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SENG National Newsletter - June 2014

The Threatened Species Scientific Committee is seeking comments on: Shale Sandstone Transition Forest in the Sydney Basin Bioregion ecological community assessment. Comment period closes 11 July 2014.

Agency application on ecological sustainability - comments close 27 June 2014.

Agency application on ecological sustainability - comments close 27 June 2014.

SENG Victoria Newsletter - May 2014

The Department is seeking public comment on a draft assessment bilateral agreement with the Western Australia. Comments close 27 June 2014.

The NPI now has 15 years of data on industrial emissions of 93 substances. Search NPI data

• Sei whale carcass dragged into Hudson River
• Strike is third in north-east waters in recent weeks

A cruise ship heading for New York this month struck and killed a whale and dragged it into the Hudson River, part of a higher-than-usual rate of strikes along the eastern seaboard for this time of year, a federal agency said.

There were three whale strikes recently, including one in which a cruise ship hit a sei whale and did not discover it until it reached port, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.

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Residents in the Kent Weald react with mixture of fear and enthusiasm to news of shale oil reserves and plans to change the law to allowing fracking without clearance

Residents of Kent have reacted angrily to a government announcement that fracking companies will no longer need to ask permission before drilling beneath their homes.

In Tunbridge Wells, Sue Reddick, a local housekeeper, said she was shocked to learn the government was preparing to amend trespass laws to allow companies to operate beneath homes without first asking the owner’s permission.

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Two-toed sloths can take up to decade to bond and breed, but 'sneaky' Marilyn and Leander needed just six months to mate

A pair of sloths have speeded up their usual slow courtship to produce London zoo's first baby sloth – to the surprise of their keepers.

Keepers at London zoo were shocked to discover two-toed sloth Marilyn was pregnant as they were unaware she had mated with male partner Leander, who arrived from Germany in 2012 to be paired with her.

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Experts pick most striking creatures – including a carnivorous raccoon – from over 18,000 species identified in the last year

• See a gallery of top 10 species here

A tree-living raccoon from the cloud forests of the Andes, a sea anenome that burrows into Antarctic glaciers and ultra-hardy bacteria that thrive in supposedly sterile clean rooms are all among the top 10 newly discovered species of 2014.

The list, as selected by an international panel of experts from the 18,000 new species revealed in the last 12 months, aims to highlight the undiscovered richness of life on Earth at a time when human activities are driving species extinct at a rate unprecedented since a giant meteorite strike wiped out the dinosaurs.

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Issue 18 of Communities for Communities is now available

Agency application on ecological sustainability - comments close 23 June 2014

Europe's largest beast is to roam the forests of Romania after 200 years. Adam Vaughan witnesses the buzz as a herd of 17 is released in the Carpathian mountains

The crowd surges forward against the barrier, cameraphones are held aloft, children are hoisted on to shoulders. The celebrities, the first European bison about to set their hooves in this remote Romanian valley in the southern Carpathian mountains for two centuries, wait in the shadows of a huge trailer.

The forest, already home to bears and packs of wolves, is the final destination for 17 of Europe's largest land mammal, some of whom have been travelling hitched to lorries for five days from as far as Sweden. It will be their first time out of captivity.

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From Statue of Liberty to Fort Monroe, a string of national monuments and heritage sites are becoming vulnerable to rising seas, floods and wildfires according to a report from the Union of Concerned Scientists

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Beachcombers and beach cleaning equipment reduce shell numbers and endanger some organisms

You might think twice next time you snag a seashell from the beach and drop it into your pocket: you might be altering the seaside environment.

In a study more than 30 years in the making, researchers have found that the removal of shells from beaches could damage ecosystems and endanger organisms that rely on shells for their survival.

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Australian Heritage Council today announced this year’s recipient of the Sharon Sullivan National Heritage Award.

The overarching focus of the Review is to consider whether the Water Act is delivering on its objectives effectively and with the minimum necessary regulatory burden imposed on the water industry, water managers and irrigators. Submissions close Friday 4 July 2014.

National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (Measurement) Amendment Determination 2014 - consultation draft - Comments close 5 June 2014

National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (Measurement) Amendment Determination 2014 - consultation draft - Comments close 5 June 2014