Three reasons we missed Labor’s landslideThe polls overestimated Labor “defectors” to the Coalition and a swing among undecided voters in the final days was hard for pollsters to pick up SaveLog in or to save articleShareCopy link Share via...Gift this articleSubscribe to gift this article Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe As a pollster who has worked on elections in Australia and Britain for several years now I’ve been on both sides of surprise results but every election is an opportunity to teach you lessons Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe. Follow the topics, people and companies that matter to you. Learn more about South Australia's new university for the future A novel approach to make seawater evaporate faster than freshwater has been hailed as a significant breakthrough in desalination technology that will benefit billions of people worldwide Up to 36% of the world’s eight billion people currently suffer from severe freshwater shortages for at least four months of the year and this could potentially increase to 75% by 2050 Seawater desalination is one of the most effective strategies to alleviate the impending scarcity but existing processes consume massive amounts of energy Researchers from the University of South Australia (UniSA) have already demonstrated the potential of interfacial solar-powered evaporation as an energy-efficient sustainable alternative to current desalination methods but they are still limited by a lower evaporation rate for seawater compared to pure water due to the negative effect of salt ions on water evaporation UniSA materials science researcher Professor Haolan Xu has now collaborated with researchers from China on a project to develop a simple yet effective strategy to reverse this limitation By introducing inexpensive and common clay minerals into a floating photothermal hydrogel evaporator the team achieved seawater evaporation rates that were 18.8% higher than pure water This is a significant breakthrough since previous studies all found seawater evaporation rates were around 8% lower than pure water “The key to this breakthrough lies in the ion exchange process at the air-water interface,” Prof Xu says “The minerals selectively enrich magnesium and calcium ions from seawater to the evaporation surfaces which boosts the evaporation rate of seawater This ion exchange process occurs spontaneously during solar evaporation making it highly convenient and cost-effective.” Considering the global desalination market – which numbers around 17,000 operational plants worldwide – even small declines in desalination performance can result in the loss of tens of millions of tons of clean water which could be easily integrated into existing evaporation-based desalination systems will provide additional access to massive amounts of clean water benefitting billions of people worldwide,” Prof Xu says The researchers say the hydrogel evaporator maintained its performance even after months of immersion in seawater The next steps will involve exploring more strategies that can make seawater evaporation faster pure water evaporation and apply them into practical seawater desalination The findings have been published in the journal Advanced Materials The mineral materials used in the process included halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) and montmorillonite (MN) in combination with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and sodium alginate (SA) to form a photothermal hydrogel ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Media contact: Candy Gibson M: +61 434 605 142 E: candy.gibson@unisa.edu.auResearch contacts: Professor Haolan Xu E: haolan.xu@unisa.edu.au; Dr Gary Owens E: gary.owens@unisa.edu.au ‘Silver lining’ effect for many women who separate in midlife Before they vote: How schools shape young citizens 08 8302 2376 >Ask UniSA FAQs >Australian contact details +61 8 8302 0114 >Ask UniSA FAQs >International contact details 1300 301 703 >Ask UniSA FAQs >Campus Central contact details >Research degree student support >Key UniSA contacts >Staff Directory UniSA respectfully acknowledges the Kaurna Boandik and Barngarla First Nations Peoples and their Elders past and present who are the First Nations’ Traditional Owners of the lands that are now home to our campuses in Adelaide A small freshwater crocodile reportedly found near Mudgeeraba on the Gold Coast has been handed over to wildlife rangers by a concerned member of the public The crocodile was reportedly found by a man on a suburban street on 30 March 2025 and he took it home before contacting the Department of the Environment Wildlife rangers collected the animal on 31 March 2025 and took it to the department’s Moggill facility for assessment The animal is believed to be around two months old and appears to be in good health the crocodile could be placed with a farm or zoo The circumstances that led to the animal being found on the Gold Coast are being investigated The animal is believed to either be an escaped pet or to have been illegally taken from the wild Anyone with information is encouraged to contact DETSI on 1300 130 372 Freshwater crocodiles are native to Queensland but their natural habitat is in rural areas in central The Gold Coast is not considered to be freshwater crocodile habitat A small freshwater crocodile has been handed over to wildlife rangers Show your support for some of Queensland’s most important environmental initiatives Science and Innovation acknowledges Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Owners and custodians of the land and pay our respects to Elders past and present Science and Innovation is committed to respecting and our obligations under the Human Rights Act 2019 © The State of Queensland (Department of the Environment Queensland Government own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment University of Melbourne provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation AU View all partners With those who haven’t already cast a pre-poll vote ready to hit the polling places tomorrow a final batch of polls give Labor a firm lead The final Newspoll gave Labor a 52.5–47.5 lead a Freshwater poll gave Labor a 51.5–48.5 lead a DemosAU poll gave Labor a 52–48 lead and a Morgan poll gave Labor a 53–47 lead Vote counting at the election is also covered The final Newspoll conducted Monday to Thursday from a sample of 1,270 a 0.5-point gain for Labor since the April 21–24 Newspoll Primary votes were 34% Coalition (down one) 8% One Nation (steady) and 12% for all Others (steady) Applying 2022 election preference flows to these primary votes would give Labor about a 53–47 lead Newspoll is giving the Coalition a greater share of One Nation preferences than in 2022 Here is the final poll graph. Labor is clearly ahead and will win Saturday’s election unless polls are overstating them by as much as they did in the 2019 election Anthony Albanese’s net approval in Newspoll was down one point to -10 Peter Dutton’s net approval slumped a further four points to a new record low of -28 Albanese led Dutton as better PM by an unchanged 51–35 Since the early March Newspoll (the last one before the election campaign began) Here is the graph of Albanese’s net approval in Newspoll this term The plus signs are the Newspoll data points and a trend line has been fitted A simple average of the four polls this week that have asked for leaders’ ratings (Newspoll Essential and Resolve) has Albanese at net -3.8 approval and Dutton at net -20 voters thought they would be better off in the next three years under an Albanese Labor government than a Dutton Coalition government A national Freshwater poll for The Financial Review, conducted Tuesday to Thursday from a sample of 2,055 (double the normal sample size), gave Labor a 51.5–48.5 lead by respondent preferences, a 1.3-point gain for Labor since the April 14–16 Freshwater poll Primary votes were 37% Coalition (down two) 12% Greens (steady) and 18% for all Others (up one) One Nation were broken out for the first time and had 8% Freshwater has been the most pro-Coalition of regular Australian pollsters and its last poll had a near tie when other polls had Labor well ahead Albanese’s net approval was up seven points to -3 Dutton’s net approval was down five points to -16 Albanese led Dutton as preferred PM by 49–39 (46–41 previously) Labor gained a point on cost of living and economic management to reduce the Coalition’s lead to one point and five points on these issues respectively The Coalition led by 55–45 with the 42% who had already voted (25% early and 17% by postal ballot) Labor led by 52–41 with those yet to vote with 7% undecided The two national DemosAU polls listed here were taken over a concurrent fieldwork period. The previous DemosAU poll had given Labor a 52–48 lead from primary votes of 31% Coalition Albanese led Dutton by 46–34 as preferred PM Party breakdowns of this question had Albanese leading by 71–10 with Greens voters 57–20 with independent voters and 36–27 with other voters Dutton only led by 43–21 with One Nation voters and 37–30 with Trumpet of Patriots voters These breakdowns don’t imply a Coalition surge on preference flows A second national DemosAU poll for The Gazette conducted April 27–29 from a sample of 1,974 The final national Morgan poll, conducted Monday to Friday from a sample of 1,368, gave Labor a 53–47 lead, unchanged from the April 21–27 Morgan poll Primary votes were 34.5% Coalition (steady) 3% teal independents (up one) and 7.5% for all Others (steady) I’ve received the full Spectre poll that I wrote about on Thursday Pauline Hanson was net -8 and Greens leader Adam Bandt was net -12 The most unpopular people in this poll were US President Donald Trump at net -47 and Elon Musk at net -45 Polls close at 6pm AEST Saturday in the eastern states, which have 122 of the 150 House of Representatives seats. Polls close at 6:30pm AEST in South Australia and the Northern Territory (12 combined seats), and in Western Australia at 8pm AEST (16 seats) By 8pm AEST, I expect the large majority of votes cast on election day to be counted in the eastern states. But pre-poll votes and returned postal votes already account for 40% of enrolled voters and the biggest day of pre-polling (Friday) is still to be added we will need to wait until the pre-poll votes are counted before a result can be called It’s unlikely the election will be called until a large proportion of the pre-poll votes have been counted This is likely to take until late at night AEST Not all seats will be called on election night the electoral commission will have selected the incorrect candidates for its final two candidate count and will need to re-do this count with the correct candidates Other seats will be close between the final two and we will need to wait for late postals and absent votes to decide the winner postals have up to May 16 to arrive (13 days after the election) I wrote about the Senate election on April 16 It will usually be clear on election night who has won the top four or five seats out of six in a state all votes need to be data entered into a computer system then a button is pressed to electronically distribute preferences This is likely to take about four weeks after the election I covered Thursday’s United Kingdom parliamentary byelection and local government elections for The Poll Bludger. The far-right Reform gained the safe Labour Runcorn and Helsby seat, winning by just six votes. They are making massive gains from both the Conservatives and Labour in the local elections. In final results from Monday’s Canadian election, the centre-left Liberals won 169 of the 343 seats, three short of the 172 needed for a majority. The Conservatives won 144 seats, the separatist left-wing Quebec Bloc (BQ) 22, the left-wing New Democratic Party (NDP) seven and the Greens one. Vote shares were 43.7% Liberals, 41.3% Conservatives, 6.3% BQ, 6.3% NDP and 1.3% Greens. AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is on track to form minority government – with a majority within reach – at Saturday’s election following a shift in support towards Labor over the past fortnight and further sharp decline in Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s personal ratings A global study of freshwater species has found nearly a quarter are threatened with extinction with scientists calling for the findings to be used to help reduce the loss of freshwater biodiversity James Cook University’s Dr Michael Grant was a co-author of the study published in the journal Nature this week which looked at how more than 23,000 species around the world are faring crayfishes and shrimps) and odonates (such as dragon flies and damsel flies) 24% of these species are at high risk of extinction with decapods having the highest percentage of species threatened - 30% as compared to 26% for freshwater fishes and 16% for odonates,” said Dr Grant He said the most dangerous threats are pollution with overharvesting also driving extinctions 54% of threatened species are considered to be affected by pollution 37% by land use change and associated effects from agriculture and 28% by invasive species and disease,” said Dr Grant He said biodiversity is in decline globally with freshwater ecosystems being particularly affected but assessments of freshwater fishes and invertebrates has received comparatively little investment including from the mainstream conservation community “It seems like a case of out of sight He said the findings of the analysis could help to reduce the loss of freshwater biodiversity if they were integrated into conservation management and government policy “Given that around one-quarter of freshwater species are at high risk of extinction we need to act quickly if we want to prevent further species declines and losses,” said Dr Grant Link to paper here Dr Michael Grant E: michael.grant4@jcu.edu.au JCU websites use cookies to enhance user experience Andrea Reid co-directs Riparia from her role as an Assistant Professor at The University of British Columbia She is a Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Indigenous Fisheries Science Dalal Hanna co-directs Riparia from her position as an assistant professor at Carleton University where she leads the Watershed Stewardship Research Collaborative University of British Columbia provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation CA University of British Columbia and Carleton University provide funding as members of The Conversation CA-FR Carleton University provides funding as a member of The Conversation CA The future of freshwater is increasingly in jeopardy across Canada and around the world Lakes, rivers and wetlands face numerous threats, from climate change to a range of harmful pollutants. Today, one-quarter of freshwater fauna are at risk of extinction As climate change and other stressors worsen, ecological grief is increasingly recognized as a legitimate response to the losses of valued species and ecosystems This grief poses a serious threat to mental health and well-being for many, with young people often feeling an outsized burden While young people have contributed little to these challenges over their lifetimes they face bearing the brunt of intensifying climate change impacts Similarly, this existential angst is reportedly heightened among marginalized groups. This is often true for Indigenous Peoples who are frequently the least responsible for greenhouse gas emissions that warm the planet yet face higher climate risk or vulnerability to the direct consequences of climate change What we need are adaptive approaches that address this grief and reconnect people with the natural world at this time of profound disconnection. Research about ecological grief points to approaches that centre social support as well as valuing an ethic of care as key elements This is ultimately about fostering community and interconnectedness in relationships As freshwater scientists, we are committed to contributing toward a better future for fresh waters. This is what led us to create a registered charity, Riparia, where we work to unite these concerns and approaches by facilitating free land-based learning programs for young people These programs are geared towards facing this climate-uncertain future together and the profound need for improved stewardship of freshwater ecosystems This approach has always been at the core of Indigenous learning. While conventional classrooms are often a far cry from these lived experiences, there is growing interest in breaking out of these confines and engaging in active land-based learning across the continent In our time contributing towards land-based learning initiatives over the last decade There’s a saying that numbers numb and stories stick; we find that the voices of youth who participated in land-based learning best convey its meaning and impact land-based learning has fostered a heightened sense of connection to the land and water spurred a deep drive to steward and care for these systems and built a community of practice to achieve that In the words of youth aged 13-18 who participated in Riparia programs between 2019-2024: “I could feel my point of view of the world changing I felt as though I had become closer to the land.” “This experience changed my view on how we should be more active in the environment and protect our water.” “Being with these girls reassured me that our environment’s future isn’t something we have to take on alone and it will be much easier if we do it together.” Together, our experiences with Riparia and the growing body of literature highlighting beneficial outcomes of land-based learning tell us that these approaches can play an important role in fostering the community of care required to chart new freshwater futures Throughout the history of outdoor education — as an organized approach to learning in western systems — harmful stereotypes have been reproduced and Indigenous knowledge systems have been appropriated How many recall attending youth camps bearing the names of Indigenous Peoples or places How many have participated in journey “wilderness”-based experiences Many such experiences have often perpetuated western ideas of a “pristine” or “wild” “nature,” free from human influence This point of view is in line with the doctrines of terra nullius (Latin for “nobody’s land”) and aqua nullius (“nobody’s water”) used to justify European colonization of Indigenous lands and waters What we need is learning that recognizes that Indigenous Peoples, languages and cultures are alive and evolve in close relationship with the land We also need learning to be accessible so it can play a foundational role building the community of care that humans and fresh waters now require As scientists supporting youth engagement through Riparia we join the growing movement to break down these specific barriers to access You can also contribute to this movement by helping connect young people in your life to existing youth engagement programs and offering support through relevant local ways or donations But youth are not the only ones who need connection to land and water. We all deal with eco-grief. We all need water. And we all need to work together to chart new futures. Spending time in and on the water together is an important step in this direction. This video offers an opportunity to dive into what land-based learning with, in, and for fresh waters can look like and feel like. As a 15-year-old Kanien'kehá:ka participant in a Riparia 2019 program shared with us: “Water is the most important thing, it’s the thing we all have in common.” according to the latest exclusive polling data Share via...Loading...SaveLog in or to save articleShareCopy link Share via...License articleIntroducing your NewsfeedFollow the topics, people and companies that matter to you. Read MoreAFR Freshwater poll Federal election Visual storiesLatest In FederalFetching latest articles Labor has reached the halfway point of the election campaign in the box seat to form minority government following a small swing towards it over the past fortnight and a sharp drop in support for Peter Dutton the latest The Australian Financial Review/Freshwater Strategy shows the major parties tied at 50 per cent apiece on the two-party-preferred vote Cosmos » News She has a Bachelor of Arts in Media and Communications and Philosophy The Pacific is one of the world’s most disaster-prone regions a growing threat to its freshwater supplies Hydrology experts at Flinders University are calling for an urgent investigation into how bore fields extract fresh groundwater in the region. The new study, published in the Journal of Hydrology, warns that current methods may not withstand the pressures of a changing climate putting long-term water security at risk for vulnerable island communities “These atoll islands have the most threatened fresh groundwater on earth and are relied upon by some of the most remote communities,” says co-author Professor Adrian Werner Many Pacific islands extract fresh water from the ground by installing horizontal or inclined perforated pipes connected to an extraction well and pump these systems skim fresh groundwater from shallow depths while minimising the risk of saltwater intrusion beneath thin subterranean freshwater lenses which typically range 3 to 21 metres in thickness construction and operation needs to be precise to avoid drawing seawater into the island’s water supply The authors of the paper say: “Despite their long-term use the design of infiltration galleries is documented mainly in industry reports published guidance on their construction lags current practice by some 30 years.” A recent workshop involving gallery operators from across the Pacific was held in Kiritimati Atoll (Kiribati) to draw together new insights into the design operation and performance of infiltration galleries While infiltration galleries provide vital water supplies across several atoll islands—ranging from Kiritimati Atoll and Bonriki Island in Kiribati to Lifuka Island in Tonga and the Cocos Islands—information is lacking about the optimal layout of infiltration galleries “There are some islands in the Pacific that actually record the salinities going up at high tide and down at low tide,” explains Werner “That’s how narrow the margins are for operating these things If you put the horizontal well in too deep and you’re too close to the saltwater a dedicated research team from the National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training (NCGRT) at Flinders University – led by Werner and Dr Amir Jazayeri – was commissioned by the Pacific Community (SPC) to address these research gaps and evaluate the performance of infiltration galleries across Pacific islands “People are overcoming various tricky situations with their own innovations and a lot of that isn’t making its way into international literature so we wanted to get that information and put it into one place,” says Werner. the team integrated advanced computer modelling simulations with physical laboratory experiments at the Sand Tank Laboratory to deepen understanding of how infiltration galleries perform under varying conditions such as fluctuating tidal forces and changes in salinity “The insights gained from applying infiltration galleries to Pacific atolls offer opportunities for more widespread applications within continental aquifers especially to capture submarine fresh groundwater discharge that is otherwise lost through mixing with seawater and to mitigate seawater intrusion,” says Werner This research emphasises the potential for Pacific innovations to revolutionise water management on a global scale refining these techniques could prove essential in protecting coastal aquifers and securing sustainable freshwater supplies for the future Do you care about the oceans? Are you interested in scientific developments that affect them? Then our email newsletter Ultramarine is for you. Click here to become a subscriber 2015 - 2023JPEG An international team of scientists using observations from NASA-German satellites found evidence that Earth’s total amount of freshwater dropped abruptly starting in May 2014 and has remained low ever since. Reporting in Surveys in Geophysics, the researchers suggested the shift could indicate Earth’s continents have entered a persistently drier phase satellite measurements showed that the average amount of freshwater stored on land—that includes liquid surface water like lakes and rivers plus water in aquifers underground—was 1,200 cubic kilometers (290 cubic miles) lower than the average levels from 2002 through 2014 one of the study authors and a hydrologist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center “That’s two and a half times the volume of Lake Erie lost.” JPEG The map at the top of this page shows the years in which the satellite data indicate terrestrial water storage hit a 22-year minimum at each location The decline in global freshwater began with a massive drought in northern and central Brazil followed shortly by a series of major droughts in Australasia Warmer ocean temperatures in the tropical Pacific from late 2014 into 2016 culminating in one of the most significant El Niño events since 1950 led to shifts in atmospheric jet streams that altered weather and rainfall patterns around the world Rodell and team report that 13 of the world’s 30 most intense droughts observed by GRACE occurred since January 2015 They suspect that global warming might be contributing to the enduring freshwater depletion Global warming leads the atmosphere to hold more water vapor which results in more extreme precipitation said NASA Goddard meteorologist Michael Bosilovich While total annual rain and snowfall levels may not change dramatically long periods between intense precipitation events allow the soil to dry and become more compact That decreases the amount of water the ground can absorb when it does rain “The problem when you have extreme precipitation,” Bosilovich said “is the water ends up running off,” instead of soaking in and replenishing groundwater stores freshwater levels have stayed consistently low since the 2014-2016 El Niño while more water remains trapped in the atmosphere as water vapor “Warming temperatures increase both the evaporation of water from the surface to the atmosphere and the water-holding capacity of the atmosphere increasing the frequency and intensity of drought conditions,” he noted While there are reasons to suspect that the abrupt drop in freshwater is largely due to global warming it can be difficult to definitively link the two a hydrologist and remote sensing scientist at Virginia Tech who was not affiliated with the study “There are uncertainties in climate predictions,” Werth said “Measurements and models always come with errors.” It remains to be seen whether global freshwater will rebound to pre-2015 values Considering that the nine warmest years in the modern temperature record coincided with the abrupt freshwater decline “We don’t think this is a coincidence and it could be a harbinger of what’s to come.” NASA Earth Observatory image by Wanmei Liang, using data from Rodell, Matthew, et al. (2024) Artist’s rendering of GRACE-FO by NASA/JPL-Caltech The amount of freshwater stored on land and underground has plummeted in the past decade which might indicate that Earth’s continents have entered a persistently drier phase with differing expressions on different continents The past eight years have been the warmest in the global record Jaana Dielenberg was employed by the now-ended Threatened Species Recovery Hub of the Australian Government's National Environmental Science Program which led an earlier stage of this research She is a Charles Darwin University Fellow and is employed by the University of Melbourne and the Biodiversity Council Nick Whiterod works for the Goyder Institute for Water Research Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth Research Centre which is funded by the national government to delivery research in the region He is a member of the New South Wales Fisheries Scientific Committee University of Adelaide, Charles Darwin University, and University of Canberra provide funding as members of The Conversation AU So how are these national treasures faring? To find out, we undertook the first comprehensive assessment of Australia’s freshwater fish species We examined extinction risks and drivers of decline before reviewing existing conservation measures Our results paint an alarming picture. More than one-third (37%) of our freshwater fish species are at risk of extinction, including 35 species not even listed as threatened. Dozens of species could become extinct before children born today even finish high school The study also reveals Australia has been putting its eggs in the wrong basket for conservation by taking actions that don’t address immediate threats, such as pest species and changes in stream flows. Our research points to more effective solutions if governments are willing to step up their efforts Recognising when species are in trouble is the first step in preventing their extinction Before this study the extinction risk of most freshwater fish species had never been assessed The group had never been looked at overall We evaluated the conservation risks of 241 species using globally recognised criteria (the IUCN Red List for Threatened Species) We began our assessments by gathering a team of 52 Australian freshwater fish experts for a five-day workshop in 2019 Together, we used information from scientific publications, museum databases, Atlas of Living Australia records and our own knowledge of freshwater fish as it applied to the task We identified dozens of freshwater fish species that were in trouble This brings the proportion of our freshwater fishes at risk of extinction to a third Some species have declined to the extent that they could disappear after a single disturbance such as ash washed into streams after a bushfire or the arrival of an invasive non-native fish such as trout At present, 63 freshwater fish species are on Australia’s national list of species declared as threatened under federal environmental law We identified 35 more species that should be listed Maintaining an accurate threatened species list is important When species are in trouble but not listed they miss out on basic protections and are unlikely to receive any conservation attention We also identified 17 already listed species that should be reassessed by the government as their risk categories need to be changed For example, the remarkable freshwater sawfish, found in northern Australian rivers is listed as vulnerable but all evidence indicates it’s now critically endangered One sliver of good news is the fact that the Murray cod, a favoured sport fish across eastern Australia, is now doing better and could be assessed to be removed from Australia’s threatened species list you need to address the causes of their declines yet our review found a spectacular mismatch between the major threats to species at risk and the most common conservation actions The top three drivers of decline are invasive fish (which threaten 92% of threatened freshwater fish species) modified stream flows and ecosystems (82%) and climate change and extreme weather (54%) scaleless native fish shaped like slender sausages that grow to less than 15cm But 31 of these are threatened with extinction – and rainbow and brown trout have been the biggest driver of their loss Australia’s southern states are greatly adding to the problem by releasing millions of trout into waterways each year for recreational fishers The endangered eastern freshwater cod has dwindled in part due to historic fish kills linked to dynamite blasting and pollution from mines and agriculture. It remains threatened by changes to river flows, removal of woody snags The endangered blackstriped dwarf galaxias is being stressed by the changing climate in southwest WA Warmer and drier conditions are resulting in lower water levels and warmer water The other major threats facing native fish are agriculture and aquaculture (38%) For example, the endangered Utchee rainbowfish is struggling due to habitat loss and water pollution from farms surrounding the small number of north Queensland streams where it lives the most common conservation action was simply the fact that the species occurred in a protected area (88%) or conservation area (55%) invasive species and climate change don’t recognise or stop at protected area boundaries Prevention and control of invasive species has occurred for only 21% of affected threatened species Without a major funding commitment to address the actual drivers of native fish losses The most important conservation actions for native freshwater fish are: update the national threatened species list to include all at-risk species identify, establish and protect additional invasive-fish-free refuge sites for species that currently occur only in a small number of locations and could be wiped out by a single event such as a bushfire halt ongoing habitat loss and improve habitats that have been damaged improve freshwater flows to maintain habitats such as wetlands and streams improve water quality and give fish the natural cues they need to breed In 2022, the Australian government made a commitment to end extinctions. Our study provides a blueprint for how to do that for our overlooked native freshwater fish. ABC News News Home Science The last known Kangaroo River perch which some scientists believe is well and truly extinct Largest study of Australian freshwater fish species found 35 should be added to the national threatened species list and the Kangaroo River perch is likely to be extinct Several fish were also recommended to be down-listed or no longer considered under threat including the Murray cod Fish scientists want invasive predatory species to be managed with national oversight because of their impact on native species Link copiedShareShare articleA whopping 35 freshwater fish are being recommended for national listings as being at risk of extinction after an Australia-wide survey is also thought to be extinct but quirkily is not eligible for listing without a formal scientific name The fish has not been seen in the waterways of Kangaroo Valley in New South Wales for 26 years although there are still some hopes it is still alive somewhere in the wild Study lead author and freshwater fisheries ecologist Mark Lintermans said more people should be aware of the sad story of the perch "It's a salient lesson to know you've lost a fish species," he said "What it should do is ring the alarm bells to put more resources in saving the ones we've got." Raising that alarm is what Dr Lintermans hopes to achieve after working with scientists from government departments, museums and universities to compile the first comprehensive review of the country's freshwater fish which was published in Biological Conservation using the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list of threatened species guidelines were deemed to be threatened with the majority most at risk of extinction less than 15 centimetres in length The biggest threats for threatened fish included introduced species like trout habitat alterations from development and climate change The status of some species already on the national register of threatened species such as the freshwater sawfish (Pristis pristis) were also recommended for elevation to critically endangered status The freshwater sawfish has been recommended for an uplisting to critically endangered from vulnerable (Supplied: Sharks and Rays Australia/Barbara Wueringer) But the study also suggested the status of some species such as trout cod (Maccullochella macquariensis) should be down-listed from critically endangered to vulnerable and for Murray cod (Maccullochella peelii) to no longer be considered under threat Dr Lintermans said it was important for species to be delisted when appropriate so funding could go to the right places "If you don't take the ones that no longer need action off the list you have a false set of priorities," he said And those priorities he said should be focused on some of our smallest species Murray cod have been recommended for delisting off the threatened species list Freshwater species are some of the most susceptible animals in the world to the changing climate especially smaller species that utilise smaller creeks and waterholes About 78 per cent of the 40 species from the fish family Galaxiidae a group of cool-water species mostly found in upland lakes were found to be under threat by the study Dr Lintermans said the biggest threat to Galaxiids was introduced species of trout "There is a conflict there with recreational trout fishing and stocking done by a whole lot of state agencies," he said "We just need to be cleverer about that and work with the trout fishing fraternity better "We need to set some waters for endangered native fish and some for recreational fishing." a freshwater fisheries ecologist at the University of Canberra has studied native species for more than 40 years Dr Lintermans said some jurisdictions like Victoria and Tasmania In some instances trout have been removed from waterways for native species was there was still no national mechanism for managing the impact of invasive fish on freshwater species redfin and carp should be recognised by the federal government as a "key threatening process" which would help multi-jurisdictional collaboration That could then help funding into measures like captive breeding programs and mapping and identifying invasive-free refuges for priority conservation "There isn't much in the way of climate change planning for fish in Australia at all so that's another deficiency we have," Dr Lintermans added "We really need some sort of dedicated funding and research [on invasive species] to improve the tools we have." Large dams are also lacking research into how their fragmenting of fish populations could be offset Waterfalls provide a natural barrier to trout stopping them from eating smaller native species Dr Lintermans said the Department of Climate Change the Environment and Water also needed to list the individual species identified by the study "The threatened list is a long way behind "In 2020 they only had about 40 species of freshwater fish Adding the 35 identified species to the list and removing one would take the total of officially threatened fish to 97 That's about a third of all freshwater fish with more than 300 species in Australia an independent expert group of Australian universities wants to see the species identified as threatened added to the national list a Biodiversity Council councillor and University of Adelaide taxonomist and ecologist wasn't involved in the study but said it would help species conservation "This [study] is important to assess the impacts of threats and also the effectiveness of conservation actions," she said "Conservation is often heavily skewed towards the cute and the cuddly taxa "But these taxa are functionally important for biodiversity and so addressing these biases is an important task." A DCCEEW spokesperson said the government was committed to its target of zero new extinctions. "The Australian government is supporting landscape-scale conservation efforts as well as species-by-species action," they said. "We are investing over $550 million to directly protect threatened species and ecological communities and to tackle invasives." But one species is teetering on the precipice of being officially listed as Australia's first totally extinct freshwater fish. The threshold for declaring an extinct species officially is a high bar. Exhaustive surveys of a known range are required and enough time past taking into account the lifetime of a species that it would be unlikely to still survive. The Kangaroo River perch, a genetically distinct species related to Macquarie perch, was regularly caught by anglers up until the 1990s. No wild records of the species exist after 1998. Nick Whiterod, a Goyder Institute for Water Research ecologist and study co-author, said he would never say never, but it wasn't looking likely the species still existed. "Any species loss is terrible," he said. "But what this really highlights is we could be on the edge of a whole range of different species being wiped out and lost." The Kangaroo River perch is unique to the Shoalhaven area of New South Wales. (ABC Illawarra: Justin Huntsdale) The NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development is still looking for the species, however, and has surveyed with electrofishing, fyke netting and collecting environmental DNA. A department spokesperson said the most recent survey in 2023 from 20 locations had not detected DNA from the species but they weren't giving up yet. "Further funding has been secured to continue the 'search for the perch' project," they said. "With additional sites being targeted for both eDNA and traditional fish survey methods in the coming months. "Members of the public who think they may have seen the fish or have caught one historically are encouraged to contact DPIRD Fisheries." While the search continues for the Kangaroo River perch, states like Victoria have implemented new initiatives to try to stop other species sharing their unknown fate. The Moroka galaxias is a critically endangered freshwater fish which is part of a breeding program in Victoria. (Supplied: Tarmo Raadik/IUCN Red List) The state opened a conservation hatchery a few months ago for freshwater species as a collaboration between the Victorian Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action and the Victorian Fisheries Authority. Jarod Lyon, a principal research scientist at the hatchery, said there were about 30 species in Victoria that needed to be worked on and the current push was to get down listings for 10 fish, mussel and crayfish species. "It was off the back of the 2020 fires it started because we had all these endangered species in Gippsland," he said. "It became apparent there would be more fires and increasingly we need to be a bit more proactive than reactive. "One of the first times a fisheries agency has stepped in this direction because historically a lot of stocking was for creating fishery values for people to catch fish." The hatchery is starting to make inroads and one of its target species, Moroka galaxias, recently laid a bunch of eggs. Dr Lintermans hoped more funding would go towards these kinds of breeding programs so the futures of other threatened fish could be secured. CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced Home News Troubled waters: Australia’s freshwater fish are facing extinction So how are these national treasures faring? To find out, researchers undertook the first comprehensive assessment of Australia’s freshwater fish species examining extinction risks and drivers of decline The results paint an alarming picture. More than one-third (37 per cent) of freshwater fish species are at risk of extinction, including 35 species not even listed as threatened. Dozens of species could become extinct before children born today even finish high school The study also reveals Australia has been putting its eggs in the wrong basket for conservation by taking actions that don’t address immediate threats, such as pest species and changes in stream flows. This research points to more effective solutions if governments are willing to improve their efforts Before this study Researchers evaluated the conservation risks of 241 species using globally recognised criteria (the IUCN Red List for Threatened Species) They began their assessments by gathering a team of 52 Australian freshwater fish experts for a five-day workshop in 2019 Together, information from scientific publications, museum databases, Atlas of Living Australia records citizen science data and the researchers’ own knowledge of freshwater fish as it applied to the task was used The study identified dozens of freshwater fish species that were in trouble but had not been recognised as threatened The research also found one New South Wales species At present, 63 freshwater fish species are on Australia’s national list of species declared as threatened under federal environmental law The study identified 35 more species that should be listed Researchers also identified 17 already listed species that should be reassessed by the government as their risk categories need to be changed For example, the remarkable freshwater sawfish, found in northern Australian rivers One sliver of good news is the fact that the Murray cod, a favoured sport fish across eastern Australia, is now doing better and could be assessed to be removed from Australia’s threatened species list the causes of their declines must be addressed yet this review found a spectacular mismatch between the major threats to species at risk and the most common conservation actions The top three drivers of decline are invasive fish (which threaten 92 per cent of threatened freshwater fish species) modified stream flows and ecosystems (82 per cent) and climate change and extreme weather (54 per cent) But 31 of these are threatened with extinction – and rainbow and brown trout The endangered eastern freshwater cod has dwindled in part due to historic fish kills linked to dynamite blasting and pollution from mines and agriculture. It remains threatened by changes to river flows, removal of woody snags The endangered blackstriped dwarf galaxias is being stressed by the changing climate in southwest WA The other major threats facing native fish are agriculture and aquaculture (38 per cent) energy production and mining (17 per cent) and urban development (13 per cent) For example, the endangered Utchee rainbowfish is struggling due to habitat loss and water pollution from farms surrounding the small number of north Queensland streams where it lives the most common conservation action was simply the fact that the species occurred in a protected area (88 per cent) or conservation area (55 per cent) Prevention and control of invasive species has occurred for only 21 per cent of affected threatened species identify, establish and protect additional invasive-fish-free refuge sites for species that currently occur only in a small number of locations and could be wiped out by a single event such as a bushfire In 2022, the Australian government made a commitment to end extinctions. This study provides a blueprint for how to do that for our overlooked native freshwater fish Mark Lintermans is an adjunct associate in freshwater fisheries ecology and management at the University of Canberra Jaana Dielenberg is a university fellow in biodiversity at Charles Darwin University Nick Whiterod is a science program manager for the Goyder Institute for Water Research CLLMM Research Centre at the University of Adelaide This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article Our much loved calendars and diaries are now available for 2024. Adorn your walls with beautiful artworks year round. Order today. From cuddly companions to realistic native Australian wildlife, the range also includes puppets that move and feel like real animals. By subscribing you become an AG Society member, helping us to raise funds for conservation and adventure projects. The Coalition has opened up a 52 per cent to 48 per cent lead over Labor its biggest since the last election and one that significantly increases Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s prospects of forming a minority government the latest The Australian Financial Review/Freshwater Strategy poll shows “green shoots” for Labor in the form of a lift in Anthony Albanese’s personal standing and a slight improvement in voter optimism but we don't want to lose you.\"}],[\"$\",\"div\",null,{\"className\":\"notfound-page__text-block\",\"children\":\"We recently updated the way we organise our articles 'div-gpt-ad-1511396693346-0').addService(googletag.pubads());\n googletag.defineSlot('/34178149/728x90_Leaderboard_Position_1' 'div-gpt-ad-1511394032333-0').addService(googletag.pubads());\n googletag.defineSlot('/34178149/970x90_bottom_leaderboard' 'div-gpt-ad-1511396722471-0').addService(googletag.pubads());\n googletag.defineSlot('/34178149/728x90_Hompage_Leaderboard_Position_1' 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googletag.defineSlot('/34178149/300x250_Article-page_Position01' initial-scale=1\"}],[\"$\",\"meta\",\"1\",{\"charSet\":\"utf-8\"}],[\"$\",\"title\",\"2\",{\"children\":\"Premium Housing Projects Slated for Freshwater Lawrence Street Pty Ltd has lodged plans for a $31.4-million shoptop housing development.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe four-storey project put forward for a10-28 Lawrence Street 2km north of Manly’s CBD and 600m north-west of Freshwater Beach comprises 30 apartments plus above-ground-floor retail space.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe apartments would be six one-bedroom 15 two-bedroom and nine three-bedroom apartments which would affect the rooftop communal space and lift overrun.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe application cites the delivery of affordable housing and public plaza as justification for the variation.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe development addresses heritage considerations as the site neighbours two heritage items: the Harbord Literary Institute and Early Childhood Health Centre Time \u0026amp; Place has lodged a planning submission for 101 North Steyne in Sydney’s prestigious northerof n beach suburb Manly.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlanning documents of seven premium apartments with basement parking for 16 vehicles.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The proposal seeks to achieve a calm and coherent form that sits comfortably in its coastal location site,” the application said.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A careful composition of curved and arched forms offers visual variety interest and articulation and draws on the shapes and volumes of buildings in the local context.”\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Manly development emphasises sustainability through photovoltaic panels high-performance facades and a green roof system.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe project seeks variations to height (16.4m versus 13m) and floor-space ratio (1.93:1 versus 1.5:1) “supported by consistency with surrounding developments and design measures to minimise adverse impacts”.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The proposed landscaping is central to creating an engaging and harmonious environment,” the application said “enhancing aesthetics and sustainability while creating a verdant street frontage to North Steyne improving the public domain.”\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe development features low embodied carbon materials and efficient water conservation fixtures while acknowledging local heritage elements such as the stone kerbs along North Steyne.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTime \u0026amp; Place director Evan Papadopoulos said this marked the developer’s second residential development at Manly.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt follows the successful approval of 35-43 Belgrave Street nearby synonymous with its beachside village atmosphere perfectly aligned with the company\u0026rsquo;s broader mission to deliver thoughtfully designed places in exceptional locations that make for interesting living\u0026rdquo; Papadopoulos told \u003cem\u003eThe Urban Developer\u003c/em\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e--\u003e\u003c!--\u003cp\u003e\u0026ldquo;As a Manly local I\u0026rsquo;m deeply invested in the character and future of the Manly community It\u0026rsquo;s important to me that any development here is not only of the highest architectural and design standard but also enhances the unique lifestyle that makes Manly such a special place to live.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026ldquo;Time \u0026amp; Place is deeply committed to this community and have an intimate understanding of the area ensuring we deliver exemplary projects that not only respect the existing area but continue to elevate it.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/p\u003e--\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eConstruction staging and timelines remain under consideration for both projects with builder appointment methods yet to be determined.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Freshwater development’s period runs until March 17\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThere’s been a \u003ca href=\"https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/northern-beaches-apartments-shoptop-sydney-avalon-nsw\" data-mce-href=\"https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/northern-beaches-apartments-shoptop-sydney-avalon-nsw\"\u003ewave of sho-top development applications\u003c/a\u003e across the Northern Beaches including Balito Investments’ seniors-focused proposal at North Curl Curl FourJs Group’s childcare-retail fusion at Avalon Beach Lendlease’s third residential building in the Collins Wharf precinct of Victoria Harbour.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe 28-storey building at 971 Collins Street in Melbourne’s Docklands will deliver 312 homes in a mix of one two and three-bedroom apartments as well as townhouses and penthouses.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAccording to Lendlease the project has already secured more than 50 per cent in presales.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHickory is the construction contractor—it completed the precinct’s first development in 2019 and is also working on LendLease’s second tower Regatta.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor Ancora Hickory is implementing several technical construction methods including various piling techniques and precast concrete solutions that enable a parallel-track construction program.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe building’s facade designed by architect Warren and Mahoney uses a three-stage design incorporating double-glazed glass and textured precast concrete with Reckli and brick finishes.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe structural design transitions from a solid podium base to lighter upper levels “reflecting a maritime theme” aligned with the Collins Wharf design objectives.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAncora will connect to the neighbouring Regatta development via a podium allowing resident access to shared amenities.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDesigned as an all-electric building that includes electric vehicle infrastructure the development is targeting a 5 Star Green Star certification Completion is expected in 2027.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRegatta including build-to-rent and build-to-sell units.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eExtensive wharf works including remediation of pre-existing wharf piles installation of raker piles and construction of the extension to Australia Walk are also part of the project.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTechnical challenges include constructing on the finger wharf and co-ordinating extensive above-wharf road reserve and public parkland works.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Collins Wharf precinct will ultimately comprise six residential buildings of more than 1800 homes surrounded by over 5000sq m of parks and community space.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLendlease is developing the parkland concurrently with the residential components including the extension of Australian Walk that forms part of the City of Melbourne’s Greenline project.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLendlease executive director of development Adam Williams said Collins Wharf “is fast becoming a sought-after address .. which took just a handful of hours to emerge on Saturday night the Coalition’s failure to sway voters has come under intense scrutiny.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIts lack of policies around property that resonated with voters has been a large part of that criticism.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAmong those policies was a $5-billion infrastructure program to unlock up to 500,000 new homes was greeted with no small amount of scepticism.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Coalition also campaigned on its previously revealed plan to allow first home buyers to draw down on their superannuation giving access to up to $50,000 to help fund mortgage deposits.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhile that proposal had won some support it got the thumbs down from many of Australia’s top economists who said the measure could prove highly inflationary among other issues.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSimilarly its plan to allow mortgage interest for first home buyers to be tax-deductible was roundly criticised for its likely inflationary and regressive effects.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt has also been pointed out that the Coalition’s rejection of the Green’s policies around housing supply affordable housing and help for renters did it no favours.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe ALP went to the polls spruiking an extension of schemes introduced during its previous term including a $10-billion promise for its first-home buyers’ scheme to encourage 100,000 more homes.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt also had its Help to Buy shared equity scheme under which the Government pays up to 40 per cent of the house price to point to.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf it was these policies per se or the lack of detail and depth to the Coalition’s the nation's ready for the Albanese government to act.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat is clear been endorsed to follow through on its policies and fix the crisis that is crippling the Australian property sector.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs Urban Taskforce Australia chief executive\u0026nbsp;Tom\u0026nbsp;Forrest has pointed out it is time for the Federal Government to get back to work.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Housing affordability and housing supply featured large during the campaign,” Forrest said.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The key now is for the Government to strike while the iron’s hot.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“If legislation is needed to support the delivery of Labor’s $10-billion 100,000 new homes commitment—then pass it through the parliament now and get on with it.”\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe states have made many changes to how they enable home development The Federal Government’s support of that is crucial to its success material supply assistance or any other factor that affects getting homes out of the ground.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis has been a pivotal election Then Cities for Total Fan Immersion\",\"slug\":\"billionaire-arsenal-rams-denver-nuggets-sports-anchored-precincts\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-04-30T00:00+10:00\",\"tags\":[],\"summary\":\"Why your next home might be stadium-adjacent; sports are the hook ManlyPlans now before the Northern Beaches Council propose premium housing and retail projects at Freshwater and Manly Lawrence Street Pty Ltd has lodged plans for a $31.4-million shoptop housing development The four-storey project put forward for a10-28 Lawrence Street comprises 30 apartments plus above-ground-floor retail space the planned 1379sq m of retail space would be configured for between four and nine tenancies Plans prepared by Ethos Urban outline a bi-level subterranean basement providing 106 parking spaces—44 for residential use and 62 for retail The development incorporates a 268sq m public plaza and rooftop communal space and is targeting a minimum 4-star GBCA Green Star Building v1 rating The proposal is seeking a height variation to 16.35m against the 13.45m limit which would affect the rooftop communal space and lift overrun The application cites the delivery of affordable housing and public plaza as justification for the variation The development addresses heritage considerations as the site neighbours two heritage items: the Harbord Literary Institute and Early Childhood Health Centre The Heritage Impact Statement confirms no adverse impacts on these properties Time & Place has lodged a planning submission for 101 North Steyne in Sydney’s prestigious northerof n beach suburb Manly of seven premium apartments with basement parking for 16 vehicles “The proposal seeks to achieve a calm and coherent form that sits comfortably in its coastal location site,” the application said “A careful composition of curved and arched forms offers visual variety interest and articulation and draws on the shapes and volumes of buildings in the local context.” The Manly development emphasises sustainability through photovoltaic panels high-performance facades and a green roof system The project seeks variations to height (16.4m versus 13m) and floor-space ratio (1.93:1 versus 1.5:1) “supported by consistency with surrounding developments and design measures to minimise adverse impacts” “The proposed landscaping is central to creating an engaging and harmonious environment,” the application said The development features low embodied carbon materials and efficient water conservation fixtures while acknowledging local heritage elements such as the stone kerbs along North Steyne Time & Place director Evan Papadopoulos said this marked the developer’s second residential development at Manly It follows the successful approval of 35-43 Belgrave Street nearby which is permit-approved for a 5-storey development delivering 21 premium two and three-bedroom homes Construction staging and timelines remain under consideration for both projects with builder appointment methods yet to be determined The Freshwater development’s period runs until March 17 The Urban Developer Property and Economic Outlook | For property development professionals in the Greater Sydney region. Click here Apr 3, 2025 | Curl Curl ward, Public Safety A man was taken to hospital after crashing on his e-bike at Freshwater NSW Police and NSW Ambulance responded to a report of an e-bike rider coming off their bike after hitting a pothole at Cavill Street According to initial reports from the scene provided to Triple Zero (000) the 18-year-old man had not been wearing a helmet when he was thrown from the e-bike and slid along the road after hitting the uneven road surface at a reported speed of 50-60 km/h Two NSW Ambulance crews responded to the incident including Intensive Care Paramedics from Balgowlah Ambulance Station Five units from Northern Beaches Police Area Command also responded to the scene While police managed traffic at the busy intersection who was suffering from a suspected concussion He was loaded into the Intensive Care ambulance and taken to Royal North Shore Hospital in a stable condition just before 11.15pm People believed to be the man’s family arrived at the incident scene shortly before he was taken to hospital but they were not permitted to take the e-bike Police were observed conducting inquiries at the scene and took the man’s e-bike into their custody A NSW Police spokesperson confirmed they are looking into the circumstances surrounding the incident emergency services were called to Cavill Street officers attached to Northern Beaches Police Area Command found an e-bike had crashed was thrown from the bike and suffered a head injury He was treated at the scene by NSW Ambulance paramedics before being taken to Royal North Shore Hospital in a stable condition “Inquiries into the crash have commenced,” said the police spokesperson NSW Police are seeking public assistance in relation to this matter. If you have any information that may assist them with their inquiries, please contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 Join us as we go 100% electric and be part of the future of green driving Girl knocked down by e-bike Two e-bike accidents in two days E-bike accidents cause concern E-bike crash at Newport E-bike crash at North Manly Tougher e-bike rules needed No-man’s-land at North Manly E-bike inquiry seeks input Teen crashes stolen e-bike Boy on e-bike hit by car E-bike safety concerns Scooter collision at Cromer Scooter riders injured Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress Laura Rangers partner with Sharks and Rays Australia (SARA), QPWS and Rinyirru Rangers to study the critically endangered freshwater sawfish (Pristis pristis) freshwater sawfish were an important food source in the Laura area and images of sawfish feature in local rock art Commercial fishing and recreational trophy hunting drastically reduced numbers and they are now listed as critically endangered (IUCN Red List) The project aims to collect data on sawfish population numbers and distribution to develop a conservation recovery plan data on freshwater whip rays (Himantura dalyensis) is recorded Little information about either species has been collected from Queensland’s east coast The project is important to Traditional Owners and the community because freshwater sawfish are part of the cultural landscape The fieldwork was conducted in locations including Rinyirru (Lakefield) National Park (CYPAL) Laura Rangers undertook detailed planning for the fieldwork All rangers received training in animal handling DNA sampling allows for the number of breeding animals to be extrapolated from genetic diversity and stable isotope sampling is used to identify where the animal has been living and what it has been eating two sawfish and two whip rays have been dart-tagged a tagged sawfish was caught during the June 2024 fieldwork Seven acoustic receivers were deployed at the study locations Rangers swapped out three acoustic receivers to retrieve the data They tagged one sawfish (1.4m long) with an acoustic tag which will allow movement within the river system to be tracked SARA now has clearance to operate on the water at night and discussion is underway to build a private research boat ramp for future studies The fieldwork has strengthened the relationship between all the research partners the number of sightings/captures of sawfish reported has increased Rangers have discussed with the project partners including considering optimal gill net size for reducing by-catch and purchasing a hand winch to retrieve entangled acoustic receivers highlighting the need for correct handling techniques Freshwater crocs caught in the gill net attract estuarine crocs Discussions are underway for Laura Rangers to undertake crocodile handling training with QPWS rangers Laura Rangers will continue to tag and release sawfish and whiprays The number of acoustic receivers in the Laura/Normanby catchment will be increased receivers will also be deployed in Princess Charlotte Bay to track marine species of sawfish 13 QGOV (13 74 68) Help us improve the content on our website or tell us what is working really well Please contact us Sylvia Zukowski works for not-for-profit organisation Nature Glenelg Trust which receives funding from state and national government for conservation projects University of Adelaide provides funding as a member of The Conversation AU Murray crayfish once thrived in the southern Murray-Darling Basin The species was found everywhere from the headwaters of the Murray and Murrumbidgee Rivers in the Australian Alps all the way down to Wellington in South Australia First Nations people managed harvesting sustainably But crayfish stocks crashed after European settlement This was partly due to commercial and recreational harvest 15 tonnes of Murray crayfish were taken from the river in New South Wales and sent to markets in Melbourne and Sydney In South Australia, the commercial fishery was unsustainable by the 1960s and the species was no longer targeted. In the 1980s, Murray crayfish became a protected species in the state so they suffered from efforts to regulate river flows using dams and weirs including pollution from pesticides and other agricultural chemicals Murray crayfish disappeared from South Australia sometime in the past 40 years. Targeted surveys over a five-year period couldn’t find them anywhere in the state But that all changed in the winter of 2023 when our reintroduction program began Now we’re preparing for the third release of crayfish and there are positive signs many crays from earlier releases are still going strong Like many species from the highly threatened Euastacus genus It takes almost ten years for a female to reach sexual maturity and she only produces a small number of eggs This makes it hard for the population to recover in both number and range Following a recent assessment the species Euastacus armatus is expected to soon be listed as vulnerable to extinction under Australia’s conservation laws Conservation actions such as reintroductions will be necessary to aid recovery of the species The idea of returning Murray crayfish to the river in South Australia is not new Two University of Adelaide ecologists, the late Keith Walker and Mike Geddes, first suggested it in the 1990s. They even conducted trials involving crayfish in cages to show sections of the river would be suitable for the species Then in 2007, the reintroduction idea was floated again. It was one of the main recommendations in a report identifying gaps in knowledge of the species But the idea really gathered momentum after disaster struck. Widespread flooding across the southern Murray-Darling Basin in 2010–11 led to a “hypoxic blackwater” event. This is where leaf litter and debris from the floodplain wash into the river, depleting levels of oxygen and causing mass deaths of both fish and crayfish Then another Murray blackwater event in 2022–23 forced crayfish out of the water and up the riverbanks Vision of dying crayfish leaving the water, only to be consumed by predators or poached by people, prompted the community to respond. Guided by fisheries agencies and a fishing conservation charity, they rescued crays and held them safely in aquaculture facilities until they could be released back into the wild Many of these crayfish were later returned to the river where they came from But a small number were held for release into SA as part of our new reintroduction program In a truly collaborative effort, a small environmental not-for-profit organisation, Nature Glenelg Trust worked in partnership with a natural resource management agency fisheries agencies from three states and a private aquaculture facility to turn the idea into reality Murray crayfish were first released back into South Australia in winter 2023 It was a big moment for people who have long championed the species’ return A further 200 crayfish were released during winter 2024 some of the crayfish were tagged with trackers This has provided world-first movement and activity information It shows all tagged crayfish being regularly detected Field surveys each season at the reintroduction site have also found the species alive and well representing the first Murray crayfish found in the state for more than 40 years The reintroduction of Murray crayfish into a closely guarded location in South Australia’s Riverland is both culturally and ecologically significant It signals the return of a important totem to the Erawirung people of the region and provides a way to reconnect with the species Reestablishing a population of the species in South Australia where hypoxic blackwater events have not been as severe also provides insurance against extinction The species is considered a keystone species meaning it plays a disproportionately large role in the ecosystem So returning it to the river may have even greater ecological benefits Reintroduction programs require ongoing commitment if they are to be successful Extra crayfish will need to be added to the reintroduced population over the coming years The reintroduced population will continue to be monitored to ensure numbers are increasing and the range expanding It will remain protected from fishing by local fisheries authorities further reintroductions may be undertaken into other parts of South Australia At first, the satellite image of Lake Titicaca which sits high in the Andes Mountains on the border between Bolivia and Peru yellows and greens along its coastlines. The colours graphically represent pollution – much of it raw sewage and farm runoff – flowing into the lake from surrounding communities. The satellite image is part of the Freshwater Ecosystems Explorer a groundbreaking data platform developed by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and partners that shows the health of millions of lakes The online site is designed to shine a spotlight on the state of the planet’s freshwater ecosystems and the reserves they hold which experts say are under mounting pressure from climate change pollution and a host of other threats. “Fresh water is fundamental to life on this planet and the website is enabling access to what is vital information,” said Sinikinesh Jimma head of UNEP’s Marine and Freshwater Branch “The more people know about the state of their local freshwater bodies the more they can do to protect and restore them.” Jimma made the comments just ahead of World Water Day which falls on March 22 and is designed to raise awareness about the importance of better managing freshwater resources the day will focus on the preservation of glaciers which are in retreat in many places around the world. Want to check out the health of a lake, river or aquifer near you? You can begin with a quick introduction to the Freshwater Ecosystems Explorer, which draws on data from a range of sources, including satellites. Once you’re ready, you can dive into the explorer proper where you’ll find detailed information on the extent and state of freshwater bodies around the world. Many of those challenges have been laid bare by the Freshwater Ecosystems Explorer which charts any body of water on the Earth’s surface larger than 30 metres by 30 metres It offers what experts call an unprecedented level of detail tracking not only pollution but also the size of freshwater bodies some over the course of decades. It shows, for example, how years of drought led to the near-calamitous shrinking of South Africa’s reservoir Theewaterskloof Dam, which supplies the city of Cape Town with drinking water. It also reveals how a surge in rainfall in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland "The explorer highlights how robust data can help countries manage their freshwater resources in a more holistic “That is crucial to safeguarding this most precious of resources for generations to come.” Not all news was bad, though. The explorer has charted the rebound of several bodies of water, including Iran’s Lake Urmia where an effort to unblock its feeder rivers have caused water levels to rise in a lake once thought near dead. That was part of a larger trend that has seen countries revive many freshwater bodies, including some of the world’s most-polluted urban rivers. Restoring freshwater ecosystems and other inland water bodies is a key aim of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework a landmark 2022 agreement to halt and reverse the decline of the natural world. The Freshwater Ecosystems Explorer was developed by UNEP the European Commission Joint Research Centre and Google The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework The planet is experiencing a dangerous decline in nature. One million species are threatened with extinction, soil health is declining and water sources are drying up. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework sets out global targets to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030 It was adopted by world leaders in December 2022 To address the drivers of the nature crisis UNEP is working with partners to take action in landscapes and seascapes Editor's note: The story was updated on 19 March 2025 to reflect accurately the name of the reservoir supplying Cape Town with water. © 2025 UNEP Terms of Use Privacy Report Project Concern Report Scam Contact Us Contribute to support the Manly Observer's independent local journalism Become a MO supporter hyperlocal news service covering the Northern Beaches in Sydney with a hyperfocus from Manly to Dee Why We have a fair and non-sensationalist approach to reporting It is run by locals for locals and we depend on your news tips and support to keep going We are a member of the Local Independent News Association News tips: editor@manlyobserver.com.au or text 0435741777 Advertising queries: advertising@manlyobserver.com.au General queries: editor@manlyobserver.com.au © Manly Observer | All Rights Reserved A monumental public artwork at McKillop Park Freshwater has won a Green Tick in the 2024 Australian Good Design Awards Signal Fire was commission by Council and designed by First Nations design studio mili mili led by artist and creative director Nicole Monks The work is a powerful tribute to the enduring tradition and historical significance of signal fires – a sophisticated system of communication passed down through generations When Cook sailed the Endeavour up the east coast of Australia in 1770 First Nations people strategically lit signal fires along the headlands the work conveys an important message about the history of our nation and honours the world’s oldest living culture. The sophisticated and innovative design has now been reccognised with a Green Tick from the Australian Good Design Awards. Congratulations to Nicole Monks and mili mili For more information about Signal Fire visit our website We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians and their Country By these words we show our respect to all Aboriginal people present and emerging and the spirits and ancestors of the Clans that lived in this area The world has mismanaged its freshwater reserves for decades, hampering progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) a planet-wide agreement to halt and reverse nature loss The framework contains 23 targets designed to safeguard the natural world and that come due in 2030. “Rivers are some of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet,” said Sinikinesh Beyene Jimma interim Head of UNEP’s Marine and Freshwater Branch “Given the importance of rivers and other freshwater ecosystems for food security resilience building and the world’s biodiversity their sustainable use and management is critical to ensure essential ecosystem services continue and meet the commitments of the Global Biodiversity Framework.” As representatives from 196 countries discuss the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework this week at the UN Biodiversity Conference in Cali there is growing recognition of the value of fresh water and the need to account for it in both national and local policy and financial decisions. Here are five ways countries can leverage freshwater to meet their global biodiversity and sustainability goals Implement water-related nature-based solutions with the help of communities that live along its banks Sirajganj in Bangladesh is creating a green corridor to enhance biodiversity around the city’s river Currently, 122 million people around the world rely on untreated, potentially unsafe surface water. By 2030, 4.8 billion people could face risks to health and livelihoods if water quality monitoring does not improve Effective monitoring and reporting are essential to protect human health and implement global water-focused biodiversity targets Prime examples of that come from Sierra Leone and Zambia which are integrating citizen-science data into national water quality monitoring bridging data gaps and connecting affected communities with authorities responsible for water protection. Embrace Indigenous Peoples’ traditional knowledge   highlights the use of this traditional knowledge through monitoring and evaluation of changes in freshwater ecosystems. Tap into new tools for managing freshwater   Embrace integrated water resource management The coordinated management of freshwater ecosystems including through a process known as integrated water resource management can build resilience to climate-related disasters the European Union and UNEP are helping communities to build boreholes rehabilitate shallow wells for irrigation and introduce highly efficient drip irrigation for crops This holistic approach is designed to help stretch out available water resources and prevent displacement. More than 90 per cent of “natural” disasters are related to water in some way Experts say embracing integrated water resource management is critical to reducing the frequency and magnitude of these calamities. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework   About the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration       The UN General Assembly has declared 2021–2030 a UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration Led by the UN Environment Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN and reverse the loss and degradation of ecosystems worldwide covering terrestrial as well as aquatic ecosystems the UN Decade draws together political support and financial muscle to massively scale up restoration Queen Mary University of London provides funding as a member of The Conversation UK the decline in the biodiversity of our rivers and lakes has been out of sight and out of mind As a freshwater ecologist I have long felt frustrated as conservation and research is dominated by land and sea species ponds and other wetlands host a hugely disproportionate amount of the world’s biodiversity in their relatively small area Red lists are official inventories of conservation status compiled by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) They combined this with data from the previously published red list for freshwater crabs The authors conclude that close to a quarter (24%) of freshwater species are threatened with extinction they have been officially assessed as vulnerable critically endangered or extinct in the wild These include the critically endangered European eel both of which were abundant in the streams of my childhood There is some uncertainty in the estimates especially as there is insufficient data to establish the extinction risk for some species The authors use an accepted and robust method to address this uncertainty but note that this lack of data affects a substantially larger proportion of freshwater species than those that live on land despite indications that a greater proportion of freshwater mollusc species are at risk of extinction the authors could not include molluscs in their analysis as so many species are data deficient we have only the most rudimentary understanding of the status of the wide array other freshwater species particularly invertebrates such as mayflies many of which are highly sensitive to pollution Although this new study represents an important step forward in our understanding it should also act as a clarion call to galvanise efforts to fill these critical data gaps While shocking, this figure of 24% of freshwater species threatened with extinction is comparable with the estimate for predominantly land-based amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, of which 23% are threatened amphibians and mammals have been available for over 20 years As the IUCN’s red lists are used to document trends in biodiversity and therefore to inform national and global strategy data on terrestrial vertebrates has dominated conservation science and policy global environmental governance has focused on land and sea ecosystems despite evidence that freshwaters require distinct management needs it is now clear that policy will have to be developed that protects and delivers improvements for freshwater species That means thinking about entire river basins as a whole rather than the immediate area occupied by the species It also means considering things like how rivers and lakes are connected and how the water available varies from season to season Bodies of freshwater are like islands in a sea of land Facilitating movement between these islands can help preserve species particularly where they disappear seasonally invasive species and disease feature prominently as threats with most species impacted by more than one Freshwaters in areas of limestone and other porous calcium-rich rocks host consistently more threatened species than would be expected highlighting the importance of chalk streams for example where pressure due to exploitation of water resources and pollution is pronounced A lack of understanding can no longer be used as an excuse for inaction. As the authors of the new study point out, freshwaters support more than 10% of all known species, including about a third of vertebrates and half of fishes, while covering less than 1% of the surface of the Earth. Many of the freshwater species considered in this study are socially and economically important. Freshwater fish provide an important source of protein for many human societies, and species such as Atlantic salmon support a fishing-tourism industry critical to many areas with limited opportunities to generate income. Other species, while superficially unimportant to human society, thrive in clean water. The widespread decline in these species reflects increasing pollution and other pressures, which does not bode well for our society in the face of climate change and diminishing water availability. Peter Dutton’s personal ratings have fallen for a second successive month, expectations of Coalition victory have taken a sharp hit and its primary vote has slipped, suggesting Labor’s concerted attacks on the opposition leader are working The latest monthly The Australian Financial Review/Freshwater Strategy poll shows Dutton’s net approval rating lower than Anthony Albanese’s for the first time since May and Albanese has taken back the lead as preferred prime minister for the first time since October Looking for a new spot to practice your downward dog? This month, Luxe Yoga + Fitness is making the end of your working week more enriching with 6.15am sunrise yoga sessions held amid the scenic surrounds of Queenscliffs' Freshwater Beach With the sun on your skin and the sand between your toes feeling at one with your body and achieving mindful clarity will become just a little easier a refreshing dip in the ocean as the sun comes up will not go amiss the team will be hosting a special Saturday session at 6.45am to celebrate the occasion whether you're keen to join the global movement or just want to add some good-natured exercise to your regime getting down for these early morning classes is a wise decision The dates displayed for an article provide information on when various publication milestones were reached at the journal that has published the article activities on preceding journals at which the article was previously under consideration are not shown (for instance submission All content on this site: Copyright © 2025 Elsevier B.V. Metrics details Here we present the results of a multi-taxon global freshwater fauna assessment for The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species covering 23,496 decapod crustaceans finding that one-quarter are threatened with extinction We also examined the degree of surrogacy of both threatened tetrapods and freshwater abiotic factors (water stress and nitrogen) for threatened freshwater species Threatened tetrapods are good surrogates when prioritizing sites to maximize rarity-weighted richness but poorer when prioritizing based on the most range-restricted species they are much better surrogates than abiotic factors although global priority regions identified for tetrapod conservation are broadly reflective of those for freshwater faunas given differences in key threats and habitats meeting the needs of tetrapods cannot be assumed sufficient to conserve freshwater species at local scales the efficacy of using abiotic surrogates for freshwater biodiversity remains untested To improve availability of information for use in the conservation and management of freshwater species we examined the results of the most comprehensive multi-taxon global freshwater fauna assessment to date on the IUCN Red List to summarize the extinction risk key habitats and primary drivers of decline of freshwater decapod crustaceans fishes and odonates (hereafter ‘freshwater species’) to test whether it is appropriate to rely on predominantly terrestrial tetrapod data or freshwater abiotic data when making conservation decisions on freshwater biodiversity at a global scale we investigated whether threatened tetrapods (amphibians mammals and reptiles) and two widely used hydrological variables (water stress representing the ratio of total water demand to available renewable supplies; and water quality representing eutrophication) are effective surrogates for these threatened freshwater species We were unable to include freshwater molluscs in our analysis because only half of the known species globally are currently assessed for the IUCN Red List meaning their inclusion would introduce regional and taxonomic biases we highlight the implications of this omission from our dataset below The numbers above each column refer to the total numbers of species assessed and the best estimates of the proportion of species threatened (Methods) The black lines represent the best estimates of the proportion of species threatened Red List categories are as follows: extinct (EX) near threatened (NT) and least concern (LC) Source data Proportion of threatened freshwater species (decapod crustaceans fishes and odonates; combined and individually) extinct freshwater species (combined) and threatened tetrapods (combined) affected by each threat The darker cells indicate a greater proportion of species affected by the threat Threats are coded following the IUCN Threats Classification Scheme (version 3.3) and combined for presentation as follows (the value of the highest hierarchical level is indicated; all subsequent levels are included): pollution (9); dams and water management (7.2); agriculture (2.1 2.2 and 2.3); invasive species and disease (8.1 8.5 and 8.6); logging (5.2 and 5.3); urban development (1); hunting and fishing (5.1 and 5.4); energy production and mining (3); climate change and severe weather (11); human intrusions and disturbance (6); other ecosystem modifications (7.3); transportation (4); fire and fire suppression (7.1); problematic native species (8.2); aquaculture (2.4); and geological events (10) For the number of species: threatened freshwater species n = 4,190 threatened odonates n = 686 and threatened tetrapods n = 7,112 fishes and odonates; combined and individually) and extinct freshwater species (combined) using each wetland habitat The darker cells indicate a greater proportion of species using the habitat Habitats are coded following the IUCN Habitats Classification Scheme (version 3.1) as follows: permanent rivers (5.1); permanent lakes (5.5); seasonal rivers (5.2); permanent pools (5.7); bogs and marshes among others (5.4); seasonal pools (5.8); springs and oases (5.9); karst (5.18); seasonal lakes (5.6); other wetlands (5.3 For the number of species: threatened freshwater species n = 4,255 threatened fishes n = 3,071 and threatened odonates n = 700 threatened species include those assessed as critically endangered (including those flagged as possibly extinct and possibly extinct in the wild) Extinct freshwater species include those assessed as extinct or extinct in the wild also being frequently affected by invasive species and disease (33%) with the latter predominantly linked to targeted harvesting and 8 tests from a single study using terrestrial surrogates and freshwater targets yielded median SAI = 0.38 The SAI approach is more appropriate in addressing the extent to which areas selected for surrogates capture targets than approaches based on spatial congruence All SAI values for the abiotic factors, representing water quantity and quality, are negative, meaning performance is worse than expected from random solutions (Extended Data Fig. 6) The effectiveness is equally bad for both conservation strategies very poor surrogates for threatened freshwater species This suggests that relying on these surrogates for conservation and management decisions could lead to suboptimal or even harmful outcomes and conservation strategies that rely on abiotic indicators should be re-evaluated Important consideration should additionally be given to tackling overharvesting given that this is considered a particularly prominent threat in driving freshwater species extinctions distribution of species within their ranges will not be uniform and the disproportionate importance of some areas and/or habitat types needs to be considered when planning action on the ground our results suggest that setting targets around non-living nature will not be sufficient to protect and conserve living nature and may be harmful in terms of its opportunity cost and displacement of threats to more important places for freshwater biodiversity The dataset will also form the basis of (multi-)species conservation planning processes across the globe limiting our ability to provide new data to update assessments vital to track the changing status of freshwater biodiversity supporting evidence-based management and conservation actions and processes to feed these results back into assessment efforts some freshwater decapod species have been assessed or reassessed since these global assessment efforts were first completed updated Red List assessment figures are provided below to reflect the version of the dataset used in this analysis the assessed species represent 84% of the formally described species in all three taxonomic groups (see the ‘Missing species’ section below for a description of the gaps in coverage) These groups were selected for assessment because they cover both vertebrates and invertebrates are not restricted to particular continents and are groups for which there was thought to be a reasonable level of existing information such that their comprehensive assessment would provide a good indication of the status of freshwater fauna globally This freshwater species dataset was compared with that of the tetrapods: amphibians (class Amphibia; 7,468 species) mammals (class Mammalia; 5,973 species) and reptiles (class Reptilia; 10,222 species) We worked with species experts and members of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) to compile data Each assessment then underwent two reviews at least one independent scientist familiar with each species reviewed the assessment to ensure the data presented were correct and complete and that the Red List criteria had been applied appropriately Once each assessment had passed this first stage of the review staff from the IUCN Red List Unit reviewed the assessments to ensure that the Red List criteria had been applied appropriately and the documentation standards had been met Once each assessment had passed this second stage of the review they were considered finalized and set for publication on the IUCN Red List website The preliminary Red List assessments of 1,577 freshwater fish species used in this analysis had undergone only the first step of the review process described above at the time of analysis with only seven species (0.5%) changing Red List category before publication as a result of the second stage of review We expect the remaining 207 species (13%) with preliminary assessments to have completed the assessment process outlined above by October 2024 we diverged only to follow well-justified taxonomic standards as recommended by the relevant IUCN SSC Specialist Group We were not able to revisit new descriptions for regions or families after the end of the original regional sub-projects the final species lists are not fully consistent with any single release of either of the above taxonomic sources with level 8 HydroBASINS as the default resolution (mean sub-basin area of 576 km2) Assessors are recommended to use higher-resolution level HydroBASINS (that is levels 10 and 12) for species with restricted distributions All known past, current and future threats to a species were coded using the IUCN Threats Classification Scheme (version 3.3; https://www.iucnredlist.org/resources/threat-classification-scheme) Where known, species habitats were coded using the IUCN Habitats Classification Scheme (version 3.1; https://www.iucnredlist.org/resources/habitat-classification-scheme) Species were assigned to all habitat classes in which they are known to occur Although we made an extensive effort to complete assessments for all freshwater fishes and odonates along with limitations with the published freshwater decapod data 3,804 freshwater fishes (21% of the formally described species) 169 odonates (3% of the formally described species) and 622 freshwater decapods (19% of the formally described species) were omitted from the study The odonates are the most comprehensively assessed of the three freshwater groups with the few omitted species being new descriptions reflecting the geographical distribution of the order overall The effect on our analyses is likely to be an underestimate of the number of threatened species and lower surrogacy levels than reported here Eighteen per cent of freshwater fishes (2,634 species) 29% of odonates (1,830 species) and 39% of freshwater decapods (1,042 species) were assessed as data deficient Although we made extensive efforts to map the current known distribution of each species this is missing or incomplete for some species Polygon map availability for all freshwater species was as follows: freshwater decapods (94%) freshwater fishes (95%) and odonates (77%) Polygon map availability for threatened freshwater species was as follows: freshwater decapods (89%) freshwater fishes (96%) and odonates (87%) Polygon map availability for data deficient freshwater species was as follows: freshwater decapods (93%) freshwater fishes (92%) and odonates (77%) Polygon map availability for threatened tetrapod species was as follows: amphibians (100%) Species missing maps generally had older Red List assessments where the supporting data requirements were lower or only had non-polygon spatial data (that is It should be noted that species occurrence is unlikely to be spread evenly or entirely throughout the area depicted in species distribution maps with gaps expected in areas without suitable habitat it is probable that species with assessments older than 10 years are more likely to be assessed in a higher threat category today indicating a potential underestimation of the extinction risk in these groups To capture the uncertainty in the proportion of species threatened with extinction that is introduced by data deficient species we report three values for percentage threatened as follows We used the following formula as the midpoint of the proportion of species threatened with extinction: We used the following formula to calculate the lower estimate of the proportion of species threatened with extinction: VU and EX are the number of species in each corresponding Red List category and N is the total number of species assessed This formula assumes data deficient species are not threatened we used the following formula to calculate the upper estimate of the proportion of species threatened with extinction: DD and EX are the number of species in each corresponding Red List category This formula assumes that all data deficient species are threatened we did not use scope and severity to distinguish the relative importance of threats to individual species and all coded threats were included in the analysis We recommend future reassessments to include these codes such that major threats can be distinguished from trivial threats in analyses based on the proportion of the population affected The threats analysis presented here focuses on threatened species plus on extinct and extinct in the wild freshwater species Threats data availability for threatened species for each taxonomic group was as follows: freshwater decapods (97%) Eighty-two per cent of extinct and extinct in the wild freshwater species had threats coded Species without threats data either faced no known major threats faced unknown threats or had no threats data coded because they have older Red List assessments where the supporting data requirements were lower We first analysed habitat use at the highest level of the IUCN Habitats Classification Scheme we analysed habitat use within habitat code 5 ‘Wetlands (inland)’ Habitat data availability for threatened species for each taxonomic group was as follows: freshwater decapods (99%) Wetland-specific habitat data availability for all species for each freshwater taxonomic group was as follows: freshwater decapods (100%) freshwater fishes (99%) and odonates (99%) All extinct and extinct in the wild freshwater species had habitats coded Species without habitat data either had habitats coded as ‘unknown’ or had no habitat data coded because they have older Red List assessments in which the supporting data requirements were lower We used chi-squared tests to assess whether any threats were recorded more for extinct species than would be expected based on threats recorded for threatened species whether any habitats were recorded more for threatened species than would be expected based on habitats recorded for all species and whether any habitats were recorded more for extinct species than would be expected based on habitats recorded for threatened species probably extant (code 2) or possibly extinct (code 4) reintroduced (code 2) or assisted colonization (code 6) we excluded ranges coded as presence code 4 (possibly extinct) All spatial mapping and subsequent analyses were conducted on a global 0.5 × 0.5 latitude–longitude grid (approximately 50-km resolution; WGS84) We converted all polygon range maps (including HydroBASIN-based maps) tagged with presence origin and seasonality codes as described above to these grids to have a consistent format for analysis across all taxonomic groups We mapped the distribution of species as a count of the number of species ranges overlapping each grid cell A surrogate is selected as a representative of conservation planning simplifying the process of monitoring and conserving biodiversity Its effectiveness hinges on how well the surrogate can reflect the presence abundance and diversity of species in a given area Here we used species accumulation curves to measure this effectiveness by comparing the species accumulation curves of surrogates with those of the target group We performed the analyses on two main global conservation strategies: (a) maximizing rarity-weighted richness (that is the aggregate importance of each grid cell to the species occurring there) of threatened species and (b) maximizing inclusion of the most range-restricted threatened species The first strategy prioritizes areas containing many threatened species with highly restricted ranges globally whereas the second prioritizes essential areas for the most globally range-restricted threatened species using the additive benefit function (ABF) and the core-area zonation (CAZ) algorithms for strategy a and strategy b The algorithm for the ABF (strategy a) focuses on ranking areas by the sum of the proportion of the overall range size of all species found within a specific grid cell (that is a quantity similar to weighted species endemism and endemism richness) The grid cells that contain many species occurring exclusively in that cell or in only a few other cells are given the highest priority areas are prioritized based on the maximum proportion of the global range size of all species within a specific grid cell The algorithm assigns the highest priority to cells that contain the greatest proportions of the ranges of the most range-restricted species surrogate and random curves based on multiple target species-surrogate species combinations We used 100 sets of random terrestrial grid-cell sequences to generate 95% confidence intervals around a median random curve We ran five iterations of each spatial prioritization algorithm for each taxonomic group and optimal and surrogate curves were summarized using the median and 95% confidence intervals across the five iterations We derived the SAI of surrogate effectiveness83 which quantifies the rate of inclusion of target biodiversity units across areas selected optimally based on the targets themselves where s is the area under the surrogate curve the optimal and the surrogate curves coincide (perfect surrogacy); if SAI is between 1 and 0 the surrogate curve is above the random curve (positive surrogacy); if SAI = 0 the surrogate and random curves are the same (no surrogacy); and if SAI < 0 the surrogate curve is below the random curve (negative surrogacy) We used the following descriptors to define SAI performance: 0.01–0.19 as very poor this does not mean that 50% of targets are represented and 50% of targets are not represented we reported the median and 95% confidence intervals based on the five target and surrogate curve iterations and 100 random curve iterations Nitrogen levels in water around the world are highly correlated with population density sanitation practices and agricultural activities Here the nitrogen layer was predicted globally and provides valuable information about nitrogen concentrations in areas where no previous observations have been made We rasterized the baseline water stress and the nitrogen layers to a 0.5 × 0.5 latitude–longitude grids (approximately 50-km resolution; WGS84) to match the species rasters we excluded cells with missing water stress data across the world’s land (12% of cells excluded) We found that 44% of the world’s cells with water stress data had no threatened freshwater species 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Zenodo https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13178145 (2024) Download references We thank the IUCN Red List assessors (Supplementary Note 1); N Vishwanath for their contributions to coordinating the IUCN Red List assessment efforts for freshwater fishes; and J Hart for assistance in processing the nitrogen data layer for the surrogacy analysis We acknowledge funding and support for the global assessment efforts for freshwater fishes and odonates from Al-Farabi Kazakh National University; Asian Development Bank; Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment; Auckland Zoo; California Academy of Sciences; Câmara Municipal de Vila do Conde; Center for Species Survival New Mexico BioPark Society; Comitato Italiano IUCN; Comité Français de l’UICN; Conservation International; Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund; Department of Fisheries Malawi; Dirección General de Diversidad Biológica del Ministerio del Ambiente de Perú; Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Environment Agency Abu Dhabi; European Union; Federazione Italiana dei Parchi e delle Riserve Naturali (Federparchi); Fonds Pacifique; Global Center for Species Survival Indianapolis Zoo; Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade; Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos von Humboldt; IBAT; International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation; IUCN; IUCN’s Bureau Regional de l’Afrique Centrale et Ouest; IUCN Moroccan National Committee; IUCN National Committee of the Netherlands; IUCN SSC; IUCN Tunisian National Committee; IUCN Water and Nature Initiative; John D MacArthur Foundation; JRS Biodiversity Foundation; Junta de Andalucia; Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum National University of Singapore; Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries; Mandai Wildlife Group; MAVA Foundation; Ministero dell’Ambiente e della Tutela del Territorio e del Mare; Missouri Botanical Garden We acknowledge funding for this analysis and manuscript from the Regina Bauer Frankenberg Foundation; the Global Environment Facility (GEF); and the support of the IUCN GEF Project Agency The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of IUCN The designation of geographical entities in this paper do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN concerning the legal status of any country or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos Oxford University Museum of Natural History Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO) Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science Leibniz Institute for Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries Centre for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture and College of Science and Engineering Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory Durrel Institute for Conservation and Ecology (DICE) Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Agricultural Mechanization Engineers National Research University (TIIAME NRU) Laboratorio de Biodiversidad y Genética Ambiental — UNDAV Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research Department of Evolutionary Genetics & Humboldt University Berlin Thaer-Institute for Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences Mott MacDonald Environment and Social Division (ENS) Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity Tervuren and KU Leuven (Leuven University) Mindanao State University–Iligan Institute of Technology conceived the original idea and curated the data secured the principal funding for the analysis and manuscript are affiliated with commercial companies (Elimia but their contributions to this paper were made in a voluntary capacity The other authors declare no competing interests Nature thanks Anthony Ricciardi and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work. Peer reviewer reports are available Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations Threatened species include those assessed as Critically Endangered or Vulnerable (including those flagged as Possibly Extinct and Possibly Extinct in the Wild) Habitats are coded following the IUCN Habitats Classification Scheme (version 3.1) and combined for presentation as follows (value of highest hierarchical level is indicated all subsequent levels are included): wetlands (5); forest (1); artificial (combined) (14 13); shrubland (3); grassland (4); rocky areas (6); savanna (2); caves & subterranean (7); and desert (8) The following habitats are not shown: introduced vegetation (16); other (17); and unknown (18) Number of species: threatened freshwater species n = 4,236; and threatened tetrapods n = 7,108 Values and curves are shown for two alternative conservation strategies: a) maximises rarity-weighted richness and b) maximises inclusion of the most range-restricted species See Methods for a full explanation of each strategy Surrogate effectiveness is measured using the Species Accumulation Index (SAI): values range from −∞ to 1 values between 1 and 0 indicating positive surrogacy and values less than 0 indicating negative surrogacy with lower and upper confidence intervals in brackets Blue lines are the optimal curves (accumulation of target diversity based on target priority areas); red lines are the surrogate curves (accumulation of target diversity based on surrogate priority areas); and grey lines are the random curves (accumulation of target diversity based on random selection of areas) based on 100 randomisations) are shown in lighter shading around curves; most are too small to be visible Values and curves are shown for two alternative conservation strategies: 1) maximises rarity-weighted richness and 2) maximises inclusion of the most range-restricted species See Methods for a full explanation of each strategies and values of water stress based on 100 randomisations) shown in lighter shading around curves; most are too small to be visible This file contains Supplementary Note 1 and Supplementary Table 1 Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08375-z Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: a shareable link is not currently available for this article Communications Earth & Environment (2025) Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science Curtorim harvesting fresh water lake fish on Sunday MARGAOFarmers cultivating the fields at the Maitollem in Curtorim village were all in smiles as they harvested moderate fresh water fish from the water body on Sunday Farmers descended into the lake waters early Sunday morning with fishing nets to harvest fish such as catla Fresh water fish lovers headed to Maitollem near the Carmel Chapel, President of Maitollem farmers Association Shubert D’Costa said the farmers have netted fresh water fish from the water body in moderate quantities. South Goa for lending help and assistance by providing fish for breeding This is the third fresh water lake harvested by the farmers’ association in the last fortnight The UNSW water community has helped to investigate important water use data in the pursuit of climate targets members of the UNSW water community played a key role in a world-first project to estimate the global freshwater requirements of climate mitigation measures Led by the International Universities Climate Alliance (IUCA) in collaboration with the UN-Water Expert Group on Water and Climate Change, the report looks at the various mitigation and adaptation options considered by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement It ranks mitigation measures based on their estimated water requirements and efficiency noting that the applicability of each measure is contextual and recommends countries take these rankings into account when reviewing their climate policies The report was a collaborative effort between representatives from several different universities UNSW’s contribution was led by the UNSW Global Water Institute through Director Professor Greg Leslie Rahman Daiyan and PhD Student Peter Ellersdorfer contributing from the Faculty of Engineering The project was also supported by Professor Richard Kingsford This study was undertaken as a critical input to the UN-Water Analytical brief on Water for Climate Mitigation Professor Greg Leslie presented the findings of the study at the 60th session of the Bonn Climate Change Conference hosted by the United Nations Climate Change Conference A pre-sessional event in preparation for COP29 the Bonn conference was attended by thousands of delegates The study presentation formed part of a side-event that focused on Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) with Parties participating in a round table discussion on how countries are taking stock of water action for climate mitigation and adaptation measures and shedding light on strategic points for mainstreaming water as a necessary aspect for NDC and NAP implementation The 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference (or Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC)—more commonly known as COP29—was held in Baku Hosted by the Water for Climate Pavilion, a dedicated session took place to present the UN-Water Analytical Brief on Water for Climate Mitigation—which references the study supported by GWI The UN-Water Analytical Brief informed global policy makers on the freshwater requirements for their own Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Among the key messages from the brief and the accompanying session it was suggested that an understanding of water availability and constraints should inform decisions on climate mitigation options A recording of the COP29 session is available online UNSW respectfully acknowledges the Bidjigal clan of the Dharawal Nation on whose unceded lands we are privileged to learn and recognise the broader Nations with whom we walk together UNSW acknowledges the enduring connection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to culture The Uluru Statement Working to sustain the natural world for the benefit of people and nature WWF® and ©1986 Panda Symbol are owned by WWF You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience. Watch 2m 15sAn ABC investigation has revealed the Coalition's internal pollster, Freshwater Strategy, are trying to drum-up support for a pro-gas energy group in a campaign described as textbook astroturfing.