I had literally no idea that racoons existed in the wild in Europe until I bumped into this exceedingly wet critter on a forest walk nearly Jelenin in Poland after a torrential summer rainstorm.

#photography #nature #animals #wildlife #Poland #invasiveSpecies

https://leonard.earth/2026/04/22/soaked-to-the-bone/

Meet the eco-venture turning an invasive pest into dog treats
By Malcolm Sutton

Introducing the European carp to Australian waterways is an ecological disaster that continues to worsen, but an Adelaide couple have found a novel use for the pest.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04-22/turning-carp-into-treats-for-pets-education-invasive-species/106585372

#InvasiveSpecies #Environment #MalcolmSutton

Spatially larger ecosystems are frequently found to contain more species and greater food web diversity. This relationship can be reversed when there are invasive predators that are generalist and omnivorous enough that they drive extinction of native species without themselves suffering from the loss of prey.

Preprint: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.04.16.718936v1

#Science #Ecology #InvasiveSpecies #Predation

What we know so far about Finlayson’s squirrels

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.rappler.com/environment/things-to-know-finlaysons-squirrels/

1st quarter updates 2026

https://vavauenvironment.org/2026/04/21/1st-quarter-updates-2026/

Introduced weed is allowed to spread unchecked.

"Right now, the federal government is weighing up whether to declare buffel grass one of the worst weeds in the country – a “Weed of National Significance”."

"Native to Africa, the Middle East and Asia, buffel grass first arrived in Australia via imported camel saddles in the 1870s. It was later planted for dryland pasture as its deep roots allow it to thrive in dry climates.Buffel grass was first planted in the 1920s and became well established by the 1960s. It enabled significant returns to the pastoral industry, including economic returns in dry years...Valued by many graziers, buffel grass is now spreading so rapidly and widely its severe negative impacts can no longer be ignored...Buffel grass has spread much further and is smothering Aboriginal land, conservation reserves, public places and regional and remote towns." >>
https://theconversation.com/should-this-plant-be-declared-one-of-the-worst-weeds-in-australia-279109
#weeds #InvasiveSpecies #BuffelGrass #PastoralIndustry #bushfires #conservation

‘The environmental movement needs many hands’: saving Australia’s biodiversity is getting personal

Powered by individual donations and bequests, the country now has one of the world’s largest networks of privately protected and managed land

by James Norman, Fri 17 Apr 2026

Excerpt: "Over three decades later, #BushHeritage today owns and protects 45 bought or gifted bush reserves around #Australia – covering more than 1.4m hectares of land and providing habitat for over 9,000 native species. Working with #FirstNations communities and farmers, it supports the management of an additional 20.5m hectares beyond what it owns directly.

" 'Some of Australia’s most threatened and fragile #ecosystems and #wildlife sit outside of the national reserve system,' says Rachel Lowry, Bush Heritage Australia’s chief executive officer.

" 'They’re found on private land or pastoral country, and they may have deep cultural and ecological values, but they’re not protected from threats such as #LandClearing, #mining or #InvasiveSpecies.'

"The organisation reports a rise in the number of personal bequests, from 2,500 in 2022 to more than 4,600 bequests last year. Lowry puts the increase down to a personal desire to have a meaningful impact on the worsening global climate and #biodiversity crisis.

"Bush Heritage’s model has inspired other groups around Australia to acquire and conserve lands and forests of significant ecological value. One such example is the #NorthEastTasmania #LandTrust (#NETLT), which secretary Dr Christine Hosking describes as 'a microcosm of Bush Heritage'.

"Formed in 2009, the organisation manages donated land through weed control and regeneration of the native environment.

" 'Currently, we have 10 acres [4 hectares] of endangered eucalyptus forest in #BinalongBay that adjoins the #BayOfFires #Conservation Area, and a smaller patch of coastal habitat for the endangered swift parrot,' she says."

#SolarPunkSunday #LandConservation #EndangeredSpecies #ClimateCrisis #ProtectTheForest #ProtectTheForests #Regeneration #PreserveNature #Conservationists #NativeAustralians #TraditionalLandManagement

'Canary in coal mine' warning as marine pest found in new area
By Fiona Breen

The discovery on Tasmania's west coast has scientists and fishers alike fearing the spread of a destructive species to another previously untouched part of the state's marine environment.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04-16/invasive-sea-urchin-spreads-to-tasmania-west-coast/106567644

#InvasiveSpecies #MarineBiology #Pests #EnvironmentalImpacts #FionaBreen