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V/Line will pay more than $188,000 after undertaking clearing works that affected the population of a listed critically endangered species.

On 17 July 2009 the Federal Court declared by consent that Rocky Lamattina & Sons Pty Ltd took an action likely to have a significant impact on the South-eastern Red-tailed Black Cockatoo in contravention of section 18(3) of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

Bridge and Marine must pay $200,000 towards the remediation of grasslands, purchase of offsets and recovery actions for a nationally protected species after it cleared an important grassland site for storage of heavy materials.

An enforceable undertaking was accepted on 8 February 2010 from Holcim Australia-formerly Cemex Australia-following an incident in late 2008 where work at the company's quarry damaged part of the National Heritage place.

An investment company will pay $62,000 towards conservation research and protect up to 13 hectares of threatened species habitat after breaching national environment law.

The City of Greater Geelong Council approved works that resulted in the removal and disturbance of approximately 0.8 hectares of a critically endangered ecological community

A departmental investigation found that Singleton Council had allowed the clearing of part of a critically endangered ecological community.

A departmental investigation found that Douglas Edward Rutledge had allowed the clearing of an endangered ecological community protected under national environment law at Warren in the NSW Central West.

The department's investigation found that Centennial Coal's long wall coal mining operations on the Newnes Plateau, near Lithgow, New South Wales, had caused a significant impact on the endangered Temperate highland peat swamps on sandstone ecological community.

The Australian Government secured a legally enforceable $305,000 pledge from plantation timber company Hancock Victorian Plantations Pty Ltd to repair damage done to a critically endangered grassland in south western Victoria

An enforceable undertaking has been agreed to by the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities to the sum of $80,400 after Coppercats Pty Ltd and Gallivantour Super Pty Ltd were found to have wrongfully cleared vegetation.

An enforceable undertaking was accepted on 31 October 2012 from Goodman Property Services following an incident in early 2011 where work at the company's Bungarribee Industrial Estate cleared 3.4 hectares of a critically endangered ecological community

An enforceable undertaking was accepted on 31 October 2012 from Marloelle Pty Ltd following clearing between late 2008 and mid 2011.

A quarry owner will pay $100,000 in compensation after clearing eight hectares of habitat for listed black cockatoos at Nowergup in Western Australia without authorisation.

SENG are in Canberra at the National Conference in September

SENG Victoria Newsletter - September 2013

Previously unknown fish, Hemiscyllium halmahera, uses its fins to move along the sea bed in search of crustaceans

A species of shark that uses its fins to "walk" along the bottom of the ocean floor has been discovered off the coast of Indonesia. The shark, Hemiscyllium halmahera, uses its fins to wiggle along the seabed and forage for small fish and crustaceans, scientists from Conservation International said on Friday.

The shark, which has wide horizontal stripes, grows to a maximum length of just 30in and is harmless to humans.

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Massacres of civilians are being exploited for narrow geopolitical competition to control Mideast oil, gas pipelines

On 21 August, hundreds - perhaps over a thousand - people were killed in a chemical weapon attack in Ghouta, Damascus, prompting the US, UK, Israel and France to raise the spectre of military strikes against Bashir al Assad's forces.

The latest episode is merely one more horrific event in a conflict that has increasingly taken on genocidal characteristics. The case for action at first glance is indisputable. The UN now confirms a death toll over 100,000 people, the vast majority of whom have been killed by Assad's troops. An estimated 4.5 million people have been displaced from their homes. International observers have overwhelmingly confirmed Assad's complicity in the preponderance of war crimes and crimes against humanity against the Syrian people. The illegitimacy of his regime, and the legitimacy of the uprising, is clear.

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Under the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth Recovery Project, the Australian Government has approved more than $162.8 million in projects to preserve the region’s unique ecological character as a wetland of international importance.

The Australian Ramsar site nomination guidelines are the 4th module of the Australian National Guidelines for Ramsar Wetlands - Implementing the Ramsar Convention in Australia.