Australia leads world in animal extinction rates, says a new report

Australia is in the middle of an extinction crisis and has lost more mammals than any other country in the world, according to a new report.

It’s also feared even more animals will be lost, including one of Australia’s most iconic native animals, the koala.

Many of the 29 extinctions have occurred in the last decade with Australia losing three vertebrates, a bat, a marsupial and a skink since 2009, according to the Australian Conservation Foundation report released on March 6.

‘But for all its natural beauty, the sad reality is that Australia leads the world on extinction,’ the report states.

‘It has the highest number of mammals declared extinct since the arrival of Europeans, with 29 mammals lost forever. To put that in context, the United States has only lost one mammal to extinction since Europeans arrived there.’

The ‘primary driver’ of the endangerment to wildlife and ecosystems in Australia ‘remains the destruction and loss of habitat’ the report said. 

Australia has 1907 species and ecological communities listed as threatened under national law. 

‘The list includes little known insects, frogs, fish and plants, through to iconic species such as the Koala, Cassowary and Leadbeater’s Possum,’ the report states.

Australia has 1907 species and ecological communities listed as threatened, including little known insects, frogs, fish and plants, through to iconic species such as the Koala, Cassowary and Leadbeater’s Possum,’ the report states. These quokkas (pictured) can only be found on Rottnest Island near Perth

A road sign at Nullarbor National Reserve , South Australia, Australia. ‘Our current law provides patently inadequate protection to prevent the destruction of critical habitat,’ ACF healthy ecosystems campaigner Jess Abrahams said

ACF healthy ecosystems campaigner Jess Abrahams blamed the federal government’s failure to protect critical habitats. 

‘Our research shows how Australia’s existing laws are failing on many fronts,’ he said.

‘Our current law provides patently inadequate protection to prevent the destruction of critical habitat. Without proper protections, beloved species like the leadbeater’s possum could well be extinct within a few years. If we’re going to protect our native species we must fix these laws and we must do it now.’

The blue-tounge skink (pictured) is also under threat. ACF healthy ecosystems campaigner Jess Abrahams blamed the federal government’s failure to protect critical habitats

Australia’s national critical habitat register protects only five places as critical habitat. 

‘Given the immediacy of the threats to endangered wildlife, it is ridiculous that no critical habitat has been listed for any species since 2005,’ Ms Abrahams said.

‘Our current law provides patently inadequate protection to prevent the destruction of critical habitat. It is subject to the political whims of ministers who are afforded broad discretion and may be subject to the pull of vested interests.’

‘Given the immediacy of the threats to endangered wildlife, it is ridiculous that no critical habitat has been listed for any species since 2005,’ Ms Abrahams said

The report warned that if the government continues to fail to protect critical habitats, Australia will fail to meet its international obligations to conserve nature.

Recommendations including the establishment of new national environmental laws, a new national critical habitat register and the establishment of an independent environmental agency.

The report also called for the creation of a $200 million annual threatened species fund to directly help with recovery plans for threatened species.

The Leadbeater’s Possum (pictured) is listed as one of the species under threat. It uses its tail to balance in trees and its numbers have declined 80 per cent since the 1980s.  ‘Australia, as one of the few megadiverse developed nations in the world, must move from a global laggard to a leader when it comes to biodiversity conservation,’ the report concluded

‘Australia, as one of the few megadiverse developed nations in the world, must move from a global laggard to a leader when it comes to biodiversity conservation,’ the report concluded.

‘Failure to change the trajectory of our current extinction crisis will spell disaster for our iconic wildlife, leave future generations poorer and leave Australia as a global embarrassment.’

Federal environment minister Josh Frydenberg was contacted for comment.

The report warned that if the government continues to fail to protect critical habitats, Australia will fail to meet its international obligations to conserve nature. A species of bat is one of the 29 animals Australia has lost to extinction

Australia’s extinction crisis

The Leadbeater’s Possum is on Australia’s critically endangered species list

• 29 Australian mammals have been declared extinct 
• 230 Australian animal species are listed as critically endangered or endangered
• Only 127 of these species have recovery plans in place 
• 1,907 species and ecological communities are listed as threatened 
• The Leadbeater’s Possum: This critically endangered small, fast-moving, tree-dwelling marsupial with a distinctive club-shaped tail lives almost exclusively in the Montane Ash forests of Victoria’s Central Highlands. These forests are some of the most carbon-dense on earth. The Leadbeater’s Possum numbers have declined 80 per cent since the 1980s.
• The Grassland Earless Dragon:  This endangered reptile lives across the Australian Capital Territory and the Monaro plains regions of New South Wales. It is a prime example of the failure to effectively implement Australia’s critical habitat laws as no critical habitat has been listed.
• Golden-shouldered Parrot: This priority-listed species was once found over most of the Cape York Peninsula, however is now restricted to two populations in the south of the region. Threats to the species include grazing, loss of habitat structure arising from altered fire regimes, land clearing and mining and exploration, and disturbance of termite mounds by feral pigs.
• The Southern Corroboree Frog: This critically endangered spectacularly-patterned black and yellow amphibian lives in the Australian Alps. It has experienced substantial decline as a result of introduced Chytrid fungus and other threats.  

 Source: Australian Conservation Foundation