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Plans to build luxury holiday cabins, majority-owned by venture capitalists, in public forests put protected wildlife and their habitats at risk

Four years ago the environment secretary, Caroline Spelman, told the House of Commons that she was ditching the coalition government’s plans to privatise the Forestry Commission (FC). “I’m sorry. We got this one wrong, but we have listened to people’s concerns,” she said.

But if you go down to the woods today, you may have a big surprise, because privatisation of our woodlands appears to be proceeding by the back door.

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Agency application on ecological sustainability - call for public comments open from 19 February 2015 until 26 March 2015

Seriolella brama (blue warehou) listed as conservation dependent under the EPBC Act, effective 14 February 2015

We need to cut carbon pollution to avoid North American mega-droughts

California is in the midst of its worst drought in over 1,200 years, exacerbated by record hot temperatures. A new study led by Benjamin Cook at Nasa GISS examines how drought intensity in North America will change in a hotter world, and finds that things will only get worse.

Global warming intensifies drought in several ways. In increases evaporation from soil and reservoirs. In increases water demand. It makes precipitation fall more as rain and less as snow, which is problematic for regions like California that rely on snowpack melt to refill reservoirs throughout the year. It also makes the snowpack melt earlier in the year. The record heat has intensified the current California drought by about 36%, and the planet will only continue to get hotter.

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Suspects could face 10 years’ jail after wildlife including skinks, geckos, frogs and pygmy pythons was found by customs hidden in luggage and parcels

Four men are in custody in Perth accused of attempting to export more than 150 native animals from Western Australia.

The men were arrested at Perth international airport earlier this month after customs was tipped off by postal workers who noticed something amiss in packages sent from destinations including Carnarvon, Tom Price and Geraldton. All were destined for Europe.

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Find out the latest updates on the Commonwealth Marine Reserves Review.

While we focus our anger on Japan using ‘scientific research’ as an excuse to kill marine life, Europe is doing the same thing under our noses with electric pulse trawling, with potentially disastrous effects

One of the biggest jokes in conservation is the Japanese government’s claim to be engaged in “scientific whaling”. All the killing by its harpoon fleet takes place under the guise of “research”, as this is the only justification available, under international rules.

According to Joji Morishita, a diplomat representing Japan at the whaling negotiations, this “research programme” has produced 666 scientific papers. While we must respect Mr Morishita’s right to invoke the number of the Beast, which may on this occasion be appropriate, during its investigation of Japanese whaling, the International Court of Justice discovered that the entire “research programme” had actually generated just two peer-reviewed papers, which used data from the carcasses of nine whales.

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Funding for a range of interpretation, communication and promotion activities that promote community participation and awareness of places listed on Australia’s National Heritage List. Applications close 5 March 2015.

Scientists find evidence of vast ‘storage tanks’ of water deep below the melting Greenland ice sheet that could have a major effect on sea level rise, reports Climate News Network

One small mystery that surrounds Greenland’s melting ice is a little closer to being solved as scientists in the US confirm that surface meltwater can drain all the way down to fill concealed lakes under the ice.

This means that atmospheric warming can reach thousands of metres below the ice sheet − warming the glacial base and potentially increasing its rate of flow.

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Freedom of information request by Sea Shepherd and No WA Shark Cull Inc the first attempt in Australia to use FOI to access physical objects

Environmental groups have applied to have the jaws of two great white sharks that were killed after a shark attack off the West Australian coast last year released under freedom of information (FOI) laws.

It’s the first attempt in Australia to use the FOI act to access physical objects.

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Round Three of the Private Irrigation Infrastructure Operators Program is now open for applications within the Murray and Murrumbidgee catchment in New South Wales. Applications close Thursday 30 April 2015.

The Department is seeking public comment on the Draft referral guidelines for the Tasmanian Giant Freshwater Lobster (Astacopsis gouldi). Comment period closes on 3 March 2015.

Australia’s State of Conservation Report on the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.

The 2015 State Party Report is a progress report outlining Australia’s substantial progress in implementing key requests made by the World Heritage Committee.

In Ireland, greys squirrels are being pushed into the sea and the reds are swarming back across the land – all thanks to pine martens

Is there anything more stupid than the government’s plan to kill grey squirrels?

I ask not because I believe – as Animal Aid does – that grey squirrels are harmless. Far from it: they have eliminated red squirrels from most of Britain since their introduction by Victorian landowners, and are now doing the same thing in parts of the continent. By destroying young trees, they also make the establishment of new woodland almost impossible in many places. As someone who believes there should be many more trees in this country, I see that as a problem. A big one.

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The consultation period for the southern brown bandicoot (south-eastern) Isoodon obesulus obesulus has been extended to 27 February 2015.

A blanket of clouds amass inside the Grand Canyon on Wednesday in a rare meteorological phenomenon known as 'cloud inversion'. Timelapse footage shows the clouds swirling inside the famous canyon located in Arizona. Experts say the inversion occurs in low wind when warm air sits on top of the clouds, causing them to remain close to the Earth's surface Continue reading...

Orders issued for the creation of regulations for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority to put an end to the dumping of capital dredge material in the Marine Park.

The Treasury is seeking comment on proposed exemptions from the Corporations Regulations 2001 for Emissions Reduction Fund participants to simplify the application of the financial services regulations. Comments close 13 February 2015.

The Treasury is seeking comment on proposed exemptions from the Corporations Regulations 2001 for Emissions Reduction Fund participants to simplify the application of the financial services regulations. Comments close 13 February 2015.