Community celebrates UNESCO listing of Fitzgerald Biosphere on the south coastListing to raise profile of biosphere at an international level The McGowan Labor Government has praised the efforts of communities on the south coast, following the global recognition of the area as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. With Fitzgerald River National Park at its core, the new biosphere includes 1.5 million hectares of conservation estate, State waters, farmland, and industrial and urban areas. Fitzgerald River National Park was originally listed as a biosphere reserve in 1978, but required changes to meet the zoning criteria of the contemporary UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme. In 2010, as a result of strong community support, the decision was made to renominate an extended biosphere reserve. The renomination was co-ordinated…

Only 15 of the 150 short-finned pilot whales that stranded en masse at Hamelin Bay, 10km north of Augusta early this morning, are still alive. Parks and Wildlife Service staff with veterinary assistance and support of Sea Search and Rescue, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) and trained volunteers are working to ensure the welfare of the surviving whales.   Incident Controller Jeremy Chick said the 15 live whales were currently in shallow waters and the plan was to herd them out to deeper waters by late afternoon, weather dependent. “Unfortunately, most of the whales beached themselves on dry land overnight and have not survived,” he said. “There are only 15 surviving in shallow waters and we hope to move them out to sea…