Government needs to front up billions, not millions, to save Australia’s threatened species

Don Driscoll and colleagues write in The Conversation (21.3.17) that the federal government’s charity drive for threatened Australian animal species shows it’s unwilling to invest what’s needed to prevent extinction.

‘Southern cassowaries, orange-bellied parrots, Leadbeater’s possums, and Australia’s only purple wattle are among the threatened species the government is seeking conservation investment for under its recently released threatened species prospectus. The prospectus seeks business and philanthropic support in partnership with the government and community groups to raise around A$14 million each year.

‘The government has proposed 51 projects, costing from A$45,000 to A$6 million. At first glance the prospectus is a positive initiative.

‘But it also highlights that the current government is unwilling to invest what’s needed to assure the conservation of our threatened plants, animals and other organisms.’

Australia’s threatened species plan has failed on several counts. Without change, more extinctions are assured

Euan Ritchie and Ayesha Tulloch write in The Conversation (1.7.21) about the federal government’s plans for protecting Australia’s threatened species, suggesting that the approach is short-sighted and insufficient.

‘Australia is globally renowned for its abysmal conservation record – in roughly 230 years we’ve overseen the extinction of more mammal species than any other nation. The federal government’s Threatened Species Strategy was meant to address this confronting situation.

‘The final report on the five-year strategy has just been published. In it, Threatened Species Commissioner Dr Sally Box acknowledges while the plan had some important wins, it fell short in several areas, writing: “…there is much more work to do to ensure our native plants and animals thrive into the future, and this will require an ongoing collective effort.”

‘Clearly, Australia must urgently chart a course towards better environmental and biodiversity outcomes. That means reflecting honestly on our successes and failures so far.’

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