Australia is a biodiversity hotspot. More than 70% of our species can be found nowhere else on Earth!
But nature is facing tough times Down Under. The Biodiversity Council has identified the main causes for this:
- Destruction and breaking up of natural habitats due to land clearing for agriculture and urbanisation
- Invasive plants, animals, and diseases
- The disruption of First Peoples’ practices in caring for Country, including fire management
- Extracting too much water from our rivers and freshwater ecosystems.
On top of all this, climate change is making things even harder.
Sadly, Australia has the highest rate of mammal extinctions in the world. And we are fourth in the world for total number of species going extinct.
But there’s hope.
Protecting nature in areas like National Parks is one of the best ways to keep all life safe and healthy. It ensures there’s habitat for wildlife while also making sure we have clean air and water for healthy communities.
The great news is, we have seen wildlife bounce back in protected areas.
Take the creation of Epping Forest National Park in Queensland which played a key part in saving the Northern Hairy-Nosed Wombat from extinction. The park gave the wombats a safe place to live and allowed people to work on making their habitat better. In the last 50 years, the number of Northern Hairy-Nosed Wombats bounced back from almost none to more than 300.
Working to protect at least 30% of our lands by 2030 can help ensure we have more positive stories to tell like the Northern Hairy-Nosed Wombat’s. With the right approach and everyone working together, we can make it happen.
