The Coal Authority’s Post

Zoning and management changes to further conserve Great Sandy Marine Park’s unique habitats have come into effect today. Great Sandy Marine Park, in the Wide Bay-Burnett Region, surrounds the K’gari (Fraser Island) World Heritage Area and is an area of exceptionally high natural and cultural value that extends from Double Island Point in the south to Baffle Creek in the north. The changes are a boon for biodiversity, with 28.5 per cent of Great Sandy Marine Park now falling within highly protected green and yellow zones. Changes include: 🐟 Increasing the marine park's green zones (where fishing and netting are not permitted) from 3.9 per cent to 12.8 per cent, protecting iconic species that call this habitat home. 🦈 Increasing designated Go-Slow areas to better protect threatened marine species such as turtles, dugongs, shorebirds and grey nurse sharks. 🐠 Removing commercial large mesh gill and ring netting from the yellow conservation park zones within Baffle Creek, Elliott River, Burrum River system, the Great Sandy Strait and Tin Can Inlet. Financial assistance is available for the commercial fishing sector directly impacted by the re-zoning. For more, see https://buff.ly/3wIDPrz #GreatSandyNP #30by2030 #Saved #MarineParks #Conservation

To avoid waste going to landfill at our Edenbridge project, we reutilised tree logs and vegetation cuttings by creating hibernaculas within the wider area, which will be home to animals including protected species such as the great crested newt, toads and a plethora of insects and invertebrates. This project involved conducting devegetation along the railway embankment to improve safety and enable us to carry out planned works, which included tree and hedgerow removal. However, we planted new hedgerows to replace the ones that were taken out which will also act as a protective shelter for a diverse range of wildlife. The species living within the hibernaculas and hedgerows are an important part of healthy ecosystems, providing a rich food source and shelter for larger wildlife groups including birds, mice and hedgehogs. 🐁 🌳 #environment #sustainability #wildlife

Our world is complex and interconnected. Climate action is not just about carbon. #sustainability #lighting #lightingdesign #environment #biodiversity

This story, along with the return of the Common crane to the midlands fill me with hope and excitement, and their importance cannot be underestimated. So much is changing and it can be difficult, especially for communities, but the creation and preservation of healthy wetland ecosystems can only have positive long term effects. https://lnkd.in/e3rFtKFx

🌱🌊 International Day for the Conservation of Mangrove Ecosystem 2023! 🌏🌿 Today, let’s celebrate the #mangroves, a remarkable ecosystem in safeguarding our planet's health! Due to its habitat being the coastline and intertidal area, mangroves have adapted their body parts to a number of #environmental challenges like being perpetually submerged in high salinity water to being bombarded with storms and waves. As an ecosystem, mangroves provide a sanctuary for a diverse array of plant and animal species. They act as nature's guardians of #biodiversity, supporting countless species in their life cycles. Mangroves are also nature's first line of defense against #coastal erosion and storm surges. Their dense root systems act as a natural buffer, shielding coastlines and communities from tropical storms and rising sea levels. For local #communities, mangroves can also act as a source of #sustainable livelihoods. They provide valuable resources such as multiple forest produce, both timber and non-timber. Mangrove also play a role as fishing grounds, supporting the well-being of coastal populations that rely on #fisheries. Let's stand together in celebration of the International Day for the #Conservation of #Mangrove Ecosystem so this magnificent #ecosystem can last for generations to come! #coastalresilience #SDG14 #WorldMangroveDay #MangroveDay #marineconservation #BCAF #BlueCarbonAcceleratorFund

A lovely Marsh Fritillary spotted this week on a Bodmin Moor peatland restoration site 🦋 This beautiful species, once widespread, is now threatened in the UK and across Europe. Marsh Fritillary relies on extensive habitat networks and is now confined to the western side of Britain and Ireland. As the name suggests, its main habitat are damp marshlands and shorter grasslands. They also rely on Devil's-bit Scabious and other Scabious species as their main foodsource and also hibernation spots. A sighting of a rare species like this, the first in years at this location, is a key reminder of the vital importance of creating spaces where nature and wildlife can thrive, particularly the often overlooked insect species. We are sometimes told 'nature will heal herself' - this is not the case. Humans have, and have had, such a vast impact on the landscape that we now need to invest in our wild spaces, shape the right habitats to flourish and think thoughtfully about how to tackle degrading and drained landscapes that provide little biodiversity support. Spaces like this area of holistic peatland restoration works on South West Water land on Bodmin Moor are doing just that, holding back water in the landscape, slowing the flow down, tackling erosion, improving the hydrological functioning of the peat and diversifying plant and wildlife species. Watch this space 💧 Lovely fritillary spotted by SWW Director of Natural Resouces Carolyn Cadman SWPP is funded by Natural England South West Water #UpstreamThinking #DuchyOfCornwall National Trust Environment Agency Cornwall Council #peatlandrestoration #peatbog #peatland #generationrestoration #landregeneration

This is a very short sighted statement from the government. They're right that habitat restoration and strengthening the populations of extant species are vital steps towards restoring nature. But rebuilding habitats without all the species that should be living there is like trying to build a jigsaw without all the pieces. We need to rebuild our whole ecosystems for both nature and people to survive and flourish. Extirpated native species are the missing pieces of the jigsaw: reintroducing them allows lost ecological processes to restart again. The UK is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world - restoring our missing species can help to change that.  https://lnkd.in/grB_93fk

Q. What is an ecological community? A. Diverse groups of living organisms from plants to animals, coexisting in their unique habitat. Unfortunately, many of these natural assets are under pressure from a range of things including land clearing, fire, invasive species, climate change, water diversion, pollution, and urban development. Over the past 5 years we have been working on the Bush for Birds project, a $5 million landscape-scale project in north east Victoria to restore and replace vital woodland habitat for the Regent Honeyeater and Swift Parrot, two nationally threatened woodland bird species. This large-scale grassy woodland restoration project aims to improve the population trajectories of the Regent Honeyeater and Swift Parrot, through wide-scale implementation of land management agreements with landholders, management of key pests (Noisy Miner control), as well as implementing a range of monitoring and engagement activities. The project aims to address a legacy of habitat clearing and ongoing threats to the species' survival, by engaging with land managers, private landholders, local communities and Traditional Owner and First Nations groups in the region. Our key partners for the project are BirdLife Australia; Trust for Nature; and #SwampsRiversRanges, together with local Landcare groups and networks across the north east region of Victoria. Find out more at https://lnkd.in/gFC4ni_Y #NationalLandcareProgram #CMAsGetItDone #25yearsjustgettingstarted

The headline is that 20 conservation projects will benefit from what's called the Species Survival Fund, with "the ambition to restore over 3,300 hectares of critical habitats for wildlife, such as the Atlantic rainforest, grasslands, woodlands, and wetlands – a total area equivalent to the size of York." This will make a great difference to organizations and communities laser-focuses on helping to restore biodiversity-rich nature across England - but then what we're talking about here are just 25 million. Don't get me wrong, communities can do a great deal with 25 million - but where do these 25 million stand in context with the British government's overall spending, with regard to nature restoration - but also with regard to subsidies for climate-and nature-harming industries? Cain Blythe sure you would know? Where can I find out more about how much the UK govt actually allocates for nature restoration efforts?    https://lnkd.in/dpt45h5j