Iain Gordon, a biodiversity expert with the CSIRO in Townsville, says land quality is as important as quantity. We pay our respect to Aboriginal Elders and recognise their continuous connection to Country. The researchers conceded that species native to multiple countries presented an obstacle to their calculations, but lead author Anthony Waldron says they were able to narrow down where the pressures were coming from. Biodiversity should be at the top of the global agenda alongside climate, said Anne Larigauderie, IPBES executive secretary, at a 6 May press conference in Paris, France. This has led to habitat change through land clearing and urbanisation, hunting . km) of Australia by 2013. Biodiversity loss caused by Australian society October 17, 2021 Nature is being destroyed at a rate never before seen in human history, that rate is accelerating and almost all of the destruction is caused by humans. But we are just one of many species on Earth, and our demand for resources - land, water, food, and shelter - shapes the environment for other wildlife too. A staggering amount when compared to England, where the land mass is proportionate to the South West but there are only 1500 native vascular plants species and a mere 3% are endemi 2 . One species eats another, each is important. Everyday, more people need more space, consume more resources and generate more waste as world population continues to grow at an alarming rate. It offers the biggest elevation range in Australia from a few hundred metres above sea level to more than 2200 m. It covers an array of environments from slopes and plains to mountain peaks, has some of our richest communities of species and is home to two-thirds of NSWs threatened plants and animals. Since living organisms interact in dynamic ecosystems, the disappearance of one species can have a far-reaching impact on the food chain. Basically we are talking about how to sensibly use a finite resource, the landscape, in support of people. The main factor in the loss of biodiversity is the increased rate of population growth. Southwest Australia is recognised as one of the worlds 35 recognised biodiversity hotspots. Further down the line, if the breeding program is successful, the idea is to release them into lowland rainforests. We see squirrel gliders the next day, but they have been trapped for an RTA-funded project monitoring highway populations and fitting poles to help the marsupials glide the 70 m needed to cross an otherwise insurmountable road barrier. Valuing certain species over others, valuing certain ecosystem processes over others is fraught with difficulty. The diverse landscape and extensive coastline of Western Australia provides abundant opportunities to study species in spectacular marine, freshwater and terrestrial environments. Source: Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (Department of Parks and Wildlife Service), The south-west of the State has experienced significant impacts to biodiversity values from broad-scale land clearing for agriculture (especially in the 1920s to 1980s), expansion of urban areas, and development of infrastructure and use of natural resources. Theres no doubt in my mind that we can do this if were not fettered by pessimisminnovative approaches are popping up all over Australia.. The landholders are Wayne Stokes and his partner Marcia Macartney, former public servants who moved here from Canberra almost two decades ago. All ecosystems now show the impact of the dominant species, humans. Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Indigenous people have been interacting with Australia's natural environment for tens of thousands of years. 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. Extinctions of species have been occurring since the first life forms evolved. Thats going to put the temperature up at least one degree[enough] to destroy the habitat. But the incredible levels of biodiversity and endemism in this corner of Australia have presented something of a puzzle for researchers. This is needed not only to provide the animals for the experiment but also to provide an insurance policy against sudden catastrophic wild declines; theyll also need to demonstrate that Burramys can breed in lowland rainforest conditions., Trevor Evans, of Secret Creek Sanctuary, says that current systems of saving endangered species need to be addressed, and thinks that Mikes left-field suggestion is a step in the right direction. But now this almighty raptor, affectionately known as The Red, has become our nations rarest bird of prey. Robyn Williams: So, mosquitoes, those sorts of things have to go? The region is about the size of England, which has about 1,500 species of vascular plants (all plants except ferns and mosses), 47 of them found nowhere else. WWF's 2020 Living Planet Report held some alarming news: The world has seen an average 68% drop in mammal, bird, fish, reptile, and amphibian populations since 1970. The coastal marine biodiversity of WA is ranked second highest out of 18 of the worlds marine biodiversity hotspots (based on species richness and endemism) and fourth lowest in terms of threatening processes. A genial Aussie with an American accent, Mike gesticulates as he meanders from one fascinating topic to another. 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. Contrast that with Southwest Australia, which harbours an astonishing 7,239 vascular plant species, almost 80% of which are found nowhere else in the world(Alphen, 2016). 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. There is much debate about the kind of impact Indigenous people have had on this land. Robyn Williams: And what else, apart from birds? Australia is one of seven countries responsible for more than half of global biodiversity loss, according to a study published today. 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. SW Western Australia is one of the world's major biodiversity hotspots. The success of Western Shield and previous programs has resulted in the removal of the woylie, tammar wallaby and quenda from Western Australia's threatened species list. The kids are terrified of them. I'm really interested in conservation, and conservation ultimately depends on repairing the broken relationship between people and biodiversity. L-R: Sonya Sawtell-Rickson, CIO, Hesta; Adrian Ward, CEO, Accounting for Nature; Andrew Saunders, head of natural climate solutions, QIC. The Western Australian Museum acknowledges and respects the Traditional Owners of their ancestral lands, waters and skies. Deforestation and forest fragmentation have an adverse effect on the biodiversity of animals and plants. Credit: M Hele. At the University of Queenslands Fuller Biodiversity Lab, Richard Fuller, with colleagues and students studies the connection between people and nature. 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). 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. Richard Fuller: We put citronella burners outside, how about that, as some kind of compromise. This website may contain names, images and voices of deceased Aboriginal and TorresStrait Islanderpeoples. "[But] it's also what's known as 'lags' or 'extinction debt'. On a mountain, you can move around the hill a bit. Agriculture destroys biodiversity by converting natural habitats to intensely managed systems and by releasing pollutants, including greenhouses gases. Many pastoral properties contain significant conservation values, both in the traditionally understood sense of biodiversity values but also [in the] ecosystem services they provide, such as being a source of fresh water, says Doug Humann, CEO of Bush Heritage. 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. Some scientists believe that we are now witnessing the sixth mass extinction, the only mass extinction to be caused by a single species - humans. Humans rely on various plants, animals, and other organisms for food, building materials, and medicines, and their availability as commodities is important to many cultures. That great PhD student ShawanChowdhury has just finished his PhD on global patterns in migratory butterflies and thinking about conservation of those species. As part of its Caring for Country initiative released in 2008 the Federal Government allocated $180 million to buy land, aiming to increase the National Reserve System from 11 per cent (890,000 sq. For millennia, humans have been reshaping ecosystems, directly . Perth is the capital of the Southwest Australia Ecoregion, one of only 34 internationally recognised Biodiversity Hotspots (Conservation International 2010). Whatever the level of impact created by Australia's Indigenous people, they adapted their own lifestyles and survived in all parts of the continent for many thousands of years. Ideally, Commonwealth and State approval processes are undertaken simultaneously, but proposals must be presented to authorities concurrently (Government of Western Australia, 2014). Celebrity Life. Biodiversity loss can come in the form of habitat loss through land converted to agriculture, combined with land degradation through intensive farming practices - which is the principal contributor to the decline and extinction of species - and it can also come in the form of unsustainable food production, where our meat and dairy consumption You can imagine a migratory species showing up and being unable to refuel on its journey, for example. 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. This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced. Mitsch and Gosselink describe wetland environments as falling between the cracks of two disciplines (Mitsch & Gosselink 2007). 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. We introduce exotic species which damage land and water resources and sometimes bring diseases with them. Your information is being handled in accordance with the. And in many ways we have to keep managing the environment in those disturbed areas to make sure that things don't get too out of kilter. 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. Mike agrees 1.5 million sq. 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. Biological diversity or biodiversity is the term given to the variety of life on Earth. 1. This is also a property where theres been sightings of swift parrots, a migratory species which breeds during summer in Tasmania and makes a perilous flight across Bass Strait to winter in Victoria and southern NSW. Conservation of Australia's biodiversity Biodiversity is the variety of all life forms on earth - the different plants, animals and micro-organisms and the ecosystems of which they are a part. 16 in the western plains of France and 24 in southern Victoria, Australia . Ecological conditions range from pristine to ecologically extinct. Check out the What's On calendar of events, workshops and school holiday programs. In coming years, Bruce and Mark are likely to fare much better than farmers who have not been making these changes Well still have to adapt to climate change to make a living, Mark says. Loss of biodiversity undermines ecosystems' abilities to function effectively and efficiently and thus undermines nature's ability to support a healthy environment. Along with UWA colleague Dr Siegy Krauss, Stephen was recently awarded $1 million from the Australian Research Council to test the evolutionary implications of this idea. Australia is one of seven countries responsible for more than half of global biodiversity loss, according to a study published today. They are not going to damage other species in those rainforests because theyve always been there. The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions ( DBCA) is the Western Australian government department responsible for managing lands and waters described in the Conservation and Land Management Act 1984, the Rottnest Island Authority Act 1987, the Swan and Canning Rivers Management Act 2006, the Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority Private conservation group Bush Heritage Australia set a goal for itself of purchasing and protecting a further 1 per cent of Australia by 2025. Human population growth is reducing biodiversity in the following ways: Many ecosystems have been lost during the past 200 years. But tell me, without being supercilious, do you have fly spray in your house? The introduction of new species is also a threat to Australia's biodiversity. Richard Fuller: Yes, I would completely agree, and of course I think the former two are the driver of the third, in a sense. Connectivity conservation aims to give them the opportunity to roam more widely across landscapes, by persuading landholders to provide protected links between existing parks and reserves. Australia among seven nations responsible for more than 50 per cent of global biodiversity loss, Catch up with The Loop, your quick wrap of this morning's news. Everywhere weve found fossils of these species of miniature possums its always been in lowland rainforest in Central Australia and the Simpson Desert it was there in scrubby lowland rainforest. We cause habitat change through agricultural, urban and industrial development, and the exploitation of natural resources. Provisions that replace those existing under the Wildlife Act and Sandalwood Act (including threatened species listings and controls over the taking and keeping of native species) and their associated Regulations cannot be brought into effect until the necessary Biodiversity Conservation Regulations have been made. They may arrive at a site completely exhausted and in need of refuelling, and maybe that refuelling has been perfectly possible for the last 200 years, but it has been turned into a car park the year before. It needs funding, but it could be the most exciting project of this kind in the world in terms of an innovative way to counter the unquestioned threat to the survival of a species through climate change, he says. 1).It experiences a strongly Mediterranean climate with frequent droughts (Saunders et al., 1993, Hobbs and Cramer, 2003) and is part of the South West Australian Floristic Region, a recognized global biodiversity hotspot (Mittermeier et al . Rather than rushing to rescue individual species, scientists are using broad-scale solutions to save our wildlife. 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). Robyn Williams: Richard Fuller is Professor of Biology at the University of Queensland. Join us, volunteer and be a part of our journey of discovery! Bringing farmers like Bruce and Mark on board for conservation is a key step in halting biodiversity decline and an important way to link fragmented habitats. So, in other words, that sort of message seems to say you need to consult the conservationists before you do something and rewilding is an interesting move. The mountains offer a huge diversity of refuges. These trends are all shaped by other indirect . A new study reveal why this may be the case. National parks tend to beon marginal land. 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