Articles
Citizen Science
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El Niño Summers and Our Pollinators
According to Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology, Australia is set to experience strong to very strong El Niño conditions this summer, and conditions under this weather system often result in extreme heat and fire-prone weather. As we prepare to spend summer trying to stay cool, what do these conditions mean for our insect pollinators and other animals? What is an El Niño Weather Event? An El Niño weather system occurs around every 3-7 years, and, according to the Australian Research Council, is characterised by weather patterns across the Pacific ocean including warming temperatures, higher surface air-pressure, and increases in cloud cover…
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Call for stricter protections of Australian marine sanctuaries
In August 2026, more than 275 of the world’s top marine scientists from 25 countries released a statement advocating for a more effective marine park sanctuary system. (See link to statement below.) This warning has arisen from the Commonwealth’s once in a decade marine park management review. It was found that less than 10 per cent of Commonwealth waters surrounding Australia were under strict protection -- well below the recommended degree of conservation required to maintain healthy and regenerative oceans. The scientists called for at least 30 per cent of Australia's marine bioregions to be highly protected sanctuaries, calling for…
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Nesting Box Basics
Australian animals use tree hollows for various purposes – sometimes for shelter, sometimes for nesting and sometimes for safety from predators. The hollows provide insulation to help protect against cold, heat and rain, and can be found in live and dead trees. More than 340 species of Australian animals – 15 per cent of birds and about 30 per cent of land mammals – live in hollow homes. Some birds include owls, kookaburras, lorikeets, cockatoos and wood ducks. Some mammals include microbats, gliders, possums and quolls. The most important thing is to keep as many of our large, old trees…
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Cat-napping about feral cats?
When the creator of the world wide web was asked what surprised him most about the use of the internet he famously replied ‘kittens’. Everyone has an opinion on cats, from sheer hatred to obsession and everything in between. Wherever one stands, they infiltrate our lives with their fluffy tails, aloof ‘tudes and tenacity. Such tenaciousness may be admired in our pet floofs when chasing a moth inside, yet it is one of the reasons that feral cats cover 99% of Australia, around 80% of our islands, and are extremely difficult to eradicate. Worldwide, cats are listed as one of…
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Bird Flu Basics
We are hearing more about the spread of H5N1 bird flu in Australia.What is the new ‘H5N1’ strain of bird flu? How dangerous is it – and, what can we do to slow its spread? What is H5N1 bird flu?Bird flu viruses occur naturally in both poultry and wild birds and most are not dangerous. However, in 2021 a new strain emerged known as H5N1. This virus has proved to be very harmful to poultry, wild birds and mammals around the world, causing serious illness and deaths, although the risk to humans is low. In June 2026, bird flu reached…
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Time to blitz the BioBlitz!
National Biodiversity Month (September) is around the corner! Which means… drum roll… that the National Citizen Science B&B BioBlitz is approaching! September is a perfect time for students in every State and Territory to get out and about in their school grounds to take images of nature for teachers to upload to iNaturalist – which feeds into the Atlas of Living Australia hosted by the CSIRO. PlantingSeeds has been running this informative citizen science activity for five years and has witnessed a growing awareness among the public of the importance of everyday people contributing to biodiversity knowledge. The State of…