A NATIONAL testing facility for desalination research launched last Friday at Murdoch University’s Rockingham campus and announced its first national and local research projects.

RISING sea levels could see Perth becoming the ‘Venice of the southern hemisphere’ in coming decades unless preventative action is taken.

Scientists, researchers, engineers and academics have started preparing for the eventuality that sea levels along the West Australian coast could rise as much as one metre over the next 90 years.

An ambitious plan to reduce carbon emissions would put WA at the forefront of building a new green energy generation future.

A NEW climate tool is changing farming practices in South-West WA and providing researchers with a different approach to tackling Australia’s 30 year drought.

WA MINING sites could become more profitable and sustainable if research into creating synthetic natural gas and biochar from biomass waste is successful.

THE future of a sustainable forestry management program run by the State Centre of Excellence for Climate Change Woodland and Forest Health at Murdoch University may be at risk if current efforts to secure new funding are not successful.

AT a recent event held by the Western Australian Sustainable Energy Association, Professor Peter Newman of Curtin University discussed the past, present and future of climate change in Australiaa and issued a call to action.

AUSTRALIA could have just 100 years of fresh groundwater supplies left along its coastal regions if the impacts of current climate change patterns continue, according to Curtin University research scientist and civil engineering lecturer Dr Priyantha Sarukkalige.

A NEW means of collecting data for scientific research on the impacts of climate change was launched today at the Kings Park Function Centre today.

WITH increasing population placing food high on the global agenda, WA researchers are at the forefront of sustainable, profitable, high-yield agriculture.

THIS week's Mallee Industry Expo saw the launch of a new Mallee harvester prototype in Narrogin, promising cheap and efficient biomass energy harvesting.

IN only two months, the University of Western Australia (UWA) and CO2 Smart Pty Ltd, with a network of support organisations, will unveil a prototype electric car to lead a nation-first trial to research performance and infrastructure needs for the future of the industry.

ATTENDEES at the recent WA Sustainable Energy Association’s (WASEA) Energising WA national conference and exhibition were treated to two days of discussion from a variety of speakers, all focused on the growing field of sustainable energy.

NEW research by Curtin University of Technology scientists has uncovered an easy and cost-effective way for commercial businesses to reduce their carbon footprint while maintaining productivity.

THE State Government plans to construct one of Australia’s biggest wind farms near Merredin in the Central Wheatbelt, with Energy Minister Peter Collier announcing the agreement at the recent Energising WA Conference.

THE recent launch of the Oceans Institute (OI) at UWA is unlocking the potential to coordinate ocean research across several disciplines and several institutions.

WE cannot rely on science and technology to create sustainable energies that will save the future and allow us to continue in our current state, according to Australian Research Council (ARC) Federation Fellow Professor Steven Smith.

A PERTH company has developed a process that will deliver water supplies, renewable energy for the power grid and increased crop yields, while potentially addressing issues of soil salinity and fertility.

GLOBAL financial problems, resource booms and the rising costs of living are diverting public attention from the health of the natural environment, according to the Conservation Council of WA.

Citizen science project coordinator Dr Nic Dunlop says most people are sensitive to changes in their environment but few understand the longer term impacts on habitats of land clearing, fire, salinity and dieback. The Conservation Council says economic ups and downs are diverting our attention from a native environment in extreme risk / Image: Istockphoto

“Biodiversity is a concept that does not resonate in the community,” Dr Dunlop says.

“It is almost impossible to change this with the current attitude to the world financial crisis and massive resource development planned in WA.”

A leading ecologist and active conservationist since the mid-1970s, Dr Dunlop says even the impacts of climate change often go unrecognised when trying to protect and conserve natural systems.

“Unfortunately, the current approach to biodiversity conservation is to wait until species are on their last legs and then put them on a list.

“How much these lists reflect reality is questionable.”

The diversity of life on the planet affects everyone, which is why the United Nations has declared 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity.

Additional information can be found at www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity.

Western Australian groups are holding events including lectures and field trips to some of the State’s biological hotspots, including the South-West, Mid-West and North-West regions.

The WA Museum has launched a series of lectures whose topics range from the evolution of the spider to the resilience of seashells, while Perth Zoo has launched a 2010 ‘Our Biodiversity Hotspots’ education experience for people who want to explore the endemic biodiversity of southwestern WA.

The program will give students an opportunity to look at the benefits of biodiversity, and the potential issues associated with the loss of biodiversity.

There are about 260,000 hectares of remnant native vegetation in the metropolitan area.

Scientists have documented more than 1500 plant species forming habitats for a diversity of animals, including 15 species of amphibians, 311 bird species and 71 reptile species.

According to State Government figures, the equivalent of 260 football fields of remnant vegetation has been cleared on the Swan Coastal Plain every year for the past four years.

Some species have gone extinct in the past few years, including the short-tongued native bee, pig-footed bandicoot, lesser bilby, desert bandicoot, Lewin’s rail and rufous bristlebird.

Others are on the brink, including the western swamp tortoise and loggerhead turtle, northern quoll, woylie, Tristan albatross, noisy scrub-bird, graceful sunmoth, tingle trapdoor spider and Dunsborough burrowing crayfish.

People can view the lists of endangered and extinct plants and animals at the Department of Environment and Conservation site at www.dec.wa.gov.au/content/view/852/2010.