Wildlife road kills outside Environment departments’ jurisdiction to act, so ignored
In this sixth article in the series ‘Wildlife road kills versus Vision Zero 2050’, freelance journalist Patrick Francis examines what
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Taking the blinkers off rural road safety – how wildlife vehicle collisions can be minimised
In the fifth article in the series ‘Wildlife road kills versus Vision Zero 2050’ Patrick Francis explores existing initiatives which provide transport departments with an avenue for including wildlife in road crash risk assessment.
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Safe System Principles and Vision Zero 2050 fail equity test on shared rural roads
In the fourth article in his wildife road kills series Patrick Francis questions why Safe System principles ignore rural road pedestrians safety as well as wildlife vehicle collisions.
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Connection between wildlife and road casualties unrecognised in Vision Zero 2050
Patrick Francis interrogates the road crash statistics generated by numerous federal and state government departments for clues to why millions of wildlife become road kill each year.
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Driver behaviour dictates politicians’ attitudes to vehicle wildlife collisions
Patrick Francis reviews the published evidence behind the disconnect between Australian drivers attitude to maximum speed limits and the messages behind tens of thousands of wildlife warning signs installed across regional, rural and remote road networks.
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Signs signs everywhere wildlife signs and dead wildlife
Patrick Francis examines why there are tens of thousands of yellow wildlife warning signs along Australia’s rural and regional roads but no guidance to drivers from state transport and environment departments about what speed should be embraced to prevent vehicle wildlife collisions, vehicle occupant casualties and road kills.
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Surging global tourism CO2 emissions unstoppable
Implementing disincentives for tourists to travel overseas may be the only way developed countries can reduce aviation greenhouse gas emissions and meet the net zero 2050 target.
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Soil carbon sequestration not a panacea for agriculture’s climate change mitigation
World Resources Institute challenges regenerative agriculture advocates claims about soil carbon as a major offset for agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.
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Nature Repair Market: suggestions for avoiding unintended consequences
The Nature Repair Market is likely to become available to farmers across Australia in 2025 but its operator the Clean Energy Regulator needs to ensure its unintended consequences are recognised and managed.
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Warm winters are waking snakes early
By Damian Lettoof, Chris J Jolly, Timothy N.W. Jackson; For people in southeast Australia, springtime means soaking up the sun
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Shock cord collar trial starts
Shock cord looks a likely replacement for leather as sheep collars carrying each ewe’s easy to read management tag.
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Seasonal Update Autumn Winter 2024
Variable autumn winter rain opens opportunities for pasture renovation while wildlife road kills continue due to lack of interest in lowering the default 100km per hour speed limit through the Moffats lane wildlife hotspot.
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Financial institutions are driving red meat sustainability demands
Despite the red meat industry having a carbon neutral 2030 policy a study into meat processor attitudes found the sector does not see value in product-level greenhouse gas emissions credentialling for consumers.
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Uncertain permanence makes soil carbon credits risky
Adopting management to support and increase soil carbon on a continuous basis is vital for supporting a multitude of ecosystem functions but does not guarantee soil carbon increases are permanent.
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Air travel highlights climate change policies inconvenient truth
Flying is an example of greenhouse gas emissions activity that will not achieve net zero by 2050. It’s emissions are likely to increase over the next 20 years. Terrestial CO2 abatement is not a long-term solution as the farm land it takes place on is needed for food production and to support the planet’s ecosystem functions.
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Climate Emergency – a Plan versus an Action Plan
A comparison of two councils climate emergency plans one with emission reduction targets, the other without them.
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How a five year old clover herb pasture impacts lamb growth
Diversified clover herb ryegrass pastures need specific management to maintain composition, livestock performance and lower methane emissions.
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A climate emergency plan without targets is greenwashing
By Patrick Francis In October 2023 the Macedon Ranges Shire Council requested submissions about its Draft Climate Emergency Plan 2023
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Lambs, pastures, wildlife a 2023 spring bonanza
Winter spring 2023 has produced exciting results with wildlife, pastures and Wiltipoll flock performance.
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Council hears knock but door remains shut on pedestrian and wildlife safety
The Macedon Ranges Shire Council had an opportunity to give its residents an enlightened road safety plan to enhance living in a rural setting and interacting with nature. Instead its plan continues to prioritise driver convenience above public and wildlife safety on rural roads close to shire towns.
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Proliferation of soil carbon credit projects despite scientists urging caution
Emission Reduction Fund soil carbon projects are proliferating on Australian farms despite warnings from scientists they are not providing permanent carbon abatement.
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Romsey Structure Plan skittles environment, local food and lifestyle objectives – Why it should be returned to authors for further investigation
If re-written with a vision to embrace solutions to lower greenhouse gas emissions, abate carbon dioxide, use nature to address the Climate and Biodiversity emergencies, and encourage local food production, the Romsey Structure Plan would provide a blue print for sustainable development within town boundaries across the shire and give resident families the life styles they move to the shire to experience.
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Fertilise the system to build soil organic matter – SOM is more than carbon
A farming system in which inadequate nutrients limit crop/pasture productivity, microbial activity and maintenance of SOM clearly requires a paradigm shift.
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Irish multi species pastures lift livestock productivity
Evidence is mounting that multi-species pasture gives a lift to ruminant livestock productivity per hectare compared with monoculture pasture while at the same time increasing paddock ecosystem services and reducing methane emissions per kg of carcase weight.
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Wildlife rescue services provide clues to native animals threats
Wildlife rescues and road kills increasing as vehicle drivers maximum speed limit remains unaltered in wildlife hot spots.
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Draft community local laws ignore wildlife and people using minor rural roads
Draft Local Community Laws 2023 seem to ignore impacts to residents and visitors of inappropriate driver speed on minor rural roads, local light planes, and inadequate weed and feral animal control.
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Is regenerative agriculture a leap of faith?
The results of the Page Witts survey indicates that amongst farmers themselves what their methods are called means very little, it is the direction they are heading and outcomes achieved in conjunction with nature that is important.
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Paying farmers to create habitat blocks the most cost-effective way to hit UK environment targets
New UK research shows farmers are not only willing to set aside parts of their land for nature, but that incentivizing them to do so will cost less than current financial incentives.
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Record rain and lamb growth highlights for spring 2022
By Patrick Francis It’s been a spring like no other ever experienced with four consecutive months rainfall above 100mm. It
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A rural land use strategy with no future
The Macedon Ranges Shire Council’s Draft Rural Land Use Strategy fails to incorporate climate change abatement, carbon and biodiversity farming, and local food production as key issues for future landholders.
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Give sheep greater pasture species richness and they eat more
Sheep and cattle pasture intake is impacted by a range of complex interactions associated with plant biology and animal physiology, by providing livestock with greater choice they eat more, grow better and paddock biodiversity with all its ecosystem services implications is enhanced.
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Livestock essential for balanced diet and environmental well-being – scientists
By James Nason Scientists from around the world gathered in Dublin in October 2022 to examine negative claims regularly levelled
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Boosting biodiversity inconjunction with intensive pasture farming
Intensive livestock grazing which incorporates holistic management will support and improve grassland biodiversity; destocking can lead t biodiversity decline.
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Livestock enviro footprint needs context
To feed and nourish the whole world, we will need to significantly increase the productivity of small-scale livestock systems.
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Using livestock manures to boost pasture growth
Livestock manures can be a cost effective alternative to inorganic fertilisers but must be applied at rates which counter growth limiting nutrients.
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Alternative fertiliser trials highlights pasture phosphorous response
The soil treatments with the lowest cost of producing extra pasture were those that addressed first limiting nutrients.
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