Australian agriculture must adapt to climate change

CSIRO

Australian agriculture needs to urgently adapt to climate change according to a CSIRO book launched this month titled “Adapting Agriculture to Climate Change: Preparing Australian Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry for the Future.” The book covers numerous types of agriculture, aquaculture and forestry practices, proposing options for how practitioners can adapt.

posted by seamas on March 8, 2010 at 7:19 am · filed under

Australians say “No” to illegal timber

Greenpeace Australia

An overwhelming 92% of Australians think government has a responsibility to ensure illegal timber is not sold in this country, according to a recent Newspoll survey commissioned by Greenpeace. The news comes as the Australian Government revealed it may make the importation of illegally-logged timber a criminal offence.

posted by seamas on February 19, 2010 at 7:17 am · filed under

Save our Bush Rally (Melbourne, Feb 24)

EcoShout

This rally in Melbourne aims to draw public attention to the destruction of our native bushland by what organizers describe as “the State Government’s ‘growth-at-any-cost’ policy of building freeways instead of promoting alternative modes of transport.”

At Parliament House steps, top of Collins St, 12pm February 24, 2010.

posted by seamas on February 16, 2010 at 6:23 pm · filed under

ACF welcomes recommendations for NT development

Australian Conservation Foundation

The Australian Conservation Foundation has welcomed a new report from the Northern Australia Land & Water Taskforce recommending against inappropriate large-scale agriculture development due to historically poor rainfalls. “Expanding agriculture would be a major threat to the globally unique natural and cultural features of the region,” warned ACF Executive Director Don Henry.

posted by seamas on February 9, 2010 at 9:05 pm · filed under

Cundall accuses Gunns of corruption

ABC News

Former ABC Gardening Australia presenter Peter Cundall is accusing Gunns and the Tasmanian parliament of corruption following his arrest during a peaceful protest against the Gunns’ pulp mill on the steps of Tasmanian parliament last year. Cundall told ABC news that “When you get a situation where a major proponent of a major pulp mill can actually donate to the main political parties and then cooperate in preparing that legislation for Parliament and passing that through, that is corrupt and I’m fighting against that.”

posted by ruby on February 3, 2010 at 2:57 pm · filed under

Japan demands accredited woodchips

The Wilderness Society

Environment groups have labelled the trip to Japan by Resources Minister David Llewelyn with Gunns boss John Gay and Forestry Tasmania boss Bob Gordon a mercy dash aimed at looking after Gunns’ interests by attempting to keep native forest woodchipping alive in Tasmania.  This trip follows the December 2009 media reports that Japanese companies were demanding Tasmania provide them with Forest Stewardship Council-accredited woodchips — not woodchips from high-conservation-value native forests.

posted by ruby on January 22, 2010 at 2:49 pm · filed under

EU doubts over Federal Government timber research

The Age

In a recent submission to the Federal Government, the European Union (EU) questions research commissioned by the Government into the need to establish laws blocking illegal timber imports to Australia.  The research found that a strict ban would be costly, and warned against Australia acting unilaterally.  The EU submission stated that the research vastly overestimates costs and reminded the Government that ”not only the EU and US but many other countries are developing measures to deal with illegally harvested timber.”

posted by ruby on January 20, 2010 at 1:08 pm · filed under