Strict bans limiting commercial and recreational fishing in Perth and WA are announced in an effort to save some under-threat fish species from the brink of collapse.

Want to give and receive less stuff without being a scrooge? Experts offer their tips for enduring presents that sleigh * Change by degrees offers life hacks and sustainable living tips each Saturday to help reduce your household’s carbon footprint * Got a question or tip for reducing household emissions? Email us at changebydegrees@theguardian.com One of the best lines from Paul Kelly’s song How to Make Gravy is: “Have a merry Christmas, I’m really going to miss it, all the treasure and the trash.” While piles of Slinkies, scented candles and beach cricket sets might seem like a rite of passage, unfortunately for the environment, research from the Australia Institute suggests when it comes to Christmas presents, in the balance of trash versus treasure, we are giving each other too much of the former. Nearly a third of Australians expect to receive Christmas presents they will not use or wear, amounting to $921m dollars’ worth of presents that will end up in landfill. Continue reading...

In what are dangerous times for democracies around the world, parliament’s overhaul of nature laws in the EPBC Act shows ambitious reform remains possible * Sign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter here * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The passage of long overdue reforms to the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act demonstrates powerfully that democratic governance is alive and well in Australia. The Australian parliament has done its job and passed 21st-century reforms that support a modern economy, enable the creation of new and sustainable jobs while promising not to destroy, but in fact improve, the health of the natural world. Continue reading...

After years of failed attempts, Australia’s environmental laws are finally getting an overhaul. But will they stop the damage done to nature?

One expert says he is ‘starting to visualise the point where all we have left of corals and reefs is memories’

Seagrass genomes of the deep-water Zostera pacifica and shallow-water Z. marina from the Eastern Pacific Ocean provide evidence for low-light adaptation exemplified in the wild hybrid Z. marina × paci...

It is estimated half of the local seagrass habitat in Gamay (Botany Bay) has already been lost. Researchers and Aboriginal rangers are replanting seagrass fragments and using biochar to restore the ar...

A decades-long conservation project restoring vegetation between two renowned national parks could be accelerated using the carbon economy.

If you've ever been swimming or diving along the south coast of Australia, you might be familiar with the stunning array of colours and textures that make up our native seagrass meadows. But did you ...

The West Australian government announces a new marine park to safeguard an enormous stretch of coastline adjacent to Ningaloo Reef.

Luck seems to have run out for many Western Australian coral reefs, as an off-the-charts marine heatwave leaves a trail of bleaching and coral death.

New research reveals only 44% of biodiversity offset policies and 27% of voluntary conservation programs consider climate risk. These 3 practical steps can help.

In March 2025, surfers and swimmers were the first to notice the harmful algal bloom taking hold in South Australian waters. People catching waves at a popular break on the Fleurieu Peninsula later re...

The removal of beloved trees from Kings Park has left a scar across the escarpment and made it vulnerable to dangerous landslides.

As oceans warm, tropical fish are on the move, heading south into cooler waters. New research reveals how they are getting on with the fish they encounter there.

As Ningaloo reef bleaches and an election looms, we must look to those who stand in the way of our safety – the small cohort of people profiting from fossil fuels, and the politicians who protect them

Survey finds that fear of reputational harm and a lack of support and publication platforms are among respondents’ key concerns.