Welcome to this week's issue!
There's less than two weeks to go until the 2025 Annual Conference! Don't miss your chance to secure a spot - the more popular site visit is almost at capacity.
In an era where environmental challenges grow increasingly complex, no single practitioner can work in isolation. The 2025 EIANZ Annual Conference examines how meaningful collaboration across disciplines, communities, and landscapes is revolutionising our profession and enhancing our collective impact.
Join us in Perth for a two-day deep-dive into professional collaboration that delivers real-world environmental outcomes. The theme for this year's conference is "Environmental Excellence Through Collaboration," featuring keynote addresses by:
- Professor Josh Byrne PhD AM
- Professor Fiona Wood AO, FRCS, FRACS
- Keith Bradby, CEO of Gondwana Link
Review the whole program via the link below. We look forward to seeing you there!
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Those in Perth for the Annual Conference are encouraged to consider also enrolling in EIANZ's rare face-to-face training in Mastering AI for Environmental Practice. Get up to speed with this one day crash course.
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Environment Minister Murray Watt is negotiating with Liberal MP Angie Bell to reform Australia's outdated environmental laws, with both parties optimistic about reaching a deal before parliament's final sitting of the year.
The government wants to establish an Environment Protection Agency, streamline housing and energy approvals, and create "go" and "no-go" zones for development, though the Coalition insists the minister, not the EPA, retain final say over projects. Watt has indicated the government won't partner with the Greens, ruling out their proposed "climate trigger" to block coal and gas projects, though the Greens suggest he's just negotiating. The reforms aim to finally address environmental laws that the 2020 review found broken, after multiple attempts to pass legislation over the past five years have failed.
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Australia and Turkey are considering splitting hosting duties for the Cop31 Climate Summit in 2026 as a potential compromise to break their deadlock. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed Australia has majority support from the Western European and Others group, but consensus rules mean both countries risk losing the summit to Bonn, Germany if no agreement is reached.
Australia's bid is jointly proposed with Pacific nations to host the event in Adelaide, and Albanese said discussions with Turkey would continue. Turkish climate minister Murat Kurum has proposed "innovative solutions" where both countries could benefit from shared arrangements.
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The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) is consulting on proposed methods for assessing improvements in native vegetation under the Nature Repair Market Act 2023. The draft outlines how biodiversity gains will be measured, monitored, and certified to generate tradeable biodiversity certificates, building on the Replanting Native Forest and Woodland Vegetation method and the Enhancing Remnant Vegetation pilot, among others.
A public webinar on 15 October will outline the proposed approach and invite technical feedback. The consultation will establish how native vegetation projects are verified for the Nature Repair Market and form the first framework for biodiversity credit certification based on measurable vegetation outcomes.
Submissions close 4 November via the DCCEEW consultation portal. If you are interested in contributing to an Institute submission, please get in touch via email to office@eianz.org.
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Aotearoa New Zealand's oceans are warming 34 percent faster than the global average, with sea surface temperatures rising up to 0.26 degrees Celsius per decade between 1982 and 2023, a new government report has found. The warming seas put NZ$180 billion worth of coastal housing and more than $26 billion of infrastructure at risk of flooding and storm damage, with some regions facing 20-30cm sea level rises by 2050.
Marine heatwaves are becoming more intense and frequent, affecting indigenous species and threatening the country's $1.1 billion fishing and aquaculture industries through ocean acidification and toxic algae blooms. The report also revealed the Subtropical Front has shifted 120 kilometres west for the first time, which will have significant impacts on marine ecosystems and species including corals, sponges, kelp and fish.
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The Australian Government has approved the Forbes Solar Farm Project in just 19 days, showing how strategic site selection can expedite environmental approvals. The 141 MW solar farm with battery storage will be built on degraded agricultural land in NSW with minimal native vegetation, powering up to 60,000 homes and creating nearly 100 jobs.
Environment Minister Murray Watt said the proponent's decision to use disturbed agricultural land enabled the rapid approval process. The project, which still requires NSW Government approval, is the 106th renewable energy project approved by the Albanese Government and will reduce emissions by 296,000 tonnes annually.
Following the rapid approval of the Forbes Solar Farm, the Government approved the Pottinger Wind Farm in the Riverina, which will generate 1,300 MW of electricity to power around 590,000 homes and create up to 900 construction jobs. The wind farm between Hay and Deniliquin will reduce emissions by nearly 3 million tonnes annually and includes road upgrades benefiting local communities.
Learn more about the Forbes Solar Farm Project→
Learn more about the Pottinger Wind Farm →
Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre, Australia's largest lake in the outback, reached its peak following rare flooding from south-west Queensland and is now beginning to evaporate, according to local pilot Phil van Wegen. The floodwaters, which arrived in May and initially covered about 80 per cent of the lake at 2.2 metres deep, have now receded to around 50 percent coverage as evaporation rates exceed inflow.
The spectacular transformation has drawn large numbers of tourists, with pelicans and other bird life beginning to converge on the area as water elsewhere dries up. Visitors have until the end of October to view the lake from the air before extreme heat makes travel too dangerous, with summer temperatures exceeding 50 degrees Celsius.
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A $11.7 million wetland restoration project at Lake Hawdon North near Robe has been completed, expanding critical habitat for migratory shorebirds and waterbirds by five-fold in South Australia's Limestone Coast region.
The project includes a new water regulator to maintain shallow water levels into late summer and autumn, a rock-ramp fishway for fish passage, and new fencing and access tracks, all completed ahead of schedule. The restored wetland supports endangered species including sharp-tailed sandpipers and curlew sandpipers, with some birds travelling from as far as Siberia to rest and feed at the internationally significant site. The project was jointly funded by the Australian and South Australian governments as part of the $77.8 million Healthy Coorong, Healthy Basin program.
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Aotearoa New Zealand's Environment Minister Penny Simmonds has commented on only eight of 43 fast-track development projects she was invited to assess, drawing accusations from the Greens that she is neglecting her environmental protection duties. The Fast-Track Approvals Act allows projects to bypass normal environmental protections and gain approvals under multiple acts, with critics warning community members and environmental NGOs could be sidelined.
Simmonds defended her approach, saying there is no obligation to comment on each application and that expert panels can set environmental conditions, while five full-time Ministry staff dedicate 60 percent of their time advising her on applications. Among the projects she did not comment on was a Waihi gold mining proposal to tunnel under Coromandel conservation land that's home to the threatened Archey's frog, despite a 43-page Department of Conservation submission warning of potential irreversible harm.
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Conservationists have warned that Baudin's black cockatoo faces extinction if proposed bauxite mining expansions in WA's northern jarrah forests proceed, with BirdLife WA describing the consequences as "irreversible and catastrophic". US mining giant Alcoa has two proposals to clear more than 11,000 hectares of jarrah forest, while South32 has been approved to clear an additional 3,800 hectares, threatening the endangered bird's critical winter habitat.
The Baudin's population has declined by 90 percent in 40 years and relies on old-growth trees and hollows that take hundreds of years to develop, which cannot be rehabilitated quickly enough. The EPA received a record 59,000 submissions during public consultation on Alcoa's proposals, with BirdLife WA warning the species could become functionally extinct within 50 years if mining continues.
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The endangered noisy scrub-bird, thought extinct until its rediscovery in 1961, is being heard in West Cape Howe National Park for the first time since the 1890s following a translocation program. Three birds fitted with tiny transmitters were released in early September after extensive site assessments, with acoustic monitoring confirming they are calling and moving well through their new habitat.
The species, which is functionally flightless and found only along WA's south coast, has a population of about 1,500 and faces threats from bushfires, feral cats and inbreeding. Researchers plan further releases if the translocation succeeds, with the rare bird already attracting international birdwatchers to the region.
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Voting is open for Australian Bird of the Year. Each day, the five birds with the fewest votes will be knocked out and the vote count begins again the next day.
Follow the vote count live on the Guardian’s website until the final days of voting, when the count goes dark. The winning bird will be announced on Thursday 16 October.
Cast your vote →
The contest comes ahead of the Aussie Bird Count, Australia's biggest citizen science event, which runs from 20-26 October 2025.
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Of interest
Australia
Intense rain, landslides and potholes everywhere: how climate change is trashing Australia’s roads
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Backyard biobank project sets out to save Tasmania's 'spectacular' alpine plants from bushfire threat
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From the telegraph to AI, our communications systems have always had hidden environmental costs
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Wildlife photographer Rob Blakers pleads guilty to trespassing on Robbins Island
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‘From reef to retail’: experts warn global marine aquarium fish trade relies heavily on wild populations
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Australia's energy transition in flux amid struggle to build major transmission arteries
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New Zealand
Native lizards protected as condition of road construction near Levin
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Appointments to QEII National Trust and Ngā Whenua Rāhui Komiti
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Shotover Wastewater Treatment Plant costs council $1.8 million in repairs, then $600,000 in legal bills
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Protected areas in the Hauraki Gulf nearly triple under a new law – but it comes with a catch
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Little blue penguins take flight to new West Coast home
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Glimmers of hope for brightest bird
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Global
The remarkable rise of eBird – the world’s biggest citizen science project
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The EPA is ending greenhouse gas data collection. Who will step up to fill the gap?
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World’s First Ever Large-Scale Carbon Storage Site Successfully Injects CO2 Below Seabed
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If you'd like to respond to any of the news, contact us at office@eianz.org to find out how we can assist.
Professional development
Upcoming EIANZ events
View all upcoming EIANZ events →
Upcoming partner events
Open for submission
If you'd like to contribute to an EIANZ submission, contact us at office@eianz.org to find out how.
New
Animal Welfare (Regulations for Management of Pigs) Amendment Bill | New Zealand Parliament Pāremata Aotearoa | Closes:23 October 2025
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Application for a marine mammal permit by Antipodes Travel Limited | Department of Conservation | Closes: 31 October 2025
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Application for a lease concession in Sound Foreshore Reserve | Department of Conservation | Closes: 3 November 2025
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Nature Repair Market: Enhancing Native Vegetation method design | Department of Climate Change, the Environment, Energy and Water | Closes: 4 November 2025
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Still open
Visit our website to see all open submissions →
Jobs board
Explore the newest opportunities advertised on our Jobs Board
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In case you missed it - headlines from last week's issue
Institute Insider #438
EIANZ releases 2025 Impact Assessment Symposium communiqué
DCCEEW invites stakeholder engagement for renewable energy research initiative
EIANZ seeks member contributions for Australia's Strategy for Nature submission
Nature Media Centre connects environmental experts with journalists
Antarctic stratospheric temperatures soar 35°C above normal in warming event
NSW EPA inquiry finds unacceptable delay in PFAS contamination warnings
Kerosene and bitumen spill threatens Great Barrier Reef ecosystem
Whale entanglements in shark nets increase 50 per cent this year
New Zealand invests $6 million in Raukūmara Range restoration project
EIANZ 2025 Annual Conference begins in three weeks
Kārearea wins NZ Bird of the Year for second time
Read Institute Insider issue #438 here →
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