Habitat Australia articles from October 2002

Habitat Australia archives from October 2002

Snow joke at all. (green Views).(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2002... I refer to your article "Snow Time to Waste" [Habitat June 2002]. Predictions of an 18 per cent decline in snow cover by 2030 are certainly of great concern to skiers, boarders and lovers of our alpine areas. If you are sceptical of such...

Who cares where paper comes from? (green Views).(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2002... What difference does it make what paper is used as long as when its life as a sheet of paper is finished, it can be recycled or is degradable? My bugbear is the green element doesn't realise the fact that the paper industry is the only...

Costa Rica replies. (green Views).(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2002... As requested in August's Habitat, I sent a brief email to the President of Costa R/ca congratulating him on his environmental policy. I thought readers may be interested in his reply (in rather fractured English). Maurice and Ailsa Haenke...

Ecological Triage. (green Views).(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2002... I read Hugh Possingham's article "Ecological Triage" in Nature Australia [Winter, 2002] and I'm surprised that he argues to basically give up on the critically endangered, to save costs. I agree we have to think long term, but if we start to...

Building a brighter future. (green Views).(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2002... I have just read the newsletter about the 60L building and was delighted--I have always thought ACF was about opposing destruction of the environment, which is of course important and worth supporting, but this positive, pro-active move is...

Letter to the WA premier. (green Views).(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2002... I am an 18-year-old Western Australian trying to be an active, aware and responsible citizen of this country. My deepest concern is Australia's failure to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. I am extremely upset that Australia's leaders are...

36th AGM. (green Views).
October 1, 2002... ACF's 36th Annual General Meeting will be held at 7pm on Saturday November 23 at ACF's new headquarters at 60 Leicester St, Carlton. The agenda will include items submitted by members, plus reports from the President, Executive Director and...

Adelaide members and friends night. (green Views).
October 1, 2002... Tuesday November 5, 7-9pm, The Conservation Centre, 120 Wakefield St, Adelaide. Don Henry: "A Sustainable Australia--a South Australian Perspective" Don will update Adelaide members and friends on ACF's sustainable Australia and other...

Casual WA Council vacancy. (green Views).
October 1, 2002... Nominations are invited from members to fill an ACF Council vacancy in Western Australia. Nominees and nominators must be ACF members and nominations must be received at ACF's Melbourne office, 60 Leicester St, Carlton Vic 3053 by close of...

Speaking figuratively. (green Views).(Australian Conservation Foundation meeting)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... ACF staff recently enjoyed an opportunity to meet and speak With a new group of people. On August 15, ACF supporters Lindy and Grant Blashki and Silvia Frassoni Kantor and Michael Kantor hosted a discussion evening, "A Vision for a Sustainable...

ACF Sydney branch meetings. (green Views).
October 1, 2002... Come and help us further the work of the ACF in Sydney. Hear interesting guest speakers and help plan current campaigns and projects. We meet 6-8.30pm every second Tuesday of the month (except December and January) at the ACF Office, Level 1,...

Travel and support ACF special deal for members! (green Views).(Australian Conservation Foundation)(World Expeditions donation)
October 1, 2002... A new arrangement between ACF and World Expeditions means that you can enjoy a fabulous holiday and at the same time raise funds to strengthen ACF's conservation work. Up to 10 per cent of the cost of the land content of any adventure holiday...

Membership milestones. (green Views).(Australian Conservation Foundation)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... ACF wishes to congratulate and sincerely thank the following people from around Australia who, during the months of August and September 2002, reached the milestones of 25 and 30 years of continuous membership. 30 years Dr A Arch,...

Kyoto rises from ashes of Summit. (A word from the Executive Director).(World Summit on Sustainable Development, 2002)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... World leaders at the World Summit on Sustainable Development brought global action on climate change to the brink of reality--despite a weak consensus Plan of Action which will not deliver sustainable development for the 21st Century. ...

Economists weigh in on Kyoto. (Climate Change Campaign).(climate change position)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The federal government's position on climate change is increasingly on the outer. Prominent business leaders are stating that Australia has more to lose financially by being outside of the `Kyoto Club'. We stand to miss out on a $750 billion...

VIC Greenhouse Strategy tossed. (Climate Change Campaign).(Victorian government)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The Victorian government released its Greenhouse Strategy in June 2002 and it included several good initiatives, including mandatory five-star energy rating for new homes. This move could cut household energy use in half, saving energy bills...

US Australia Climate pact. (Climate Change Campaign).(Climate Action Partnership)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The ol' climate cowboys are at it again--with the US-Australia Climate Action Partnership (CAP). CAP gives no commitment to binding targets to reduce greenhouse pollution. One of the greatest insults is the claim that the US and Australia...

WA moves to ban nukes. (Anti-Nuclear Campaign).(Green Party)(Nuclear Activities (Prohibition) Bill)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... In an exciting step towards a nuclear-free Australia, the Greens (WA) are moving ahead with plans for far-reaching anti-nuclear legislation in our largest state. The Nuclear Activities (Prohibition) Bill is set to be introduced to the WA...

Dumping on democracy. (Anti-Nuclear Campaign).(national radioactive waste dump planned)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... In the face of strong community and state government opposition, the federal government is continuing with moves to impose a national radioactive waste dump in regional South Australia. Local residents have taken protest action against...

Living Murray? (Healthy Rivers Campaign).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Right now a consultation process is underway around the need to restore the great Murray River to health. Community views are now sought around three environmental flow volumes that represent cuts to water diversion of 5 per cent, 10 per...

Rights and wrongs of property rights. (Healthy Rivers Campaign).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Do rivers have a right to be healthy? Should native vegetation have rights to exist? We think so. That's why ACF has entered into the current debate around claimed `property rights' for farmers in relation to irrigation, clearing of native...

Mapping salinity in QLD. (Salinity).(Queensland )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... New salinity hazard maps for the Queensland Murray-Darling Basin show that over half of the area faces a serious threat from dryland salinity caused by land clearing. Similar maps are soon to be released for other Queensland regions, and may...

Mambo takes on Sydney reactor. (Anti-Nuclear Campaign).(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... The community campaign to halt a second nuclear reactor in Sydney received a boost recently with support from one of Australia's most noted designers. Reg Mombassa, the name behind the popular Mambo clothing brand, has created a new image and...

Plugging the credibility gap--Rio Tinto urged to end Jabiluka. (Anti-Nuclear Campaign).(uranium mine)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... ACF is calling on mining giant Rio Tinto Ltd to match its recent words with clear action and begin immediate rehabilitation works at Jabiluka. The call follows a commitment by the Chairman of Rio Tinto to plug the mine-shaft at the...

PNG's violent election. (Asia Pacific Campaign).(Papua New Guinea)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Papua New Guinea's just-completed elections have been widely condemned as the most violent and corrupt in the country's 27-year history as an independent nation. At least 30 people were killed in election-related violence and there was...

Johannesburg report back: the World Summit on Sustainable Development was intended to allow governments to set strong, international agreements with binding targets and timetables to protect the environment and tackle poverty. Habitat looks at its successes and failures.
October 1, 2002... "WE HAVE DONE GOOD WORK here in Johannesburg." With those words, Federal Environment Minister David Kemp ended Australia's contribution to the truly disappointing Earth Summit. Did we really do good work? Did the historic United Nations...

In reverse: how far has Australia advanced in its environmental efforts since the first WSSD in 1992? In this potted version of a report done for the ACF, Dr Peter Christoff spells out the bitter truth.
October 1, 2002... OVER THE PAST DECADE, in ecological terms, Australia has been a continent in reverse. It is going backwards on nearly every major indicator of our environmental health, including the loss of plants and animals, land clearing and degradation,...

Thirsty work: it's been a long and parched 35 years between drinks for the Snowy, but on Wednesday, August 29, 2002, the sounds of gushing water could be heard for the first time at the Mowamba River weir wall.
October 1, 2002... LOCALS CROWDED the concrete banks to watch as Victorian Premier Steve Bracks and New South Wales Premier Bob Carr pulled the levers that allowed the Mowamba River to flow down into the depleted Snowy River, instead of being diverted to the...

Trawling the options: the struggle to safeguard our magnificent Great Barrier Reef from over fishing is now entering rougher waters.
October 1, 2002... MORE THAN TWO DECADES after the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park attained World Heritage Area status, it comes as a reality check that only a fraction of it enjoys high protection. Despite its international status as a natural icon and place...

Victoria edges towards an election: Victoria's upcoming state election is decidedly undecided but ACF is more than clear about where the parties need to focus--Sustainability, Energy, Rivers and Forests.
October 1, 2002... THERE HAS BEEN MUCH PROMISING and posturing going on in Victoria as Habitat goes to press, but little hard information on when an election might actually be held. Anytime between the end of November 2002 and the end of 2003 is possible, with...

A quiet and committed conservationist.(Mike Groves)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... IN JUNE OF THIS YEAR ACF's bequests officer, Nola Wilmot, was handed a cheque from the estate of ACF Life Member, Mike Groves (1943-2001). In handing over the legacy, two of Mike's children, Caroline and Michael, were able to impart some of the...

Butterfly gardening: have you noticed the butterflies in your area, like little fairies, flapping around the flowers or nestled among grasses in the cool of the early morning?
October 1, 2002... What is a moth and what is a butterfly? Most moths come out in the evening and are attracted to light whereas butterflies operate in daylight and are generally noticed in sunshine as they feed on flowers. Some moths, such as the large...

Spotlight on Borneo: Miow Yen Yap didn't expect to get caught up in an emergency orang-outang evacuation while on sabbatical from her high-flying corporate job. (New ACF Member Profile).
October 1, 2002... PREVIOUSLY, MIOW YEN'S attitude was tend your own garden and let others look after theirs. However, in May of this year, while on a trip to Malaysia via Indonesia, Miow Yen found herself asking friends for financial support for the urgent...

Ideas in print.(new books)(Book Review)
October 1, 2002... The Great Barrier Reef: History, Science, Heritage By James Bowen and Margarita Bowen Cambridge University Press RRP $79.95 This glossy hardback provides a comprehensive cultural and ecological history of European impact on the Great...

Good meat guide. (consuming Choices).
October 1, 2002... I have noticed that my supermarket now stocks organic meat. It is slightly pricier than regular meat but I'm wondering what the real differences are to the production, the animals' welfare and our health? And how can I tell if the produce is...

A revolution in reporting. (Annual Report 2002).(Australian Conservation Foundation report)
October 1, 2002... In Natural Advantage--a Blueprint for a Sustainable Australia, ACF laid out its vision of a sustainability revolution, clearly outlining innovative solutions to radically reduce the environmental impacts of Australia's economic activity. The...