Australia’s status as ‘the mammal extinction capital of the world will soon be a thing of the past, as the Government's new plan promises to halt the loss of any more species, according to a BBC report.
Under the new plan, conservation strategies have been prioritized to protect and save more than 100 threatened animals and plants including the koala. The plan includes a promise to protect a third of the continent's land mass.
Australia's environment was found to be in a state of shocking decline earlier this year. Native animals and plants are said to face threats like habitat loss, invasive pests and weeds, climate change, and destructive natural disasters.
Tanya Plibersek, Australia’s Environment Minister: "Our current approach has not been working. We are determined to give wildlife a better chance by listing 30% of Australia's land as protected under national environment laws, which will help vulnerable species and habitats.”
The 10-year strategy also aims to improve resilience to climate change, build ‘insurance’ populations of some key species in predator-free zones, and better monitor existing populations. Also, more efforts will be put forth to reduce the impact of feral cats, foxes and a prolific weed known as ‘gamba grass’, and to better harness Aboriginal expertise on managing the environment.
The new plan will also target twenty areas with high densities of threatened species, including Kangaroo Island in South Australia and the Blue Mountains in New South Wales, which were devastated by bushfires in 2019-20.
The 110 species to be prioritised include the Australian sea lion and the rarest marsupial in the world, Gilbert's Potoroo and also freeze koala sperm to save the species.
Ms Plibersek says the strategy is the government's answer to the State of the Environment report, which found Australia has lost more species to extinction than any other continent.
A survey of Australia’s ecological systems has concluded that more than half were in a poor state; and that threats are not adequately managed but instead will cause more problems in the future.
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