Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife officers are successfully
using tape recordings of cane toad noises to catch more of the
pests in Darwin’s Nightcliff area. Six cane toads were
recently apprehended in the area, the invasion linked to the
arrival of a furniture van from Queensland that contained pot
plants. As soon as the initial toads were discovered, NT Parks
& Wildlife officers asked nearby residents to play tapes of
cane toad calls at night to attract any further toads. As a result,
another three were found lurking in neighbouring backyards. All the
toads were of similar size and therefore not the offspring of the
original toad. Nevertheless, cane toads are expected to arrive
permanently in Darwin between 2010 and 2020.
If you sight the toads before this time call
PWCNT for the Toad Tapes. Tel: (08) 8999 5511. Also see web link
below .
Cane Toads have reached Darwin much earlier than this
prediction and in 2005 are now threatening Western
Australia.
TROPICAL Savannas CRC’s water and carbon project has
estimated that if left on its own (no fire, no insect attacks etc.)
a 100m x 100m patch of savanna woodland near Darwin will add around
2.7 tonnes of carbon in the form of extra wood, leaves and grass
each year. This is about 5 per cent of the standing biomass. To put
this in perspective, the same area of old growth Amazon rainforest
puts on about 1 tonne of carbon a year—so the Darwin
woodlands are growing relatively rapidly. Of course, fire and other
impacts will reduce this figure every few years, but the idea is
that over recent decades these woodlands have “bulked
up” considerably. Presumably this growth may slow as the
canopy thickens, and photosynthesis reduces. It is also thought
that every few decades a catastrophe of some sort will thin the
woodlands so much, they go back to square one. The last time this
happened around Darwin was during Cyclone Tracy, so these woodlands
could still be recovering from that event.
Contact Lindsay Hutley, details below
.
THE latest range of enhanced satellite image data products is
now available to users at greatly reduced prices. The Australian
Centre for Remote Sensing (ACRES) has signed a Memorandum of
Understanding with the satellite operator, the United States
Geological Survey (USGS). Because of the US Government’s
decision to reduce fees for Landsat access, ACRES can offer new and
previous Landsat image data at prices reduced by up to 75 per cent.
The Landsat 7 images also feature a new sensor, the Enhanced
Thematic Mapper Plus, and means the images will have higher
resolution than previous Landsat satellites. ACRES has a network of
distributors, both in Australia and overseas.
See web link below for AUSLIG.
QUEENSLAND’S Environmental Protection Agency has published
a comprehensive account of Queensland’s regional ecosystems
with The Conservation Status of Queensland’s Bioregional
Ecosystems , edited by Paul Sattler and Rebecca Williams. The
report describes the regional ecosystems of Queensland as the
primary basis for planning the conservation of biodiversity. It is
also useful for land-use planning. The 13 ecosystems described in
the book are derived from landscape patterns, geology and land form
and vegetation to provide a robust classification for biodiversity
planning at the landscape scale. The book has detailed maps,
photographs, lists of resources and references as well as the
summaries of the ecosystems and bioregions.
Supplies of the book are now very low. It is currently available
at a reduced price of $20.00 + $5.00 postage and handling. Contact
the Naturally Queensland Information Centre.
Tel: (07) 3227 7057 Fax: (07) 3227 8749.
See the web link below for the regional ecosystems content on
the EPA website.
AUSTRALIA’S rural women now have their own website.
Developed by the Women in Rural Industries Section of the Federal
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, the aim is to
provide a voice for rural women in developing the
government’s rural policies and programs. The website
provides access to a wide range of information about what the
government support for women in rural industries.
Tel: Anne Quinn (02) 6272 5554
See web link below
PARKS & Wildlife Commission of the NT and Parks Australia
North, which run Uluru and Kakadu, are on target for an October
release of the new strategy for tour operator licensing and
training in the parks. The aim is to ensure tour operators are
prepared and qualified to operate tours and guide groups in a safe,
environmentally sustainable and culturally appropriate way. The
strategy will tackle licensing accreditation compulsory criteria
and training assessment procedures.
Mark Sparrow Market Equity
Tel: (08) 8364 2424 Fax: (08) 8364 1151
marksparrow@marketequity.sa.com.au
