David Salt
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David Salt
@susbites.bsky.social
660 followers 790 following 190 posts
Writer, editor, storyteller
Canberra, Australia
conservation, sustainability, water & resilience
https://sustainabilitybites.com/ & https://www.globalwaterforum.org/
There's no such thing as a free lunch
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susbites.bsky.social
Dbytes #694 (5 Nov 2025)
News in environmental decision making

1. Carbon Offsets Are Failing - New Plan to Save Rainforests
2. Great Barrier Reef’s Role in Australia’s Economy
3. 2025 state of the climate report
4. Labor’s environmental law overhaul

And more
bit.ly/47oh77F
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!)
November 4, 2025 at 11:22 PM
susbites.bsky.social
Dbytes #692 (22 Oct 2025)
News in environmental decision making

1. Big surprise – mass deforestation
2. Aust tropical forests flip from carbon sink to source
3. Multiple-use spatial planning for conservation
4. Australia’s only shrew declared extinct

And more
bit.ly/4nnj4pD
“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!)
October 21, 2025 at 10:46 PM
susbites.bsky.social
Dbytes #689 (1 Oct 2025)
News in environmental decision making

1. The fate of modern civilisation
2. Wild bird numbers freefall in the UK
3. Truck spills: A threat to aquatic life
4. Designing research for ecosystem restoration

And more
bit.ly/46tZVNA
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.
October 1, 2025 at 1:54 AM
susbites.bsky.social
The Delta #91 (25 Sep 2025)
GWF news from the wide world of water

1. Weaponizing Rivers? The Indus Water Treaty Verdict
2. Accounting for water-related ecosystem services
3. Floods in the Podgorica-Skadar Basin, Montenegro
4. Global water scarcity in the Anthropocene

and more
bit.ly/46yxBIE
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
September 25, 2025 at 6:09 AM
susbites.bsky.social
Dbytes #685 (3 Sep 2025)
News in environmental decision making

1. Expand or better manage protected areas
2. Managing Rediscovered Species
3. Halting all environmental water flows in NSW
4. Decolonize scientific institutions

And more
bit.ly/4gf9WkX
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.
September 2, 2025 at 11:20 PM
susbites.bsky.social
Dbytes #684 (27 August 2025)
News in environmental decision making

1. Boost productivity but not at the cost of nature
2. Off-the-charts marine heat severely damages Ningaloo coral reefs
3. Dynamics of the polycrisis
4. Methods influence nature's values

And more
bit.ly/47g6GDy
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.
August 26, 2025 at 11:28 PM
susbites.bsky.social
Dbytes #683 (20 August 2025)
News in environmental decision making

1. Indigenous knowledge saving great desert skink
2. Environment groups call for greater input into economic roundtable
3. Need for approvals speed
4. Global plastics treaty fail

And more
bit.ly/3Uy2Cab
Despite claims last year by then-environment Minister Tanya Plibersek that she was approving wind farms at ‘the fastest rate in history’, a recent analysis published by a big law firm claims that none of the 76 renewables projects referred for EPBC approval in 2023 and 2024 across 3 states had received final approval. (Image by Rudy and Peter Skitterians from Pixabay)(See item 3). 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.
August 20, 2025 at 1:14 AM
susbites.bsky.social
More need for speed: can we squeeze a little more out of the old EPBC Jalopy?

Use EPBC powers to appoint commissioners to assess proposed renewable energy projects by inquiry

bit.ly/45nH5ar
Sustainability Bites seeks to engage you with the multiple dimensions and consequences of sustainability (and sustainable development), particularly those concerned with finding the right long-term accommodation between environment and development. We believe there is no such thing as a free lunch. Banner image: Despite claims last year by then-environment Minister Tanya Plibersek that she was approving wind farms at ‘the fastest rate in history’, a recent analysis published by a big law firm claims that none of the 76 renewables projects referred for EPBC approval in 2023 and 2024 across 3 states had received final approval. (Image by Rudy and Peter Skitterians from Pixabay)
August 18, 2025 at 2:06 AM
susbites.bsky.social
Dbytes #682 (13 August 2025)
News in environmental decision making

1. Human connection to nature declines
2. The perfect toolbox
3. Extreme heat wiping out tropical birds
4. Murray–Darling Basin Plan Evaluation

And more
bit.ly/4mDtcKT
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.
August 13, 2025 at 2:16 AM
susbites.bsky.social
The perfect toolbox (doesn’t exist)

Next time you decide to build a toolbox for your home or design a food system to feed humanity, be careful aiming for perfection via the pathway of efficiency. It's like putting all your eggs in one basket.

bit.ly/4mwSRVw
Sustainability Bites seeks to engage you with the multiple dimensions and consequences of sustainability (and sustainable development), particularly those concerned with finding the right long-term accommodation between environment and development. We believe there is no such thing as a free lunch. Banner image: Next time you decide to build a toolbox for your home or design a food system to feed humanity, be careful aiming for perfection via the pathway of efficiency. You might be optimal for a little while, but then the world turns and you’ll discover you’ve naively placed all your eggs in one basket. (Image by VintageSnipsAndClips from Pixabay)
August 12, 2025 at 2:00 AM
susbites.bsky.social
Dbytes #681 (7 August 2025)
News in environmental decision making

1. A Threatened Frog Index for Australia
2. Sharp decline in Great Barrier Reef after heatwave
3. Earth’s Wetlands Are Disappearing
4. Giant cuttlefish aggregation at risk from algal bloom

And more
bit.ly/4mxf3iu
A Wallum sedge frog (Litoria olongburensis) from south-east Queensland, a species not known to be impacted by chytrid fungus, but which has suffered declines during periods of severe drought. (Image credit: Geoffrey Heard, 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.
August 6, 2025 at 11:08 PM
susbites.bsky.social
The Delta #88 (6 Aug 2025)
GWF news from the wide world of water

1. A Threatened Frog Index for Australia
2. Unprecedented loss of freshwater across the planet
3. Combatting Groundwater Overdraft in China
4. Water Justice Day 2025

and more
bit.ly/3J5GgKt
Our image: A Fleay’s barred frog (Mixophyes fleayi) from the Springbrook plateau, south-east Queensland. Populations of this species have grown markedly over the past two decades, and the species has even recolonised locations from which it was extirpated by the chytrid fungus. (Image credit: Geoffrey Heard.) 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
August 6, 2025 at 5:34 AM
susbites.bsky.social
Dbytes #680 (30 July 2025)
News in environmental decision making

1. Conserving reptiles in Aust agricultural landscapes
2. Let’s TOC - Less Theory, More Change
3. Africa’s freshwater fish face a crisis
4. Conservation auctions for landscape-scale environmental management

And more
bit.ly/4mkgxfU
During a recent assessment of the conservation status of Australian reptiles, one in five threatened species were not represented in a single protected area, with many threatened species restricted to private property in agricultural landscapes or known only from single locations. One approach to countering the negative impacts of agricultural expansion and intensification is through ecological restoration. However, reptiles are rarely considered in restoration programs. 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.
July 30, 2025 at 5:00 AM
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Dbytes #679 (23 July 2025)
News in environmental decision making

1. Where to replant - prioritising revegetatn
2. Interdisciplinarity enables NbS for coastal protection
3. Why Western economies fail to make significant environmental change
4. Improved non-market valuatn

And more
bit.ly/412tkLt
From 2000 to 2020, the world experienced a net decline in tree cover of over one million square km. To turn this around, the UN has declared 2020–2030 the decade of restoration and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework sets an ambitious global target of reaching 30% of degraded land under active restoration by 2030. While such targets are designed to confront the urgent need to halt land degradation, translation of ambitious international goals into national, regional, and local strategies has not yet occurred. Given the ambitious goal, prioritisation at nested scales is required to guide cost-effective, coordinated, and ultimately meaningful restoration actions. See item 1 (Image by ImsoGabriel Stock from Pixabay). 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.
July 23, 2025 at 2:16 AM
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Why Western economies, underpinned by the concept of scarcity, will fail to make significant environmental change for the environment

Govt policy maintains the economic imperative.

bit.ly/4m6Dymj
Sustainability Bites seeks to engage you with the multiple dimensions and consequences of sustainability (and sustainable development), particularly those concerned with finding the right long-term accommodation between environment and development. We believe there is no such thing as a free lunch. Image: Without changing the very economic underpinning of our democracy, it is difficult to envisage anything other than a deteriorating environment. (Image by Alexa from Pixabay)
July 22, 2025 at 11:07 PM
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Dbytes #678 (16 July 2025)
News in environmental decision making

1. Distinguishing remediation, reclamation, and offsetting
2. What’s your theory of change?
3. Weaving values, knowledge and context in PAs
4. Broadscale reconnaissance of coral reefs from citizen science

& more
bit.ly/4kG3gNc
Time and tide wait for no man, and change is never easy, rational or straightforward. Sometimes the status quo seems immovable, sometimes shifts in the status quo happen suddenly and unexpectedly. What’s your theory of change? See item 2 (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.
July 16, 2025 at 1:33 AM
susbites.bsky.social
The Delta #87 (16 July 2025)
GWF news from the wide world of water

1. Nature-based solutions controlling saltwater intrusion
2. Data, guidelines & ethics for managing flood risk
3. Atmospheric rivers are strengthening
4. Hidden Chemicals Lurking in Protected UK Harbours

& more
bit.ly/4nQGKE9
Our image: Vietnam is the third largest rice exporter in the world and most of the country’s rice exports are grown in the Mekong Delta. Increased saltwater intrusion is likely to compromise the Delta’s ability to maintain its current rice productivity. (Image by hartono subagio from Pixabay) 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
July 16, 2025 at 12:57 AM
susbites.bsky.social
What’s your theory of change? I’ll show you mine if you show me yours

Everyone has a ‘theory on change’ though, for most of us, it’s not something we explicitly articulate. Maybe, given the failure of the sustainability project, we should.

bit.ly/3Uj8SCg
Sustainability Bites seeks to engage you with the multiple dimensions and consequences of sustainability (and sustainable development), particularly those concerned with finding the right long-term accommodation between environment and development. We believe there is no such thing as a free lunch. Today’s blog is about: What’s your theory of change? I’ll show you mine if you show me yours Banner image: Change is never easy, rational or straightforward. Sometimes the status quo seems immovable, sometimes shifts in the status quo happen suddenly and unexpectedly. What’s your theory of change? (Image by Flore W from Pixabay)
July 15, 2025 at 11:04 PM
susbites.bsky.social
Dbytes #677 (9 July 2025)
News in environmental decision making

1. UN Global Risk Report
2. Ready or not, big change is coming
3. Perceptions of nature at Mount Kilimanjaro
4. Ugly endangered animals ignored in conservation

And more
bit.ly/4eC72pv
Image: Old Blotchy, a huge ancient spotted gum on the NSW south coast, is believed to be well over 500 years old. In that time it would have experienced many conditions and seen many disturbances of all types. It has survived them all – including the historic wildfires of the Black Summer of 2020. Does our society have the qualities that will enable it to cope through changing conditions over the coming decades (let alone centuries)? See item 2 (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.
July 9, 2025 at 1:04 AM
susbites.bsky.social
Ready or not, big change is coming. What will we want from society after the shift?

Come what may, we’ll all be better off if society sustains high levels of trust, good leadership and cooperation. These qualities underpin the system’s coping capacity.

bit.ly/44ELyUt
Sustainability Bites seeks to engage you with the multiple dimensions and consequences of sustainability (and sustainable development), particularly those concerned with finding the right long-term accommodation between environment and development. We believe there is no such thing as a free lunch. Today’s blog is about: Ready or not, big change is coming. What will we want from society after the shift? Image: Old Blotchy, a huge ancient spotted gum on the NSW south coast is believed to be well over 500 years old. In that time it would have experienced many conditions and seen many disturbances of all types. It has survived them all – including the historic wildfires of the Black Summer of 2020. Does our society have the qualities that will enable it to cope through changing conditions over the coming decades (let alone centuries)? (Image by David Salt)
July 8, 2025 at 4:16 AM
susbites.bsky.social
Dbytes #676 (2 July 2025)
News in environmental decision making

1. State of the World’s Saltmarshes
2. Consilience of behavioral science & radical alternatives
3. World’s largest carbon offset projects unlikely to deliver
4. Ecological Imperialism in the World System

And more
bit.ly/3IanCk9
Saltmarshes are important ecosystems and they are disappearing at a rate of 0.28% per year, which is faster than other blue carbon ecosystems, such as mangroves and peatlands, and three times faster than forests. (see item 1). Pictured is a restored saltmarsh ecosystem in Sydney Olympic Precinct (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.
July 2, 2025 at 1:09 AM
susbites.bsky.social
Dbytes #675 (25 June 2025)
News in environmental decision making

1. Indigenous cultural burning bringing back woodlands
2. Dynamic economic valuation of coastal wetland restoration
3. Change is hard and remorseless
4. Information Integrity about Climate Science

And more
bit.ly/3Ge9J3Q
Coastal wetlands are recognised as highly effective natural carbon sinks, offering significant ecosystem services that contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation. By utilising a modelling framework that integrates ecological recovery processes and economic valuations over a 100-year period, researchers are providing insights into optimising long-term returns from wetland restoration. (see item 2). Pictured is a restored mangrove ecosystem in Sydney (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.
June 25, 2025 at 12:18 AM
susbites.bsky.social
Change is hard, it’s also remorseless and effects everyone including the government

Over time, the more our leaders attempt to hold things the same, the more things change and slip out of their control. That’s the nature of complex systems

bit.ly/43WK0Gf
Sustainability Bites seeks to engage you with the multiple dimensions and consequences of sustainability (and sustainable development), particularly those concerned with finding the right long-term accommodation between environment and development. We believe there is no such thing as a free lunch. Today’s blog is about: Change is hard, it’s also remorseless and effects everyone including the government. Changing tracks often seems impossible. It’s important to keep in mind that the status quo that makes it so hard is also changing over time, losing its vitality, flexibility and resilience. (Image by Yvette Salt.)
June 24, 2025 at 1:01 AM
susbites.bsky.social
Dbytes #674 (18 June 2025)
News in environmental decision making

1. How to Restore Coral Reefs
2. Accessibility to Reserves for people with disabilities
3. Tree Planting Efforts Could Worsen Climate Change
4. Aust govt pledging better protection for vulnerable seas
And more

bit.ly/4kK8M2a
Everyone likes planting trees and one of the reasons we do it is because we believe it’s good for the environment. However, a new report has found that planting trees in some places could inadvertently increase carbon emissions (see item 3). Pictured is a community tree planting in Canberra (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.
June 18, 2025 at 1:51 AM
susbites.bsky.social
Dbytes #673 (11 June 2025)
News in environmental decision making

1. Citizen participation in the policy cycle
2. Environmental DNA to contribute towards global biodiversity targets
3. Wildlife rescue in Australia
4. Ocean Literacy & Australia

And more
bit.ly/3Tgu2AC
Around the world, efforts to engage and collaborate with society increasingly emphasise ocean literacy as a potential tool for engaging and educating people on ocean issues (see item 4). Pictured is a giant cuttlefish off Shelley Beach, Manly. (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.
June 11, 2025 at 2:55 AM