In this issue


ECOS ECOS
Issue 169



Features

Carp herpesvirus could stem the tide
While two years of flooding rains have brought our river systems back to life, populations of carp – previously held in check by the drought – have exploded. This will likely have dire consequences for our waterways and native wildlife. A recently identified biological control agent may one day keep carp numbers in check.
Article Image
 
An island getaway for the birds
Twelve years ago, kikuyu grass was wreaking havoc on the seabird habitat of Montague Island, nine kilometres from the southern New South Wales coast. Revegetation programs have since started to push back the weed front. In February this year, ECOS joined a group of 16 volunteers from Narooma to find out what effect the weed invasion and revegetation are having on the island's avian inhabitants.
Article Image
 
Limits to managing the landscape with fire
The practice of controlled burning – whether to protect property (fuel reduction burns) or biodiversity (ecological burns) – continues to divide public opinion. However, scientists remind us that controlled burns can only achieve so much, and that the risk of fire will never be completely removed from the Australian landscape.
Article Image
 
Cattle king a climate adaptation pioneer?
Australian cattle king Sir Sidney Kidman (1857–1935) thrived in Australia's ‘dead heart', a huge arid area that few regarded as good pastoral land. His unorthodox approach to dealing with this unpredictable climate and landscape may contain valuable lessons for today's graziers when adapting their enterprises to climate change.
Article Image
 
Coral bleaching: a new form of El Niño implicated?
Coral bleaching in the World-Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef (GBR) has previously been attributed to large-scale climate patterns such as El Niño and La Niña. But these two phenomena – along with the lesser known ‘El Niño/La Niña Modoki' climate pattern – are influencing the GBR in more complex ways than we previously thought.
Article Image
 
Workspaces that work for people: an interview with Frank Becker
Professor Frank Becker of Cornell University works in the field of ‘organisational ecology'. This new discipline understands that physical workspaces both shape and are shaped by the humans who use them. Prof. Becker recently visited Australia as a guest of the Green Building Council of Australia. Michele Sabto asked him how we might use insights from organisational ecology to maximise the benefits of our growing stock of green buildings.
Article Image
 
Top ten predictions for green buildings
Australia's green building sector has come a long way since the first Green-Star rated building was completed in Canberra in 2004. Ms Romilly Madew, Chief Executive of the Green Building Council of Australia, believes green building is fast becoming the norm. Here, she presents her top ten predictions for our future built environment.
Article Image
 

In Brief - Round-up of sustainability news

World's cloud forests in grave danger
 
 
Flood-devasted Grantham rebuild on track for a greener future
 
 
Unlocking seed dormancy: related genes may be the key
 
 
Archived air points to more nitrous oxide from agriculture
 
 
More efficient use of evaporative air-con cuts water use, peak energy demand
 
 
What is happening to the oceans' coldest, deepest water?
 
 
Satellites keep track of ghost nets
 
 
Salt-tolerant wheat a world first
 
 
Long-term warming and sea-level rise continue says key climate report
 
 
Government confirms ongoing water reform role for independent National Water Commission
 
 
Marine aquaculture – Pacific nations advised to proceed with caution
 
 
Rare WA sun orchid found on Bush Heritage property
 
 
On the boil: cleaner stoves for Afghanistan
 
 
Aussies 'want to re-use stormwater'
 
 
Ninti One welcomes Tom Calma as new Chair
 
 
One-stop webshop for coastal research information
 
 
Cane farmers open their gates to the public
 
 
Heavy snows linked to melting Arctic sea ice
 
 
Phosphorus scarcity takes centre stage
 
 
Efficient use 'the main game' say energy experts
 
 
Infrastructure gets star-rating treatment
 
 
Small fish make a big splash in the Pacific
 
 
Pioneering ocean survey launches on GBR
 
 

Past Issues

 

2015

January 2015

2014

December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014


Past Years

2010 to 2013
2000 to 2009
1990 to 1999
1980 to 1989
1974 to 1979



ECOS Archive

Welcome to the ECOS Archive site which brings together 40 years of sustainability articles from 1974-2014.

For more recent ECOS articles visit the blog. You can also sign up to the email alert or RSS feed