In this issue

	ECOS Issue 132

Editorial - Out of sight, out of mind There has recently been sporadic media coverage of the environmental problems associated with the expansion of the South-East Asian oil palm industry due to increasing international demand for vegetable oils. If ever there was a sustainable development challenge to consider as a case study, this is it. Download Article

Researchers identify a likely carp control
A potential new biological control agent could help eradicate one of Australia's most invasive aquatic pests - carp. Researchers at CSIRO Livestock Industries' Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL) in Geelong, along with the Department of Primary Industries Victoria, are investigating Koi herpesvirus as a means of controlling the introduced fish.
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AFL goes carbon neutral The Australian Football League's 'AFL Green' program will neutralise an estimated 120 000 tonnes of greenhouse emissions generated from AFL headquarters, the pre-season competition, the main Premiership Season and Finals Series matches over the next three years. Now individual AFL clubs are beginning to commit to the program. Download Article

Emission reducing technology pays off PLASCON^TM technology, jointly developed in Australia by CSIRO and SRL Plasma Ltd to convert hazardous gases and liquids to harmless substances, is reducing potent greenhouse emissions around the world and paying back handsomely. Download Article

A global win for the Gold Coast's Pimpama Coomera water plan The Gold Coast City Council has won the Global Grand Prize at the recent World Water Congress in Beijing for its Pimpama Coomera water plan, which is designed to deliver Australia's largest fully integrated sustainable water community. Download Article

NEW! Environmentally friendly insecticides By targeting the chemistry of an insect's own hormones, CSIRO researchers - in collaboration with Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) Ltd - are developing a new class of insecticide that is pest-specific and produces no harmful environmental side effects. Download Article

Running a smart farm A partnership involving CSIRO's ICT Centre and CSIRO Livestock Industries based at the JM Rendel Research Laboratory near Rockhampton is working towards the 'Smart Farm' of the future, with research focusing on Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) and their potential to transform the Australian agricultural industry. Download Article

Switched on to green power Fuji Xerox Australia recently announced that it will soon run its company sites on 100 per cent green power from renewable energy sources. Over the next four years the company will be increasing its use of renewable energy-based power by 25 per cent annually, aiming to purchase 100 per cent green electricity by the year 2010. Download Article

Fossilised giant clams give high fidelity climate records Ancient giant clams dug from Papua New Guinea's tropical rainforests have provided Australian paleoclimatologists with a unique and detailed record of climate 400 000 years ago. The new lead promises to help answer some of today's central climate change questions. Download Article

A community revolution Around Australia, ordinary people are forming organisations and mobilising against sustainability challenges in a wave of community-level action. Download Article

CSIRO: 80 years of impact Over the eighty years since CSIRO was formed, the organisation has made an indelible mark on the nation, through internationally renowned scientific and technological advances. Here are just a few of those advances, which have brought us closer to a sustainable future. View full text PDF Download Article

The new oil barrens Asia's expanding oil palm plantations are proving double trouble as rising international demand for palm oil in supermarket foods, cosmetics and now biofuel is providing new incentive for wide-scale clearing of tropical rainforest habitat in South-East Asia. With more awareness, can the golden promise of palm oil be delivered sustainably? Download Article

$uper powers How investment funds could be driving progress in an emerging 'sustainability' economy. Download Article

Plantation, paper and milling show how it's done The Australian Plantation Products and Paper Industry Council's recently launched sustainability action plan has raised the bar for industry commitments to practice improvements. Download Article

Greening the planet, one backyard at a time Urban backyard gardens are becoming an increasingly popular part of living sustainably. Download Article

Review - 100 climate change leading organisations How 100 leading global companies (76 US and 24 non-US) are preparing and positioning themselves to face the challenges of climate change. Download Article

Review - Long-term prosperity needs 'resilience' Current approaches to sustainable natural resource management are failing us, according to Resilience Thinking, a new book by CSIRO scientist Brian Walker and science writer David Salt. Resilience Thinking: Sustaining Ecosystems and People in a Changing World by Brian Walker and David Salt Download Article

Fungi convert waste starch into value Researchers at the University of South Australia are turning starchy wastewater from a potato chip factory into the high demand food additive, lactic acid, using a single stage process driven by fungi. Download Article

Vegetation carbon stock has doubled since 1788 Researchers investigating how Australian vegetation has changed since European settlement, taking into account the rapid rise in atmospheric CO₂ concentration over the last two centuries, have found that the total carbon stock in the living vegetation may have doubled. Download Article