Environment
Conservation
Exclusive
Indigenous culture
'Exceptional' Indigenous burial site in Sydney set to secure state protection
A chance discovery on a 177 year-old surveyor's map of a rare Indigenous burial ground is expected soon to lead to the area's protection by the Berejiklian government.
- by Peter Hannam
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Biodiversity
Land-clearing rates rocketed in year before NSW laws were loosened
Some 20,200 hectares were cleared for crops, pasture or thinning - or about 70 times the size of Sydney's central business district.
- by Peter Hannam
Animals
Chimpanzees seen cracking open tortoises for meat
Scientists have observed wild chimpanzees in central Africa tucking into tortoises, whose hard shells they crack against tree trunks before scooping out the flesh.
Animals
Rare all-white panda caught on camera in Chinese nature reserve
The albino panda has red eyes and lacks the usual black fur on its limbs and ears and around its eyes.
Environmental protection
Farmers accuse councils of 'cash grab' over Queensland land clearing
The farming industry is joining the property lobby in reacting angrily to a court ruling reinforcing councils' powers over land clearing.
- by Mark Solomons
Wildlife
Big animals face extinction as habitats evolve
Big mammals including the elephant, rhino and hippo could vanish in the next 100 years as smaller creatures, able to adapt to more confined habitats, flourish.
- by Sarah Knapton
Exclusive
Environmental protection
Queensland landholders warned of massive fines over 'exempt' land clearing
Landholders who assumed swathes of Queensland could be cleared without the need for council permission could face prosecution after a far-reaching court ruling.
- by Mark Solomons
Ethical living
Australian authors win gold medal book prize
Authors Penny Woodward, Janice Sutton and Karen Sutherland win at the Independent Publisher Book Awards in New York.
- by Megan Backhouse
Animals
New tech helps the plants talk back
New technology is allowing trees to 'tell' us what they need.
- by Megan Backhouse
Endangered species
Armed with goggles and snorkels, a couple of canoeists saved a rare turtle from extinction
If not for the determination of a couple of sharp-eyed locals and a raft of agencies and scientists, a much-loved turtle in NSW would be no more.
- by Peter Hannam
Explainer
Adani
What's next for Adani, the coal project that helped to return Morrison to power?
Much is at stake as Adani's Carmichael coal mine becomes a swing factor in delivering victory to the federal Coalition – and approvals have now been fast-tracked.
- by Peter Hannam