What’s happening to our native wildlife across the country is just as horrific as what we witnessed in that video – it’s just occurring behind closed doors
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We’ve all seen the distressing footage of an American influencer taking a wombat joey away from its mother. The joey hisses and stirs, while the distraught mother circles the woman until she eventually drops it back to the side of the road.
The tourist calls herself both a conservationist and an ecologist. But most of us can recognise that this is not the behaviour of someone who values our native wildlife.
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
03/14/2025 - 01:33
03/14/2025 - 01:00
The Loess plateau was the most eroded place on Earth until China took action and reversed decades of damage from grazing and farming
It was one of China’s most ambitious environmental endeavours ever.
The Loess plateau, an area spanning more than 245,000 sq miles (640,000 sq km) across three provinces and parts of four others, supports about 100 million people. By the end of the 20th century, however, this land, once fertile and productive, was considered the most eroded place on Earth, according to a documentary by the ecologist John D Liu.
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03/14/2025 - 00:00
Cuttings of tree captured by John Constable being planted on restored Devon floodplain
Captured by John Constable in one of his most celebrated paintings, the black poplar tree was once as common as oak and beech in Britain.
Now the rarest and most threatened native species in the country, the National Trust is creating a living gene bank of the black poplar to ensure Constable’s The Hay Wain does not become a tribute to an extinct breed.
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03/13/2025 - 19:13
Montana-based hunting influencer flies out of Australia on Friday after home affairs minister said he couldn’t ‘wait to see the back of this individual’
A US hunting influencer who caused outrage in Australia after grabbing a baby wombat from its mother has left the country after the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, said immigration authorities were checking if she had breached the conditions of her visa.
A government source told the Guardian that Montana-based Sam Jones left the country on Friday morning.
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03/13/2025 - 13:00
Researchers say environmental impact from Kakhovka dam explosion comparable to Chornobyl nuclear disaster
The destruction of a large Ukrainian dam in 2023 triggered a “toxic timebomb” of environmental harm, a study has found.
Lakebed sediments holding 83,000 tonnes of heavy metals were exposed when the Kakhovka dam was blown up one year into Russia’s invasion, researchers found.
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03/13/2025 - 12:09
A recent study has reclassified the species commonly known as the Javan rhinoceros, proposing a more precise scientific name: Eurhinoceros sondaicus. The research highlights key differences in body structure and ecology that set this species apart from the Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis). Recognizing it as a separate genus not only improves scientific understanding but also has important implications for conservation efforts.
03/13/2025 - 12:00
Former hospitality workers reflect on how the pandemic spurred job pivots – and big life changes – five years later
Five years ago on 16 March, the sound of my cellphone buzzing on the nightstand jolted me awake around 8am. Unless you’re a morning prep cook or a baker, restaurant workers aren’t typically early risers. Sleeping late isn’t a luxury when you work in restaurants; it’s a necessity – essential to managing the job’s rigorous mental and physical demands.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but we’re laying everyone off at the restaurant,” the gravelly voice on the other end said. “Someone from HR will be in touch with you shortly.” It was the general manager of the midtown Manhattan steakhouse where I had been waiting tables for over two years. Like most hard-nosed restaurant managers, he wasn’t known for being very sentimental. But that morning, he seemed genuinely remorseful.
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03/13/2025 - 11:00
Nearly 200 groups urge Congress to reject fossil fuel industry immunity efforts, fearing long-term damage to climate lawsuits
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As fossil fuel interests attack climate accountability litigation, environmental advocates have sounded a new warning that they are pursuing a path that would destroy all future prospects for such cases.
Nearly 200 advocacy groups have urged Democratic representatives to “proactively and affirmatively” reject potential industry attempts to obtain immunity from litigation.
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03/13/2025 - 09:25
Federal judge Tanya Chutkan issues restraining order pending new filings over billions in axed research grants
A federal judge considering the Trump administration’s abrupt cancellation of climate research grants worth billions of dollars told government lawyers they had to produce “some kind of evidence” of wrongdoing to back up such drastic actions.
Climate United, which coordinates investment in clean energy projects, sued to seek access to $7bn that was frozen before it was cancelled on Tuesday night by Lee Zeldin, the New York Republican congressman turned administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
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03/13/2025 - 08:00
Noaa, my former employer, is an integral part of our daily lives, tracking hurricanes, supporting safe flights and helping farmers
Across the United States, from rural communities to coastal cities, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) is an integral part of our daily lives, safeguarding communities and fostering economic vitality.
Whether it is tracking the path of hurricanes, managing our nation’s fisheries, providing critical information to air traffic controllers and airlines, or helping farmers plan for weather extremes, Noaa’s science, services and products have a significant impact on every American.
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