California is ablaze, again. So why is this part of the world so notorious for catching fire? This is a story of resource mismanagement, of urbanization, Pocahontas, and a policy that was a bear’s favor.
Current Issues
The Culling of Kangaroos
Having recently spent some time out in country New South Wales, I thought I’d share a quick description of the sight that greets you when you get out past Deniliquin in southern New South Wales and start driving north. It’s arid land, but it’s might still be beautiful were it not for the dead kangaroos that litter roadsides.
Resuscitating Australia’s Floodplains: Environmental Water
The Environmental Water Scheme will aim to rejuvenate one of Australia’s largest drainage basins. I looked at the pros and cons of the scheme during a week in the field.
Rethinking Extinction
We are currently part of the most dramatic mass extinction event that the planet has ever seen, and more of these stories crop up every year. But is it a problem that the alarm bells are only raised when a creature hits the critically endangered level? And how do we even prioritise conservation efforts?
From the Experts
Eva Plaganyi: Understanding the Human Side of Ecology
At the ASFB 2018 Conference, I spoke to plenary speaker CSIRO’s Dr. Éva Plagányi, who works on maintaining the sustainability of marine life. Éva’s work includes interaction with everyone from corporate businessmen to indigenous island populations, and integrating social anthropology into her work has yielded great results. I spoke to Éva on the importance of incorporating social science into ecology.
Invasive Species & Paper of the week
Our Responsibility Regarding Invasive Species (A Counterpoint to Mark Davis)
A short follow-up to last week’s interview with invasion ecologist Mark Davis.
Victory May Not Guarantee Survival in Species Conflicts
We look at a paper which shows that just because a species is stronger than a competitor, doesn’t mean that it won’t be driven out of its range.
