Coalition asks miners and coal seam gas firms to respect farmers' 'moral rights'
Turnbull government ministers say farmers’ right to determine what happens on their land should not be trumped by laws that give companies access The Coalition government is asking miners and coal seam gas companies to recognise that the “moral right” of farmers to determine what happens on their land overrides companies’ legal right to explore […]
Swimming with humpback whales to be trialled at WA's Ningaloo marine park
Trial a bid to increase ecotourism at famous marine park where 20,000 people swim with whale sharks each year Related: Swimming with whales: a frolic in the wild or an accident waiting to happen? Swimming with humpback whales will be allowed at Western Australia’s famous Ningaloo marine park next year as part of a bid […]
With 90% of the UK’s ash trees about to be wiped out, could GM be the answer?
Scientists have proposed a radical solution to help trees develop resistance to ash dieback. But critics fear there could be unpredictable effects Genetically modified ash trees could replace the 80 million expected to die in the next 20 years from a deadly fungus, scientists have proposed. The radical solution to the greatest woodland disaster of […]
Rescuers work to free humpback whale from fishing line off California
The adult animal, seen off Newport Beach, was struggling to escape a potentially deadly situation as line was tangled in its mouth Marine experts were on Saturday trying to save a humpback whale that was struggling off the coast of California, with a length of commercial fishing line tangled in its mouth. Rescuers were following […]
First glimpse of rare Omura’s whale – video
An international team of biologists has made the first-ever field observations of one of the least known species of whales in the world – Omura’s whales – off the coast of Madagascar. With footage shot by Salvatore Cerchio of the New England Aquarium and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the whales are so rare that scientists […]
Two missing after Texas floods as storms move east through state
Tornado reported near Houston amid series of water rescues Two people earlier reported killed, in Austin and near San Antonio Another round of storms and strong winds was moving east across Texas on Saturday, and two people were missing from earlier flash floods in the Austin area. Related: Texas buffeted by rain, storms and suspected […]
Eyewitness: Halvergate Marshes, Norfolk
Photographs from the Eyewitness series Continue reading… Source: Guardian Environment
New bat species rises from vaults of London's Natural History Museum
Pickled bat that has lain in the museum for 30 years is a previously unknown species named Francis’ woolly horseshoe bat, experts have confirmed A pickled bat kept in the vaults of London’s Natural History Museum for 30 years is a previously unknown species, experts have confirmed. The discovery of a new creature of the […]
Where witches cut their wands and butcher birds impaled their prey
Slaughter Hill, Haslington, Cheshire Slaughter Hill may be a corruption of “Sloe Tree Hill”, as blackthorns grow here – trees of ill omen, cantankerous crones “The trees are undressing,” as Thomas Hardy wrote in his poem Last Week of October. Today, burnt-toffee and russet leaves litter open farmland, one moment absinthe-green, the next treacle-dark as […]
Julie Bishop wants to co-chair Green Climate Fund derided by Tony Abbott
Fund is seen as critical to the success of December’s climate summit in Paris, which aims to reach an agreement on global emissions reductions after 2020 Foreign minister Julie Bishop has launched a bid to co-chair the Green Climate Fund once dubbed by Tony Abbott as the “Bob Brown bank”. Related: Countries pledge $9.3bn for […]