Dbytes #727 (15 July 2026)
News in environmental decision making
1. Depoliticize climate change
2. Calls for WA reptiles to be listed
3. The Next Basin Plan–a disaster in the making
4. Rocket launches threaten Australia’s wildlife
And more
bit.ly/4vyc7pR
![Reflections on Menindee Lakes, part of the Murry Darling Basin. (Image by Tim Salt) [see item 3]. For many years there has been a contest between different Basin stakeholders as to how its limited water will be allocated – how much for production and how much for the environment.
Dbytes is a weekly eNewsletter presenting news and views on biodiversity conservation and environmental decision science. ‘D’ stands for ‘Decision’ and refers to all the ingredients that go into good, fair and just decision-making in relation to the environment.
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![When put in economic terms, human dependence on wetlands amounts to, on global average, US$39 trillion in ecosystem services and functions. [See item 1; Image by David Salt]
Dbytes is a weekly eNewsletter presenting news and views on biodiversity conservation and environmental decision science. ‘D’ stands for ‘Decision’ and refers to all the ingredients that go into good, fair and just decision-making in relation to the environment.
Sign up at https://sustainabilitybites.com/dbytes/ (and tell your friends, IT’S FREE!)](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:hltm2qkn4l2dwm2yaomflp4b/bafkreidgwaoprzn4s5ydx24rzrzegotl3awtggmn5yqo3kq7ojwk46z7vm)
![Great news: The total economic, social and cultural value of the Great Barrier Reef has grown to $95 billion — up from $56 billion in 2017 — spanning tourism, fisheries, aquaculture, research and conservation. Not so great news: The scientific consensus is that climate warming is destroying the Great Barrier Reef. Pictured is a green turtle pondering the good and bad news as it grazes the seagrass beds off Green Island, a popular tourist coral kay off Cairns. (Image by David Salt) [See item 2]
Dbytes is a weekly eNewsletter presenting news and views on biodiversity conservation and environmental decision science. ‘D’ stands for ‘Decision’ and refers to all the ingredients that go into good, fair and just decision-making in relation to the environment.
Sign up at https://sustainabilitybites.com/dbytes/ (IT’S FREE!)](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:hltm2qkn4l2dwm2yaomflp4b/bafkreibh5hwwxbq3sr4k3tr3ry7qdtuaz355yxtpdf2765mmriuwv7regm)
![“The photo here is far from an isolated case. Our extensive analyses of the main wood production region in Victoria — the Central Highlands — show that more than 8000 hectares of logged forest has not been properly regenerated. Alarmingly, the area of failed regeneration has been increasing over the past decade. More and more logged areas no longer support trees where they once did.”
Taylor and Lindenmayer [See item 1]
Dbytes is a weekly eNewsletter presenting news and views on biodiversity conservation and environmental decision science. ‘D’ stands for ‘Decision’ and refers to all the ingredients that go into good, fair and just decision-making in relation to the environment.
Sign up at https://sustainabilitybites.com/dbytes/ (IT’S FREE!)](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:hltm2qkn4l2dwm2yaomflp4b/bafkreifslndkszvveswi3pvv2mughtwc5blbsof3ocyhfotu6k3p2qumla)
![Sydney’s Olympic Park was one of Australia’s biggest restoration works transforming some 800 hectares of contaminated industrial land into a set of functional, naturalistic ecosystems within an urban parkland environment. The process began before the 2000 Olympics and continues today. How can a study be designed to take into account both social and ecological systems (Image of restored wetlands adjacent to the Olympic stadia by David Salt) [See item 4]
Dbytes is a weekly eNewsletter presenting news and views on biodiversity conservation and environmental decision science. ‘D’ stands for ‘Decision’ and refers to all the ingredients that go into good, fair and just decision-making in relation to the environment.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:hltm2qkn4l2dwm2yaomflp4b/bafkreidrynnjslhnhyd2i7ziffibmlvoslzpjmycab6iz57dbvc6sjrnha)
![In an era where rivers are no longer just lifelines but instruments of power, South Asia stands at the brink of a water-driven geopolitical shift. With unilateral suspension of water treaties and renewed push for mega-dam projects, the region is entering a dangerous phase of hydro-coercion — where control over water becomes a strategic weapon, threatening the stability of millions and reshaping the landscape of global water diplomacy. [See item 1] (View of Indus river near Skardu. Image by Akbar Khan Niazi, This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.)
The Delta is the fortnightly newsletter of the Global Water Forum.
It's free and you can sign up for it at https://globalwaterforum.org/the-delta/
and follow us on Twitter at @GWFWater or at Blue Sky at @susbites.bsky.social](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:hltm2qkn4l2dwm2yaomflp4b/bafkreiffjx44h3oqbxggzhbr5cuho4axi6zm2nnaflcepulj7tnprjazam)
![On Monday, the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder announced a pause on all environmental water flows in NSW. A member of the Macquarie Environmental Water Advisory Group says if the Macquarie Marshes does not receive its planned environmental water release, there will be damage to wetlands, wildlife and vegetation. [See item 3] [Image of a healthy Macquarie Marsh by Cameron Muir - Flickr:marshes healthy, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11273527]
Dbytes is a weekly eNewsletter presenting news and views on biodiversity conservation and environmental decision science. ‘D’ stands for ‘Decision’ and refers to all the ingredients that go into good, fair and just decision-making in relation to the environment.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:hltm2qkn4l2dwm2yaomflp4b/bafkreicgpeaqogyury7ao4s6ojn47mfy2vyh6viwpgaiwj33zliiooj25i)
![The good ship ‘Environmental Reform’ has been sitting idle for decades. Now there are moves to cut red tape around development approvals and the talk is about speeding up environmental reforms. However, as Michael Vardon discusses in item 1, we need to be careful that such reforms don’t accelerate the loss of natural capital. [Image by David Salt]
Dbytes is a weekly eNewsletter presenting news and views on biodiversity conservation and environmental decision science. ‘D’ stands for ‘Decision’ and refers to all the ingredients that go into good, fair and just decision-making in relation to the environment.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:hltm2qkn4l2dwm2yaomflp4b/bafkreibkyjwtupxjb7hjqrmo3vmjsssmilkczl4nhv5zkdk6dtrmtfaqle)
![People’s connection to nature has declined by more than 60% since 1800. Levels of nature connectedness will continue to decline unless there are far-reaching policy and societal changes – with introducing children to nature at a young age and radically greening urban environments the most effective interventions. [See item 1] Pictured are visitors enjoying nature’s splendor at Edith Falls on the Edith River in the Nitmiluk National Park, Northern Territory (Image by David Salt)
Dbytes is a weekly eNewsletter presenting news and views on biodiversity conservation and environmental decision science. ‘D’ stands for ‘Decision’ and refers to all the ingredients that go into good, fair and just decision-making in relation to the environment.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:hltm2qkn4l2dwm2yaomflp4b/bafkreic3ciel2hsydvukqhkhh5sbytewcwv34kqgiscdbvglmftkapd7ju)
![The Delta is the fortnightly newsletter of the Global Water Forum.
It's free and you can sign up for it at https://globalwaterforum.org/the-delta/
and follow us on Twitter at @GWFWater or at Blue Sky at @susbites.bsky.social
Climate change is having multiple, compounding, and often hidden impacts on our water infrastructure. Managers and decision makers need to proactively manage these vulnerabilities to avoid serious consequences for society. [See item 1] (Image by Fernando Augusto from Pixabay)](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:hltm2qkn4l2dwm2yaomflp4b/bafkreigvadgfrzecxswk2jtpfqp3j6ue4r6fchl533v4z3ha3l5nihbszm)
![Biome, socioeconomics, and culture interact with local ecologies and urbanization to shape biodiversity. These drivers must be considered together in research and management. [See item 1]. (Image of mangroves on the Parramatta River in the foreground with new residential tower blocks going up in the background at Wentworth Point, right in the middle of Sydney, NSW. Photo by David Salt.) Dbytes is a weekly eNewsletter presenting news and views on biodiversity conservation and environmental decision science. ‘D’ stands for ‘Decision’ and refers to all the ingredients that go into good, fair and just decision-making in relation to the environment.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:hltm2qkn4l2dwm2yaomflp4b/bafkreibxrneuu44rpt74gj7fhqdwpaxpxlkvknakxywr2qtihathc25zay)
![The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has warned that 25% of eucalypts are at risk of extinction, with more added to their Red List of threatened species in 2019. [See item 3]; Image of spotted gum forests on the NSW south coast by David Salt).
Dbytes is a weekly eNewsletter presenting news and views on biodiversity conservation and environmental decision science. ‘D’ stands for ‘Decision’ and refers to all the ingredients that go into good, fair and just decision-making in relation to the environment.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:hltm2qkn4l2dwm2yaomflp4b/bafkreia4dxpji4j7hhwmvo5d776pglp2d6vo6qdvrx2osqciutilvdojli)
![What happens when a native habitat disappears? As an increasing number of plants lose their wild habitats, will they survive only far from their ancient homes in scattered gardens? [See item 4]. (Image of an Australian native red gum by David Salt).
Dbytes is a weekly eNewsletter presenting news and views on biodiversity conservation and environmental decision science. ‘D’ stands for ‘Decision’ and refers to all the ingredients that go into good, fair and just decision-making in relation to the environment.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:hltm2qkn4l2dwm2yaomflp4b/bafkreid575rnnyhej6b5grkufo42ayk3rsu75agyzg6ie2dlrpr7oe4bgi)
![Are our well-intentioned management interventions like thinning in high conservation value forests truly serving nature, or are they inadvertently accelerating the degradation of these critical ecosystems? [See item 2] (Spotted gum forest on the NSW south coast. Image by David Salt).
Dbytes is a weekly eNewsletter presenting news and views on biodiversity conservation and environmental decision science. ‘D’ stands for ‘Decision’ and refers to all the ingredients that go into good, fair and just decision-making in relation to the environment.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:hltm2qkn4l2dwm2yaomflp4b/bafkreiarc454lvnrl7piduvhyhalrov42itsyzszaj5qmzh7zjudsdk2rq)
![“We estimate that mangroves protected 4006 dwellings and 7653 people around Australian coastlines. These mangroves prevented more than an estimated $57 million worth of damages to these dwellings,” Jonathon Khoo, ABS head of environment statistics (see item 4)
Dbytes is a weekly eNewsletter presenting news and views on biodiversity conservation and environmental decision science. ‘D’ stands for ‘Decision’ and refers to all the ingredients that go into good, fair and just decision-making in relation to the environment.
Image is of mangroves in Cairns? [see item 4] (Image by David Salt)](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:hltm2qkn4l2dwm2yaomflp4b/bafkreifejd4ruswqy52v3ovv4ukago64gjhwizkfvsrjuhtx3a5he4kr64)
