Lisa Olsen’s Post

A win for community organising and the arid lands - Buffel grass has been declared a weed across the Northern Territory! Buffel grass is a major threat to biodiversity, transforming landscapes and altering fire regimes. This landmark decision is the result of decades of relentless advocacy and community organizing. A victory is not just for the community but for the desert plants and animals that desperately needed this outcome. Now, to get on with stoping the spread! To understand the issue and possible solutions check out the Arid Lands Environment Centre’s position paper, Firestorm - Understanding the risks and seizing the opportunities to better manage buffel grass across the Territory. - https://lnkd.in/g_3XmeNw

As fall sets in, pollinators like bees and butterflies rely on late-blooming plants to provide the food and resources they need for winter survival. These plants, from goldenrods to asters, are critical lifelines for pollinators and a key part of maintaining biodiversity in our ecosystems. Learn more about the importance of these late-season blooms in Pollinator Partnership's latest blog, and discover how small actions can help protect pollinators across North America. 🔗 Read the full blog: https://lnkd.in/g7zS4Ani

On February 8, 2023, Assemblymember Gail Pellerin of the 28th Assembly District introduced Assembly Bill 2103 (formerly 566), which will allow California State Parks to more effectively work with conservation organizations to protect priority lands and grow Big Basin, Butano, and Año Nuevo State Parks —a region with incredible biodiversity and natural resources recently devastated by the 2020 CZU Fire. 🌲 🌲 🌲 On May 16, 2024, Assembly Bill 2103 passed the California State Assembly appropriations committee. This is another step closer to rebuilding parks like Big Basin Redwoods State Park and protecting our recovering habitats, but AB 2103 needs to keep moving through the Assembly to become a reality. ▶️ ▶️ ▶️ Will you urge state leadership to support AB 2103 to rebuild State Parks?: https://bit.ly/3V89Xyc

At first glance, the sagebrush landscapes of the west may seem drab and devoid of life. This couldn’t farther from reality. The sagebrush sea is home to hundreds of animal species—and many of them can survive nowhere else. Sagebrush plants sustain iconic western wildlife like pronghorn, greater sage-grouse and the tiny pygmy rabbit. Every year we lose another one million acres of this essential landscape to fire, invasive species, development and more, but there is hope. With innovation, collaboration and partnerships, we are working to save this ecosystem. Read more: https://nature.ly/45bPwDU

In a historic win for ecosystems, the #NatureRestorationLaw has been adopted by the European Union this week! It's the first continent-wide, comprehensive law of its kind aiming to restore Europe's ecosystems - 81% of which are currently in poor condition. The Nature Restoration Law sets targets to: 🌿 Restore at least 20% of the EU's land and sea areas by 2030, and ultimately all ecosystems in need of restoration by 2050 🐝 Reverse pollinator decline by 2030, and achieve increasing trends for pollinator populations 🐟 Restore 25,000 km of rivers to a free-flowing state by 2030 🌻 Improve and re-establish biodiverse habitats on a large scale, spanning wetlands, forests, grasslands, and more While this is a remarkable win for ecosystems and all who depend on them (read: all of us), there's still more to do. Globally, 75% of land and 66% of marine environments have been altered by human activity, and one out of eight million plant and animal species are threatened with extinction. In that vein: If you're a founder working on protecting or restoring ecosystems, please don't hesitate to reach out. We'd love to talk! #Ecosystems #Nature #Biodiversity #ImpactInvesting

The concluding book excerpt series explores humanity's impact as an "unprecedented global superpredator," with profound consequences on wildlife, ecosystems, and our future. It raises urgent questions about the recognition of the crisis's severity and whether we've crossed an irreversible point. To read more, click here - https://lnkd.in/dpukJh39

THE SILENT CALL OF THE WILDERNESS —Venter Mwongera The Silent Call of the Wilderness is a novel advocating for the protection of the environment and wildlife. The novel stresses on the interrelation of plant, animal and human life in relation to coexistence and maintenance of the life cycle. Many tend to forget that we can never escape the careless treatment to the environment, cutting down trees, invading forests with settlements as was the case in the Serengeti when the first chapter unfolds. It is due to this carelessness that we see the adverse effects of man’s actions; dried up rivers, scarcity of food for wildlife leading to extinction and loss of general beauty of the environment. We get to see through the eyes of the animals; the direct inhabitants of the forest ecosystem and get to feel their pain as they observe their ‘end’ with no power to stop humans from this forceful menacing invasion and selfishness. As the novel progresses, we witness how unified purpose and pure intentions of creating a sustaining development of the ecosystem and the educating of future generations towards proper relationship with the wild life is vital for the progression of human animal interaction: That in some way when animals of the wild are not affected by drought and famine; humans get to benefit as well from this beauty. The book is meant for all audiences; the young and the old, men and women, inside and outside Africa (the scene not being a limiting factor). Everyone needs to learn the importance of the environment and the direct impact that the environment has on their lives and with that knowledge; avoid careless actions like deforestation which may lead to very un-preferable repercussions. AFRICAN INK PUBLISHERS LTD +254768928383/+254715654842 Email: africaninkke@gmail.com

FBA gets up close and personal with the “Vulnerable” Ornamental snake (Denisonia maculata). 👀🐍 FBA’s Environment Leader Shannon van Nunen and Environment Project Officer Mietta Morris saw the reptile at a workshop organised by CSIRO at Brigalow Station, outside Moura. The workshop brought specialists and experts in the field together to discuss a potential method for assessing habitat quality for the threatened species. Native to Australia and specifically found in Queensland, their habitat is in a Brigalow Threatened Ecological Community. Mietta said they saw three Ornamental snakes while spotlighting, which is currently the preferred method for spotting the snake. She said the Ornamental snake was a cryptic species with very little data. One component of this exciting project involves sequencing the DNA of the Ornamental snake to do environmental DNA assessments and has already seen a successful result. Read more about the Ornamental snake here: https://shorturl.at/OEhGd

New research into the Black Summer bushfires recommends Aboriginal cultural fire knowledge to reduce the severity of bushfires’ impact on biodiversity. A new paper, published today in Nature Magazine, found the unprecedented severity of plant and animal biodiversity losses in the Black Summer bushfires depended largely on past fire history – greater loss occurred in areas subject to frequent, recent, and extensively burnt areas. Aboriginal cultural fire practices are typically smaller and cooler than the prescribed burns conducted by governments to mitigate fire risks – and are increasingly becoming understood by land managers as an effective, holistic tool to heal and manage Country. The Federation had the pleasure of facilitating development of the Traditional Owner Cultural Fire Strategy – a Victorian Traditional Owner plan to reintroducing cultural fire to the landscape, proposing achievable actions and clarifying the role of governments and other partners in a Traditional Owner-led approach to land and water management. Traditional Owner groups have known for tens of thousands of years what Country needs, and are generous in sharing their expertise and experience today. LEARN MORE | https://lnkd.in/gCuVyCGt READ THE ARTICLE | bit.ly/40LEwgb

Discover the UK's top 8 Common Bumblebees! With 24 species buzzing around, some rare and some familiar, these eight are the ones you're most likely to spot. Check out this poster for a handy guide to identifying these buzzing beauties, lovingly created by the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. Remember, start with the tail colour, and work your way up! For more tips on identifying bumblebees, head to bumblebeeconservation.org #Bumblebees #NatureLovers #BeeIdentification Bumblebee Conservation Trust