Ecos articles from October 2006

Ecos archives from October 2006

Vision rewarded.
October 1, 2006... This issue's lead feature article (page 18) celebrates Brad Norman becoming the first Australian in 25 years to win a Rolex Award for Enterprise. Only five of these coveted international prizes are presented every two years--they recognise...

Climate change planning call for 'sea change' regions.
October 1, 2006... Scientists have highlighted that concerted preparations need to be made to combat sea-level rise along coastal areas. They are particularly calling for the development of constructive national and international partnerships to underpin efforts...

Call for more dingoes to restore native species.
October 1, 2006... Reintroducing more dingoes to Australia would help control the population of nuisance pests and restore some of the country's dwindling native species populations, according to research by Professor Chris Johnson from the School of Marine &...

South Australia's grid payback makes solar easier.(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... South Australia will be the first Australian state to introduce a Feed-In Tariff policy for electricity, providing renewed incentive and support for the take-up of solar energy technology by households. Under the progressive new policy,...

Aluminium's 30 per cent energy reduction target.(aluminum production)
October 1, 2006... Australian researchers are investigating a new way of making aluminium that could cut the energy required to produce the metal by up to 30 per cent, appreciably reducing greenhouse impacts. Aluminium production consumes as much as 15 per...

Shower with air to save water.(Aerated Showerhead)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Researchers at CSIRO's Manufacturing and Materials Technology have developed a showerhead that could save up to 20 000 litres of water per year per household. Fitting onto existing showerheads, the Aerated Showerhead fills the outpouring...

Wungong's Urban Water Master Plan a pace-setter.
October 1, 2006... Catering for 40 000 residents, the recently launched Wungong Urban Water Master Plan, the first of its kind in Australia, is Western Australia's largest planned redevelopment, showcasing best practices in ecologically sustainable urban...

First environment business community gets a green light.(Yarrabilba Environmental Business Cluster, Queensland )(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... South-east Queensland is set to house the proposed Yarrabilba Environmental Business Cluster and residential development on a 2014-hectare site in the Beaudesert Shire, about 45 kilometres from Brisbane. The planned community, which sets a...

The mechanics of social change: rarely before has society had to consider the prospect of changing its ways so wholly and quickly as it does with the currently emerging environmental priorities. On a global scale, it has never happened. The big question is how do we get society to quickly take a radically different path, and what are the mechanisms behind such a shift? Matt Brace provides a perspective.
October 1, 2006... A crescendo of opinion is calling for society to adopt a drastically more sustainable approach as soon as possible. The urgency of this call seems immediately led by the predicted effects of climate change, but is also fuelled by other...

WA's mining boom: where does it leave the environment?(Western Australia )
October 1, 2006... Western Australia (WA) is one of the 34 most biodiverse regions in the world. Despite extensive clearing, the southwest's plant species outnumber those of the UK and North America combined. There are also five separate national biodiversity...

Queensland's dam strategy raises bigger questions.(Traveston Crossing Dam )
October 1, 2006... At 660 000 megalitres (ML) capacity and inundating 7600 hectares when complete, the Traveston Crossing Dam is being hailed by Premier Peter Beattie as an essential weapon in the battle against the state's worsening water shortage crisis. ...

Stars in the sea.(Cover story)
October 1, 2006... Before the swimmer's eyes, glowing flecks shine like stars eerily transposed into the depths of the sea. Through a blue-dark veil of water, a huge shape gradually resolves itself, rising slowly and majestically to the surface. After...

The biofuels promise: updated thinking: biofuels seem an obvious alternative given the recent surge in fossil fuel prices and more emphasis on environmental impacts. However there are some serious implications of biofuels' wider use that need deeper consideration.
October 1, 2006... It is far from clear that rapid expansion of Australia's nascent biofuels industry would deliver a cleaner, healthier, environmentally benign, renewable source of automotive fuel. The latest flush of political, consumer and industry...

New approaches for traditional ways: things are looking up for the traditional villagers around Bach Ma National Park in Vietnam's highlands. A cooperative international project is teaching them new farming methods that both help preserve their protected region and increase their incomes.(Tropenbos International)
October 1, 2006... The green stems of the choko plant (Sechium edule) are a popular vegetable in Vietnam. Harvested in the clean mountainous regions, they fetch a high price in the markets of Hanoi. Mr Tran Huu Nghi, Director of Tropenbos International's Vietnam...

Safeguarding dangerous shores: a national atlas of acid sulfate soils: in nature, some things are best left alone, buried well beneath the surface. But housing, marina and infrastructure developments frequently disturb coastal acid sulfate soils and sediments, sometimes with disastrous consequences. Now a national atlas is providing a clearer picture of the extent and severity of this phenomenon along Australia's coastline.
October 1, 2006... Fish kills, mangrove dieback, algal blooms and many other environmental problems can often be traced back to one thing: the disturbance of coastal acid sulfate soils. Thankfully, the risks posed by these soils can now be properly identified and...

Water perspectives elegantly collected.(Australia's Water Resources: From Use to Management)(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2006... In Australia's Water Resources: From Use to Management, John Pigram serves the current bubbling Australian water debate by both getting to its crux and mapping its tributaries and ripples. Pigram is an Adjunct Professor with the Centre for...

Nuts and bolts of sustainability online.(Sustainable Development Online )(Website overview)
October 1, 2006... Sustainable Development Online (SDO) is a growing, submissions-based international reference database and part of EnviroWindows, an environmental information website. According to the SDO website, its role is to 'map the continually changing...

Naturally regrowing eucalypts is a challenge.
October 1, 2006... Large areas of Australia's grazing lands now need restocking with native vegetation in order to restore the integrity of the landscape and recharge ecosystems. But while 'natural regeneration' of eucalypts is typically relatively cheap for...

Algae bioreactors that tackle C[O.sub.2] emissions.
October 1, 2006... An Australian company is assessing an innovative, natural system for reducing C[O.sub.2] emissions right at their source, before they hit the atmosphere. Using NASA inspired research, the technique utilises the carbon-fixing abilities of...

Events calendar.
October 1, 2006... Australasian Wildlife Management Society 2006 Conference Auckland, New Zealand, 4-7 December www.awms.org.nz/conference2006.html International Symposium on Drylands Ecology and Human Security Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 4-7 December...