a highly-strung balancing act involving science, long-term personal, diplomatic and political relationships, cultural sensitivities and, of course, money.(Progress)
April 1, 2004... IT WAS Dean Lukin's unprecedented Olympic weightlifting gold medal for Australia at the 1984 Los Angeles Games that first shone a public spotlight on the nation's tuna fishing industry. Memorable images of Lukin pole-fishing southern bluefin...

Battlelines drawn against the cane toad march.(includes related articles: Where the problem began; About the Island Arks)
April 1, 2004... Cane toads have been in the spotlight again due to their alarming advance into Kakadu National Park, where they are expected to threaten native species including the dwindling northern quoll. Sheila Lunter reports that experts recently met to...

Clearly informing ecological citizens.(Ecologic: Creating a Sustainable Future)(Book Review)
April 1, 2004... Ecologic Creating a Sustainable Future by Sandra McEwan Powerhouse Publishing Paperback/112pp ISBN 1863170987 RRP $35.95 Hooray. Building on the ongoing success of the permanent EcoLogic exhibition at Sydney's Powerhouse Museum...

With the heat turned up.(Dead Heat: Global Justice and Global Warming)(Book Review)
April 1, 2004... Dead Heat Global Justice and Global Warming by Tom Athanasiou and Paul Baer Seven Stories Press/Open Media Paperback/180pp ISBN 1583224777 RRP $18.00 Tom Athanasiou and Paul Baer know how to drive home their dedication to...

Herbicides threaten north Queensland's coastal mangroves.(Research)(includes related articles: More about mangroves)
April 1, 2004... The intensive agriculture of north Queensland has recently become known for its downstream environmental impacts. Now a new threat is looming. Researchers have recently discovered that a common agricultural herbicide, diuron, is correlated with...

Gotham City mapped for the grey nurse.(Research)(grey nurse shark)
April 1, 2004... In the fictional realm, Gotham City is synonymous with towering architecture, shadowy figures and colourful villains. But in the underwater realm, it is the name given to one of six habitats identified by the Queensland Government as critical...

Insight into bird recovery in logged areas.(Research)
April 1, 2004... A study by the Research Division of State Forests of New South Wales suggests that it takes up to 22 years for populations of most bird species to recover in regrowth areas after intensive logging. The study also showed, however, that some...

Events calendar.(Calendar)
April 1, 2004... RAIA Profiting from Sustainable Communities Seminar Nationwide, 24 May-3 June. www.builtenvironment2004.org.au/ybe/states/ Events/sustainable_communities/ Whole of Life Costing within Asset Management Sydney, 28-30 June....