Australia’s extinction crisis in regard to its fauna (animals) is under the spotlight and the results are not good.
A recent Senate committee interim report has recommended the development of new federal environmental legislation with an independent Environment Protection Authority to help stem Australia’s extinction crisis.
‘We have long known that Australia has been in the midst of an extinction crisis and yet little action has been taken,’ said Alexia Wellbelove, senior program manager at Humane Society International (HSI).
The committee further questioned the adequacy of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act 1999 (EPBC Act). They state, ‘It is also clear that the EPBC Act is struggling to meet the scale of the challenge our environment faces, including the threats to our faunal species…
‘The committee also notes that there have been significant failures in its implementation, including use and resourcing of compliance and protection mechanisms.’
The HSI are continuing to call for new nature laws that can deal with the ‘significant threats facing our most threatened animals and their habitats. Substantial investment is needed to fund recovery efforts and address the challenges facing Australia’s animals and deliver this much needed protection,’ said Ms Wellbelove.
‘Recent years have seen multiple examples of political interference which have either prevented or delayed critical conservation efforts needed to protect our animals and their habitats. It is time this is stopped and we are calling on the next federal government to recognise the severity of this crisis and take urgent action.’
Good environmental laws are one part of the story, but there are other parts too. We took land and habitat away from Aboriginal people and lots of fauna. We introduced lots of species of flora and fauna that threatened the native wildlife. Lots of the land was used for ‘production’ and the new ones who now ‘owned’ the land could do pretty whatever they wanted. And they cleared massive amounts of trees with govt support. And they continue to, but its not working and we face mass extinction. And ofcourse there is climate change and no treaty with indigenous people and all the other flora and fauna. Can we start all over again?
Habitat loss is politically sensitive because its main driver is the clearing of land to make way for economic activities such as agriculture, urban development, and mining. The strategy mentions feral cats more than 70 times, but habitat loss is mentioned just twice and land clearing not at all. Australia has one of the world’s worst rates of land clearing, which has recently increased in some regions. For instance, clearing of native vegetation in New South Wales rose by 800% between 2013 and 2016.
Let’s get this straight, habitat loss is the number-one threat to Australia’s species.
WiFi… killing all the insects, birds follow, the animals follow that. It will get ten times worse with 5G
Wildlife Extinction
Australia’s flora and fauna are disappearing.
Recent years have seen multiple examples of political interference which have either prevented or delayed critical conservation efforts needed to protect our animals and their habitats.
The answer to the question “why is flora and fauna disappearing?” It is so obvious.
Answer is loss of habitats through increased housing, roads, highways, domestic animals, infrastructures, dams, electricity generation, industry, food production and so on. Note also that we live in a country which is mainly desert with a climate of drought and flooding rains.
What are the multiple examples of political interference?
I can only think of one and that is on immigration.
CANETOADS!!! They’re eating all the ground food & killing everything that normally eat native frogs. I’ve seen so much of the wildlife on my farm in Mullum disappear rapidly in the last 5-10 years. It’s tragic! Very very sad