Shark nets in New South Wales
Shark nets in New South Wales (Sam Hood, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Unintended Deaths Soar in NSW Shark Net Program

According to the findings, more than half of the 208 non-target species ensnared in the nets over the past eight months met a grim fate, with 134 animals, including critically endangered grey nurse sharks and leatherback turtles, among the casualties. The figures, made public as the nets were removed for the season, highlight the significant toll the program exacts on marine biodiversity.

The hole in the ozone layer can cause eye damage in Antarctic animals.

Antarctic wildlife threatened by lingering hole in ozone layer

The ozone layer is back on our radar. Although its condition has improved after the Montreal Protocol was implemented, the hole reappears every spring over the Antarctic. 

In recent years, it is no longer just a winter phenomenon anymore; it's stretching into the early summer, coinciding with crucial times in the life cycles of local wildlife and emerging vegetation, exposing them to the sun's ultraviolet rays. As our planet changes, the timing of this exposure could have profound effects on the delicate ecosystems of the Antarctic.