This aerial view shows the catchment of the Makaroro river, in the Ruahine Forest Park. The river was to be dammed for the Ruataniwha irrigation scheme. Peter Scott, CC BY-ND Christine Cheyne, Massey University Earlier this month, New Zealand’s …
Australia’s Murray-Darling Basin rivers and the policy to restore them, under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, has come under considerable scrutiny with allegations of water theft, inadequate transparency of water management and poor government policy processes, uncovered by ABC investigative reporting …
A team of scientists have compared recent developments in US, Canada, and Australia to identify policies which should be supported by scientists and scientific societies active on the issue. This study, published in the journal Conservation Biology, identified eight reforms …
The SCB Asia Section Board recently held its a training workshop on conservation policy, and invited Oceania board members Richard Kingsford and Megan Evans to share their experiences from working on policy initiatives in our region: SCB Asia board members from around the region, …
What should development in Northern Australia look like? The new ‘food bowl’? Turning the rivers inland? There are grand dreams about developing the ‘north’. But what is the real untapped potential of Northern Australia? Earlier this year, at the Society for …
On Friday, scientists from across the world, in conjunction with scientific societies and the delegates of the Society for Conservation Biology Oceania Conference, called upon Australian governments and parliaments, especially those of Queensland and New South Wales, to take action. We called for the prevention of a return to the damaging past of high rates of woodland and forest destruction, in order to protect the unique biodiversity and marine environments of which Australia is sole custodian.
Queensland’s land clearing has yet again become a national issue. After laws were relaxed under the then Liberal-National state government in 2013, land-clearing rates tripled, undermining efforts to conserve wildlife and reduce carbon emissions.
This week, the Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee recommended the repeal of Section 487 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act 1999. This amendment would prevent individuals and community groups from seeking judicial review of decisions under …
In addition to preparing our own policy statements, SCBO frequently signs or authors policy statements relating to issues that we think are important to our membership. Here are two recent contributions: Review of Australia’s Biodiversity Conservation Strategy 2010-2030 Comments on …
The Society for Conservation Biology in Oceania has released its first Conservation Science Statement, focusing on the plight of freshwater biodiversity in New Zealand. The report, prepared by conservation biologists in New Zealand, provides a background to our current understanding of the science for freshwater ecosystems in New Zealand and then goes on make recommendations on how to protect these declining systems for future generations.
