Malnourished and sick kangaroos, isolated by urban sprawl on New South Wales's Mid North Coast

"...The kangaroos were chronically malnourished because they could not find enough to eat in an area bordered by ocean, the nearby Emerald Beach settlement, and the Pacific Highway. Our theory is that ongoing development … the M1 being upgraded and an increase in suburban dwellings, that this population is isolated." >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04-24/sick-kangaroos-coffs-coast-look-at-me-now-headland/106597450

First the thylacine, the others a bit later...

#biodiversity #wildlife #EasternGreyKangaroos #habitat #kangaroos #marsupials #CoffsCoast #CoffsHarbour #LookAtMeNowHeadland #EmeraldBeach #sprawl #tourism #PacificHighway #roads #harm #MidnorthCoast #StarvingWildlife

Image: Coastal sprawl - No place for endemic wildlife on the Mid North Coast of NSW

Slips, trips and fall risks from ubiquitous dogs

In dog-friendly Australia it seems the non-native canine is the most dominant species. They are allowed to roam the (dog-free) beaches, the national parks and (pet-friendly) workplaces, flats, cafes, restaurants etc. If not straying, then they are on long or flexible, extendable leashes stretching across hallways and footpaths.

This trip-and-fall risk is human-unfriendly. The health, safety, and well-being of the bipedal companions is not considered. Pet dogs pose hygiene issues, potential zoonoses and allergy risks. The mental well-being of bite victims and phobia affected can trigger distress.

Foreman, A.M.; Glenn, M.K.; Meade, B.J.; Wirth, O. Dogs in the Workplace: A Review of the Benefits and Potential Challenges. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2017, 14, 498. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14050498
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/14/5/498

Image: Dog-friendly Coffs Central Shopping Centre, trip and fall hazard for customers

#Dogs #hazards #pets #PublicSpaces #Workplaces #falls #Food #zoonoses #hygiene #CoffsHarbour #cafes #Bellingen #PetRelatedInjuries #hospitalisations #DogFriendly

Pacific Highway has the most dangerous drivers in NSW >>
https://nambuccavalley.newsofthearea.com.au/pacific-highway-has-the-most-dangerous-drivers-in-nsw

#cars #motorists #CoffsHarbour #PacificHighway #NSW #roads #RoadTrauma

Image: Pacific Highway, No road is ever wide enough

Why is Australia so reliant on foreign oil?

“We’re completely dependent on imported fuel.”

“We’ve spent a lot of money, especially in places like Victoria and Sydney, building up large motorway networks, large road infrastructure, without any kind of thinking about whether that’s an optimal approach”..."A focus on servicing new growth areas with public transport would help buffer cities against future shocks."

“Some of us are motivated by the impact of transportation and the consumption of fuels and energy on the environment. But many of us are much more strongly motivated by the impact on our hip pocket. And sometimes also the impact in terms of the security of our country.” >>
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/mar/19/australia-fuel-energy-solutions-foreign-oil-reliance-prices
#cars #roads #FossilFuel #dependency #climate #coffsharbour #highways #war
Image: Pacific Highway dreaming of endless cheap oil

Mobility design for all

The cost of doing b̶u̶s̶i̶n̶e̶s̶s̶/ transport should factor in wildlife bridges /corridors at reasonable intervals. When they can construct 40,000-vehicle-a-day conveyor belts through wildlife ecosystems, then they could ensure mobility for koalas, gliders, swamp wallabies and wombats too.
Elsewhere motorways are being retrofitted to allow animals to move safely between fragmented sections of bushland. >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-22/cawleys-bridge-wildlife-crossing-retrofit/106365756

Coffs Harbour bypass >>
https://www.nsw.gov.au/driving-boating-and-transport/projects/coffs-harbour-bypass
#biodiversity #wildlife #mobility #WildlifeBridges #MobilityDesign #roads #highways #CODB #cars #PacificHighway #RoadTrauma #CoffsHarbour

Traumatic landscapes of plastic, pollution and exploitation

The coastline of Spain is known as the ‘Sea of Plastic’ ("Mar de Plástico”) It is the world’s largest plastic greenhouse complex with 350 square km of fruit and vegetables grown by immigrant labour for the horticultural industry. >>
https://www.behance.net/gallery/22272681/Mar-del-Plastico#

Could we do the same thing to the coast of NSW?
NSW Greens to move bill to let councils better regulate berry industry as it continues rapid expansion

“People move into these beautiful valleys for the lifestyle and the environment but then wake up one day and within months they are looking at an industrial-scale blueberry farm."

"Faehrmann’s bill will call for mandated buffers between intensive horticulture farms and homes and waterways, as well as strict controls on spraying, runoff and irrigation and greater monitoring of produce for pesticides."

"Blueberry farming is rapidly expanding beyond Coffs Harbour, where it began several decades ago, into the Nambucca Valley and the Kempsey area to the south, and west toward Grafton and Bellingen."
>>
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/jan/31/australia-berry-industry-bill-nsw-greens
#rivers #water #extractivism #pesticides #MidNorthCoast #ChinasOrchard #horticulturalIndustry #regulation #runoff #pollution #plastic #PALM #blueberries #SeaOfPlastics #TraumaticLandscapes #NSWCoast #NSW #CoffsHarbour #Nambucca #Kempsey #Grafton #Bellingen #residents #habitability #NSWLogging