Science

A rare seahorse found in NSW coastal waters has been given additional protection with the state's Fisheries Scientific Committee (FSC) deciding to list the species as endangered. Following a review of the nomination and a public consultation period, the FSC, an independent committee of seven scientists, determined White’s Seahorse is at high risk of extinction in the near future. Named...

You are invited to join local naturalists and visiting entomologists and ecologists on a search for butterflies, beetles, grasshoppers and bugs along the foreshore of Lake Curalo in Eden this Sunday. Bega Valley Shire Council is partnering with Atlas of Life to host an Insect Ramble! Council’s Natural Assets Officer, Jessica O’Brien, believes the event is a golden opportunity to...

Wondering how the Far South Coast's fledging koala population is going? A workshop tomorrow, November 6 at Tanja is a good place to get answers and join the conservation effort. "There was a koala sighting on Doctor George Mountain Road about two months ago," says National Parks Threatened Species officer, Chris Allen, who has been studying koalas for about 25...

Mogo Zoo without Sally Padey?! At the end of this month that will be a reality. It's something Sally herself is coming to terms with. "The sound of the lions roaring, it just resonates right into your soul - I am going to miss that so much," Sally told ABC South East NSW. Aside from being Sally's home for the...

Native grasses are a key component in building a sustainable farming future according to one of the region's expert land managers. David Eddy, Senior Land Services Officer with South East Local Land Services has been mesmerised by big open spaces since his days bushwalking and camping as a boy with his nature-loving, country raised parents. "It seemed to me that native...

Blink and you'll miss it! What was once light-years away is now closer than ever thanks to researchers from the Australian National University (ANU), who are using optical technologies to revolutionise systems that we use every day. From monitoring systems for safer driving, moving holograms on your phone to super-fast, light-based WiFi, the research is a step closer with $34.9 million...

Trees are turning brown in the green forested landscape of the Bega Valley and Eurobodalla as dry times push the environment to its limits. Big patches of what appears to be dead and dying bush are a talking point and visible from the Princess Highway north and south of Bega and west of Moruya. "It's the drought, it happened back...

Are you one of the many Australians who have gone through life believing that you are "bad" at maths? I definitely am and I'm sitting with Julie Davies, an accredited TAFE teacher with an engineering background, who teaches adults and high school students maths through her Bega business, Mandala Maths. It hadn't crossed my mind that we'd end up doing maths...

Citizen scientists in South East NSW are being asked to help in a vast study investigating what is killing Australia’s iconic Snow Gums. Dr Matthew Brookhouse from The Australian National University (ANU) says very little is known about 'Snow Gum Dieback’, despite it being a widespread phenomenon throughout the Australian Alps. “Snow Gums are an iconic part of the Australia Alps –...

Having earlier accepted the term 'climate emergency' in the wording around the Shire's soon to be exhibited Climate Resilience Strategy, a rescission motion from Cr Robyn Bain brought the matter back to the chamber for discussion at Bega Valley Shire Council today. "Life is about language," Cr Bain told the overflowing room of onlookers. In Cr Bain's view the term 'climate...

Currently living in Wollongong, Aly Khalifa is an innovator of global stature focused on social impact and sustainability. Aly is driven by harvesting plastic waste from our oceans and turning it into useful products as part of a circular economy. His training as both a designer and mechanical engineer, coupled with deep international manufacturing experience, has enabled him and his...

The 600 people who filled the lawn in front of the Eurobodalla Shire Council during the Global Climate Strike on September 20 wanted action on climate change at all levels of government. “They are determined, passionate and clear about what needs to be done to avert a climate catastrophe," says Allan Rees from Eurobodalla 350.org “It was bigger than any...

The ocean plays an integral part in why many of us choose to live on the Far South Coast of New South Wales. This is a coastline of mostly wild and pristine places, with thousands of hectares of National Park, hundreds of beaches and dozens of estuaries, rivers and creeks. And an incredible array of ocean wildlife that is easy...