Australia's environment laws have come under scrutiny since the interim report into the Environment Protection Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act, released in July, found that the Act is failing to curb our loss of habitat and species. The main factor in the loss of biodiversity is the increased rate of population growth. Home Topics Science & Environment Saving Australias biodiversity. "Once you actually work out [which country] might have been responsible for the loss of diversity, Australia is standing there at number two," Dr Waldron said. Biological diversity or biodiversity is the term given to the variety of life on Earth. This research investigates the challenges and opportunities of urban estuaries exposed to spatial, urban, and environmental shifts exacerbated by climate change, ecological disturbances, and population growth, taking the cities of Perth, Western Australia and Newcastle, New South Wales, as case studies. The total number of species of birds on earth is estimated to be around 10,000! And we play around with the way the world works at our peril, and we may find ourselves being unable to reverse the situation or control the situation when repeated studies have shown us that we are close to planetary tipping points of human pressure on the environment, whether that's through climate change, through human consumption patterns, through us driving species extinct without any real sense of the role that those species play in our own life-support, let alone the support of the ecological systems on Earth. This is Lovejoy on The Science Show some years ago: Tom Lovejoy: After a great deal of thinking about it, it seems to us that there is no intelligent way to choose between one species and another, and in fact it's not an intelligent choice to make. The drivers of biodiversity loss and climate change are related, but are not exactly the same. Professor Stephen Hopper, an expert in biodiversity at the University of Western Australia agrees that this might explain why many of the species here are endemic, but not their great numbers. Donate. This steep and rocky 20 ha property of apple box and red stringybark woodland is on the western edge of the Snowy Mountains. Farms are often overlooked for biodiversity priority, but its these areas that birds are coming to because theres a more reliable nectar source herea lot of the threatened species live in these areas., Yellow-box grassy woodland, a threatened habitat type found on the Lynchs farm, has been extensively cleared in the south-east because it occurs on fertile soils. Human impact on Australia's biodiversity? He said that spending on conservation is worthwhile when it involves preserving habitat or targeting pests. Robyn Williams: Biodiversity, a problem as shocking as climate change. Rather I am saying that if you look at countries like Haiti or El Salvador in the hemisphere that I know, which have already lost a lot of their biological resources, they are places which have lowering standards of living and social and political problems, and in fact reach out beyond their borders and affect even the United States. Most of our work on Our World in Data focuses on data and research on human well-being and prosperity. That great PhD student ShawanChowdhury has just finished his PhD on global patterns in migratory butterflies and thinking about conservation of those species. They've spent thousands of years honing these migration journeys to arrive at the right moment and in the right physiological condition. Have you ever wondered what Perth was like before it was a city? Perths wetlands directly or indirectly support most of its wildlife. The researchers believe that their data can be used to better target conservation efforts. Australia has a high percentage of endemic species (meaning, they occur nowhere else in the world). Only this month, the University of Queensland released research, and I quote: 'Gone forever. WAs Gondwana Link takes in a major biodiversity hotspot in Australias far south-west, while the Trans-Australia Eco-Link covers 3500 km from Arnhem Land in the NT to Port Augusta in SA (see map, opposite). Southwest Western Australia 2.1 During its visit to Western Australia (WA) on 7-8 November 2011, the Committee held a public hearing in Perth, before visiting various sites in the southwest corner of the state. In NSW about 50 per cent of the corridor area is already on government-protected land, especially through the Australian Alps. It is one of the worlds 34 internationally recognised biodiversity hotspots, which have more than 1500 endemic species of plant and have lost more than 70 per cent of their original habitat. For biodiversity loss, a 2019 report by IPBES identified five primary drivers, ranked in order: land use change, direct exploitation of wild species, climate change, invasive alien species, and pollution. The mountains offer a huge diversity of refuges. Ian Pulsford explains that this animal already survives at the top of the regions elevation range, so there simply isnt anywhere for it to go. Our power usage globally has almost tripled in the last 50 years. Bruce Lynchs farm, 150km to the south-west, is also part of the Slopes to Summit region and offers a great example of how adjoining habitat patches can be combined for a better conservation result. The Australian Government promotes the conservation of threatened species and biodiversity through the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. "Modest recovery of biodiversity in a western European country: The Living Planet Index for the Netherlands", Biological Conservation, Vol. However, the current status of information and knowledge about WAs biodiversity is often unclear because its collection and management is fragmented across multiple industry, government and research organisations and there are no established mechanisms for aggregating and synthesising the data. Section snippets The WA wheatbelt. km of conservation-viable land. Robyn Williams: So, mosquitoes, those sorts of things have to go? Well, someone who would have been devastated by this news is Tom Lovejoy, the ecologist who worked for years in the Amazon. The World Wildlife Fund argues that Perth may be the wildlife capital of the world, with over 2,100 plant species, 15 amphibian species and 156 native birds , with seasonal influxes from visiting seabirds and migrating shorebirds (World Wildlife Fund 2013). The impact of current threatsis predicted to increase with loss of snow cover from global warming., In what Mike describes as a delicious irony, the species was only known in fossil form until 1966, when visitors to a Mount Hotham ski lodge spied a weird little animal running around a kitchen. We really have to aggressively get over our conservatism, because its at the tremendous expense of the survival of species, he says. The habitat loss is so great that it will cause more extinctions than any other factor, the study notes, particularly when coupled with other deleterious effects of livestock production, including climate change and pollution. We also work extensively across a wide range of environments and climates around the world. "We can no longer say . Governments are failing us Join us in calling for change JOIN THE MOVEMENT TODAY (2006). An estimated 10 % of Perths original wetlands remain. Some animals, such as cats and foxes, directly destroy native species. Theres no doubt in my mind that we can do this if were not fettered by pessimisminnovative approaches are popping up all over Australia.. 2.2 Southwest WA is one of Australia's 15 national biodiversity 'hotspots' and the only biodiversity hotspot located in . km) of Australia by 2013. "These changes will have major, negative impacts on biodiversity," Machovina says. km sounds daunting. A key part of their approach has been to plant silver wattles and other trees that provide important habitat for gliders and threatened species such as migratory swift parrots, known to visit a neighbouring property. Image credit: gadigal yilimung (shield) madeby UncleCharlesChickaMadden. Unfortunately, monitoring since 2001 showed an unexpected and rapid decline in the population of woylies across the south-west of Western Australia. Embossed with Australian Animals, these premium notebooks are perfect for Back To School. Biodiversity data and information management, A review of mine rehabilitation condition setting in WA, Biodiversity survey: Optimising knowledge capture, Building resilience to change: Pilbara mammals, Capturing monitoring data for subterranean fauna, Completion criteria & risk based monitoring, Digitally Transforming Environmental Impact Assessment, IBSA: Index of biodiversity surveys for assessments, Remote sensing of native vegetation extent and condition, Restoring biodiversity in agricultural lands, SAFE: Shared Analytic Framework for the Environment, SEAF: Shared Environmental Analytics Facility (Proposed), A rich endowment of minerals and petroleum resources provide a significant component of Gross State Product and provides the State Government with substantial revenues through taxation and royalties, A productive and diverse agricultural sector, A growing population demanding increased urban development, particularly in the South West of the State. Check out the What's On calendar of events, workshops and school holiday programs. A carnivore is an animal that feeds on other animals. The growing demands of an expanding human population (often associated with changes in demography) and growing global markets are placing additional pressures on our natural wealth with long-lasting consequences. Its filled with resources that evolutionarily they are suited to eat, says Mike. He says the work is important because a bird-pollinated system of plants is likely to be quite different to one pollinated by insects and could yield novel insights. 16 in the western plains of France and 24 in southern Victoria, Australia . Nearly two-thirds (62 per cent) of the Australian landmass is pastoral or agricultural land. Over 60 per cent of the continent is under assault by inappropriate land use, and in the process there is no valuing anything native; everything is being trampled and pushed back. Contrary to popular opinion, mining is a much smaller problem. These systems include tidal mangroves, sand and mudflats, coastal lakes, subterranean aquatic systems, swamps and marshes. In Australia at the end of 2019 and start of 2020, 97,000km2 of forest and surrounding habitats were destroyed by intense fires that are now known to have been made worse by climate change. Biodiversity loss includes the worldwide extinction of different species, as well as the local reduction or loss of species in a certain habitat, resulting in a loss of biological diversity. We still have work to do on our engagement with biodiversity in Western Australia, and Perth specifically, before we can become a model for future cities. Two-thirds of Australia has lost its unique birdlife.' The total area of protected land and sea in the U.K. increased from 27 . But thats only 20 per cent of Australia. RESEARCH INTO THE birds and mammals that pollinate banksias and eucalypts in south-west Western Australia is challenging existing theories on the regions enormous biodiversity. . More than 80% of Australias flowering plants and land mammals are endemic, as are 88% of our reptiles, 45% of our birds and 92% of our frogs. A new study reveal why this may be the case. In 2016 the Western Australian government passed the Biodiversity Conservation Act, which will eventually fully replace both the Wildlife Act 1950 and the Sandalwood Act 1929. It is already threatened by feral cats, foxes, development and shrinking supplies of bogong moths one of its major food sources. If we didnt look after the erosion on this property, in 30 or 40 years time it would be disastrous all our soil would be in the neighbours place, Bruce says. Retrieved from Department of Parks and Wildlife Service: https://www.dpaw.wa.gov.au/plants-and-animals/468-biodiversity-conservation-act-2016, Integrate Sustainability Pty Ltd The State of Dieback. ': Remote NT mayor questions response time for flood evacuations. The research, published in the journal Science, found that human land use has driven down the population of many species to a dangerous extent across vast swathes of the planet. However, they found that the impacts of these pressures could be reduced by investment in environmental protection. How it joined up are our conservation efforts around the world to protect insects, many of which move around the landscape in enormous migration journeys. The Great Eastern Ranges Initiative (GER) is another ambitious corridor that is planned to run down 2800 km of Australias Great Dividing Range, from the Atherton Tableland in far north Queensland all the way to southern Victoria (see map, opposite). Agriculture is the largest contributor to biodiversity loss with expanding impacts due to changing consumption patterns and growing populations. Biodiversity, or biological diversity, is a term used to describe the variety of living things in the natural environment: the different plants, animals and micro-organisms; the genes they contain; and the ecosystems in which they occur. Nearly two-thirds (62 per cent) of the Australian landmass is pastoral or agricultural land. Image copyright Holly Story, Black Swans (Cygnus atratus), Perth (WA), John Oldham Park, September 2006. So I think there's fascinating stories and there are important lessons to learn, almost wherever we look in the natural world. Australia ranks as the second worst of the group, with a biodiversity loss of 5-10%. Coupled with persistent biophysical threats and socioeconomic causes is human-induced climate change, which is projected to exacerbate biodiversity loss through increased risk of species extinctions and ecosystem decline, especially among those already at risk and limited in their climatic range (Conservation, 2006). Its a refuge where family and friends can come and connect with the environment, says Marcia. Richard Fuller: The fly spray comes out every now and then. On top of all of that are the ecological processes which are managed by the presence of life on Earth. unsustainable logging, hunting and fishing), pollution (e.g. That funding is now nearing an end, but a group of six private and public organisations Bush Heritage Australia, the NCT, the NSW Governments Environmental Trust, the NSW National Parks Association, Greening Australia and OzGreen has agreed to take the project forward. There is a similar sort of argument about rewilding bringing the wolves back to Yellowstone Park so that you cull some of the herbivores and allow the balance of nature to come back again. Come and explore what our researchers, curators and education programs have to offer. But his plan is to try breeding the animals at ambient temperatures and then release them into a large outdoor enclosure at Secret Creek Sanctuary in Lithgow, NSW. Robyn Williams: Yes, the ants mean lunch and dinner for half the Australian population, including the furry ones. This possum with the taxonomic name Burramys parvus is the only hibernating marsupial and inhabits the high alpine boulder fields of NSW and Victoria. The loss of wetlands that began in 1829, and continues into the present day, is a deciding factor in Perth being able to retain its status as a biodiverse city. Biodiversity loss and climate change are both driven by economic activities and neither will be successfully resolved unless both are tackled together, according to a joint report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). Did megafauna that used to roam Australia become extinct because of climate change or because of hunting? So I think very often we have to intervene and manage from a conservation perspective, not just try to keep things as they were in some historical time, in many ways it's already too late for that and we need to be much more open I think to continuous and innovative management of our environment. "Native biodiversity is definitely improved by removing invasive plants and to a lesser extent invasive species.". Similarly, Australia lost 5-10% of its biodiversity between 1996 and 2008 while high levels of deforestation to make way for agricultural plantations have particularly affected the species rich rainforests of Indonesia. Wetlands are neither water nor earth but exist in the meeting of these two, changing seasonally to become more or less of each element, and blending the two elements to form mud. No single discipline like ecology or conservation biology has all the answers. Half of the world's land No, there is a race to clear it. Instead, he argues that the hotspot has the highest incidence on Earth 15 per cent of plants pollinated by birds and mammals, and this might explain why it is so unusual. And the reason it does that is because we've messed up the habitats in the first place. Mark lived overseas for five years and found his way from London and Paris to the base camp of Mt Everest. How have population growth, habitat change and introduction of new species affected Australia's biodiversity? About half of south-west WAs 8000 plant species are found nowhere else, as are many animals including the numbat, western swamp tortoise and honey possum which feeds on the nectar of flowering plants, such as banksias. This website may contain names, images and voices of deceased Aboriginal and TorresStrait Islanderpeoples. White Spider Orchid Lower Swamp (Frog Swamp) North Lake Reserve 2014 Image copyright Holly Story Black Swans (Cygnus atratus), Perth (WA), John Oldham Park, September 2006. One of our key research interests is the connection between people and nature, and I come at this really from two angles. Your information is being handled in accordance with the. National framework Australia's Strategy for Nature Biodiversity conservation Legislation International role Science and research The introduction of new species is also a threat to Australia's biodiversity. When we go away, theres such a beautiful feeling when we come back herethe smells and fragrances at different times of year, or when its wet it helps you get grounded and get rid of some of the stress of the city, Wayne says as we watch a horse cantering across a paddock far below. Richard Fuller: We spend a lot of time studying migratory birds, species that migrate from Australia up to the Arctic and back, and that has been a fascinating line of work, looking at the amazing migration journeys of these animals, the threats that they face along the way, and what could be done about those threats. All of these groups need to be around the table because they all have something important to contribute. [The] challenge is not to prognosticate about the height of the piles of dead species that will litter the wayside of the future if we stick with current strategies. There is no question that charismatic biodiversity is a great communicator to the public at large about the beauty and the wonder, but I think it's incredible when you start to tell stories of some of our more obscure species on this planet and reveal those stories and tell them in a compelling way, as E. O. Wilson did, for example, with ants, it could really put those things on the map and could really excite people's interest. Compared to Australia, which recorded a biodiversity loss of between 5 and 10 per cent of the total global decline, the study published in Nature found Indonesia had "absolutely the highest number of declining species", representing around 21 per cent of the total decline during the period. Bold, new interventionist ideas are needed to save Australias biodiversity. Private conservation group Bush Heritage Australia set a goal for itself of purchasing and protecting a further 1 per cent of Australia by 2025. 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