New species 'likely' at uranium site: EPA

New species of native succulent plants appear to have been discovered at the site of a planned uranium mine in Western Australia, the state's independent environment watchdog says.

Australian companies get first shot at green energy cash

David Wroe Australian companies will be guaranteed the chance to pitch for business flowing from the Gillard government's $10 billion clean energy fund that Labor will announce today.

Call for guide over land use disputes

Tom Arup The Baillieu government has been urged to roll out measures to better manage the simmering tensions between miners, farmers and environmentalists over the best use of land.

'Eye in the sky' spies on illegal waste dumpers

Rosslyn Beeby A satellite sensor launched from a space centre in French Guyana is being used by the NSW Environment Protection Authority to track illegal dumping of ACT construction waste across the border.

Roo cull costs rise this year

Lisa Cox This year's cull of thousands of kangaroos by the ACT government will cost more money to kill fewer animals than in 2011.

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Buyers demand green goods

Alexandra Smith CONSUMERS want to know the impact that beef production has on the land, the source of fibres used in printer paper and how best to recycle batteries for small appliances, new research has found.

Young conservationists get chance to pursue their passion

Steve Jacobs Four young conservationists are being given the chance to get their hands wet and to pursue their passion as junior aquarists.

Saving the species: this tiny two-year-old is the right possum for the job

Bridie Smith One of the country's rarest mammals and Victoria's faunal emblem will be the subject of a captive breeding program.

Support grows for 10¢ container deposit plan

Matthew Moore WITH signs of growing support around the country for compulsory container deposit schemes, two NSW MPs have announced they will introduce legislation to ensure a 10¢ refundable deposit paid on all drink containers sold in the state.

Carbon tax may hurt natural disaster zones

David Wroe Residents of areas hit by natural disasters could face carbon tax bills from rubbish dumps.

Carbon tax applies to disaster fallout

David Wroe RESIDENTS of areas hit by natural disasters such as cyclones and storms could face carbon tax bills for the greenhouse emissions arising from rubbish created by the disaster, a Senate estimates hearing was told yesterday.

Sea Shepherd boss blames Japan for arrest

The leader of environmental group Sea Shepherd has suggested Japan is involved in his recent arrest in Germany, as he vowed to continue his campaign against whaling.

Activists ready to disrupt cull of 2000 roos

Lisa Cox and John Thistleton Animal rights campaigner Carolyn Drew at a site she believes was intended to be a burial ground for culled kangaroos.

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Chilling forecast after sub-zero start to week

Jane Holroyd It was a double-doona night for many across Victoria with many regional areas and suburbs on Melbourne's outskirts shivering through temperatures below zero.

Review reef shipping routes: Marine pilots

Marine pilots call for review of shipping routes in wake of near-disaster on Great Barrier Reef.

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Rain just a trickle in driest May since 1859

Damien Murphy, Amy McNeilage THE rain finally came yesterday but did not fall where it mattered and so Sydney continues to experience its driest start to May in 153 years.

Italian quake death toll rises to six

The death toll in Italy’s magnitude 6.0 earthquake has risen to at least six, with more than 50 people reported injured, authorities say.

Rain in Randwick breaks Sydney's dry spell

Sydney is experiencing its driest start to May in more than 150 years, with no rain recorded in the city's gauge since April 24.

Stricken reef ship secured to tugboat

A stricken bulk carrier adrift off the far north Queensland coast has been secured to a tug.

Canny grain growers let nature take its course

Daniel Lewis Farmers who decided to grow rice by relying solely on rainfall are beginning to reap the benefits of their foresight.

Killer parasite puts rare frogs in peril

James Robertson THE most vulnerable frogs in NSW are being ravaged by a deadly parasite.

Cargo ship risk to Barrier Reef

SARAH WHYTE Emergency tugs have been sent to rescue a cargo ship that has broken down on the Great Barrier Reef after its engine lost power yesterday.

In age-old rivalry of cats and dogs Sally nose best

Nicky Phillips ''SHE'S got him.'' Sarah Legge cannot see her dog among the waist-high grass tufts characteristic of the central Kimberley, but the conservation scientist runs towards the distinctive bark the mutt makes when she has caught her prize.

Livestock exporter sanctions criticised

Richard Willingham ANIMAL rights groups and Labor backbenchers have slammed the sanctions issued to livestock exporters who breached animal welfare rules as weak and dismissed claims by the government the new regulations are working.

Climate research has a ring of truth

Adam Morton Visiting the giant kauri trees of Northland, on New Zealand's north-west coast, is like stepping back in time.

Ballot box is still the best referee

Philip Dorling Very few things are new in politics, and so it was this week as the Craig Thomson and Peter Slipper dramas reignited talk about parliamentary ethics and a code of conduct for federal MPs.

Ocean pest spreads to Wilsons Prom

Darren Gray A serious marine pest considered a threat to Australian marine ecosystems and to aquaculture has been discovered at Wilsons Promontory, in the waters of Tidal River.

Ten funniest climate change videos ever

Graham Readfearn Carefully plucked like dew-covered orchids from the garden of YouTube, I hereby present the ten funniest videos about climate change which have ever been made, ever, by anyone, anywhere, ever – or at least of those I’ve seen. Which isn’t many.

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Paws on Sunday to consider our four-legged friends

Simon White May 20 The Million Paws Walk will attract hundreds of canine friends to Sir James Mitchell Park in South Perth.

Exporters face action on cattle cruelty film

Richard Willingham Two Australian live cattle exporters have been found to have broken new animal welfare rules in Indonesia, imposed after a cruelty controversy last year.

Multiple deficiencies uncovered in NSW abattoirs

Kelly Burke ANIMAL welfare breaches have been uncovered in all 10 of the state's red meat abattoirs, a government review has found.

Solar panel incentives at risk

Tom Arup Victorian incentives for households to install rooftop solar panels would be slashed under a shake-up proposed by the state government's productivity adviser.

Sea Shepherd leader fears for his life

ANDREW DARBY Conservation group leader Paul Watson says he was surprised by his detention in Germany, and has pointed to "powerful enemies" of Sea Shepherd's campaigns.

The price is right?

Adam Morton Is Australia's carbon price too high compared with other major countries, or will it be all right in the end?

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Costa Rica confirms Watson extradition demand

ANDREW DARBY The Costa Rican government has officially confirmed its demand for the extradition from Germany of hardline conservation leader Paul Watson.

Ocean temperature made Queensland floods worse: study

Nicky Phillips Abnormally high ocean temperatures off the coast of northern Australia contributed to the extreme rainfall that flooded three-quarters of Queensland over the summer of 2010-11, scientists report.

Greenpeace members arrested in Apple 'cloud' demo

Glenn Chapman Two Greenpeace activists have been arrested after being pried from a giant iPod in front of Apple's headquarters during a protest against using dirty energy to power data centres.

Climate sceptics and sympathisers put heat on Flannery

Nicole Hasham FOR line dancing teacher Janene Lawson, Tuesday nights at the Parramatta RSL are more about Roy Orbison and shuffle steps than dire weather predictions. So as a 500-strong crowd gathered to see the climate change expert Tim Flannery appear at a public forum at the club last night, Ms Lawson's mind was elsewhere.

Carbon tax cash on its way to families

Dan Harrison MORE than 1.6 million families across the nation will start receiving their share of $325 million in compensation for the carbon tax from today.

Sydney's driest start to May in 130 years

Sydney is having its driest start to May since the 1880s, with not a single drop recorded this month.

Why lions want to eat your children

Forrest Wickman What's the real story behind all those YouTube videos of lions trying to eat toddlers?

Giraffes die of shock after zoo rampage

Two giraffes at a zoo in central Poland's Lodz have died of stress after unidentified vandals went on a night-time rampage, the zoo's management says.

Woodland birds return to farms

Nicky Phillips THE speckled warblers arrived first. Then came the red-capped robins, followed by the rufous whistlers and the grey fantails.

Activist arrested

ANDREW DARBY Anti-whaling activist and Sea Shepherd leader Paul Watson was arrested at the weekend on a warrant from Costa Rica.

Stoner labels report's weather claims 'alarmist'

Anna Patty THE acting Premier, Andrew Stoner, has dismissed extreme weather predictions for NSW by the federal government's Climate Commission as ''alarmist''.

$30m Sumatra forest deal in doubt after concerns over funding

Tom Arup THE future of a much-vaunted $30 million Australian project to protect Indonesian forests for their carbon is in doubt after an independent review found it is not the best use of the money.

Canberra knows cost of carbon and value of saying nothing

David Wroe IF CARBON could be removed from the atmosphere as efficiently as it has been scrubbed from the latest government carbon tax advertisements, our problems would be solved.

'Attempted murder' probe: anti-whaling skipper faces deportation

ANDREW DARBY Anti-whaling captain Paul Watson has been arrested in Germany and faces deportation to Costa Rica on possible charges stemming from a high seas confrontation over shark finning.

NSW is getting hotter

The temperature in NSW has become hotter and coastal infrastructure is vulnerable to rising sea levels, the Climate Commission's latest report says.

Man's pest friend: tracking wild dogs helps researchers fix costly problem

Saffron Howden IN A remote wilderness bordered by sheep country and plunging cliffs, big brother is watching the locals' every move.

More whales at risk near busy ports

ANDREW DARBY Soaring mineral exports threaten to run into increasing whale populations, scientists warn.

Berowra Valley gets national park nod

Melanie Kembrey THE northern Sydney home of the largest owl species in the country is about to become home to something much larger.

Clash of opposing interests puts the lives of giant mammals at risk

Andrew Darby THERE are two booms under way in Australia, and scientists warn they are on a collision course. Soaring mineral exports threaten to run into escalating whale populations.

Extreme heat, floods likely as weather evolves

Deborah Smith EXTREME weather events in 2009 and March this year provided the people of NSW with an indication of what the state is increasingly likely to face as the climate changes, a report by the federal government's Climate Commission says.

Fears for marine areas

Ocean near World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef could be opened for oil and gas drilling.

Wild winds, icy chill set to lash city

Beau Donelly Squally winds and hail are expected to lash Melbourne today as Antarctic winds south of Tasmania blow into the mainland, the weather bureau has said.

It's OK, the little ones have to leave home some time. And if they don't, we'll croak

Bridie Smith A foam Esky will be the unlikely vessel carrying the young of one of Australia's most endangered species from Melbourne Zoo to the alpine marshlands of Mount Kosciuszko next week.