Australia has recently lost more mammal species than any other continent. A five-year environmental report released by the country’s government last July indicated that Australia has the worst species decline among the world’s richest countries.
The report noted an 8 percent increase in the list of threatened or endangered species since the 2016 report. According to an official of the country, the need for action to protect plants, animals and ecosystems from destruction has never been greater.
By prioritizing 110 species and 20 sites, the area managed for conservation will be increased to 50 million hectares, the official said. He also said that this ten-year plan will be reviewed in 2027.
The sixth largest country in the world by land area, Australia is home to unique animals such as koalas and platypus. However, their numbers are declining due to extreme weather changes and human encroachment into their habitats. After naturalists estimate Australia has lost 30 percent of its koalas in the past four years, koalas along much of the east coast are at risk of extinction by February next year.
Australia has recently been hit hard by frequent extreme natural disasters, including the 2019 and 2020 disaster–including bushfires that killed hundreds of thousands of animals and burned an area nearly half the size of Germany.
Also, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)-Australia has welcomed the government’s conservation efforts. But the country has urged authorities to invest in recovery plans within a time frame for each of the threatened species.
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