Environment
Conservation
From the Archives, 1993: Sightings raise hope for rare parrot
Sightings at Werribee Sewerage Farm of two orange-bellied parrots wearing leg bands in 1993 lifted hopes that one of Australia’s rarest birds could be saved from extinction.
- by Graeme O'Neill
Latest
Editorial
City life
Powerhouse power down risks museum losing purpose
A $500 million redevelopment of the Powerhouse Museum seems on hold as authorities return to their old indecisive habits.
- The Herald's View
We thought we’d saved the whales. Were we wrong?
Antarctica is a place of solace and sustenance for southern-hemisphere whales, but for how much longer?
- by Amanda Hooton
Analysis
Brumby debate
National Parks juggles death threats and stalking as well as feral horses
As feral horse numbers explode in the delicate Australian alps, park rangers facing death threats have ramped up security as they combat the damage the brumbies cause.
- by Nick O'Malley
From the Archives, 1993: Rare possum’s habitat destroyed by mistake
In 1993, a mapping error resulted in the destruction of a prime habitat of one of Victoria’s rarest mammals, the endangered Leadbeater’s possum.
- by Graeme O'Neill
Exclusive
Biosecurity
A weed masquerading as a shrub killed Anna’s two ponies. It’s still sold in garden centres
Cestrum nocturnum, a decorative, sweet-scented but highly toxic shrub popular in gardens, is taking off as a weed in NSW – but the government has not banned it.
- by Caitlin Fitzsimmons
‘Trashed and trampled by feral horses’: Alpine species at risk of extinction
With feral horse numbers soaring in the Australian Alps the federal government’s own threatened species advisory body has called on it to intervene.
- by Nick O'Malley
Victoria’s koalas: abundant and widespread? Or diseased and dwindling? It’s complicated
Victoria still has a large koala population, but they face threats like poor genetic diversity, the risk of disease and climate change.
- by Miki Perkins
A pit lake larger than Sydney Harbour: Hazelwood owners plan for coal mine site
Hazelwood’s owners say a giant pit lake is the best way to provide geological stability to the mine void, but environment groups fear it could strain the river system.
- by Miki Perkins
Opinion
Environmental protection
A koala colony gave hope of a better tomorrow. Not anymore.
The discovery of a flourishing koala colony at Gunnedah once held great optimism for the species’ future. As it declined, it became a political football.
- by The Herald's View
How the healthiest koala colony collapsed into extinction
Calamity has struck the koalas of Gunnedah, the NSW town that still calls itself the “koala capital of the world”.
- by Nick O'Malley and Wolter Peeters