Look, there’s no beating around the bush. The number of threatened species in Australia has reached a record high, with more wildlife at risk of extinction than ever before. This batch of bad news comes from the Australian Conservation Foundation’s latest study, which saw 144 new animals, plants and ecological communities added to the endangered species list – the highest number since it was first published in 1999. This isn’t the type of bedtime story Blinky Bill or Grandma Poss would be proud of, especially considering that it’s also double the previous record from 2009 and five times more than our nation’s yearly average.
While Australia is blessed with a great number of ethical zoos and wildlife reserves, you can’t beat the experience of spotting a furry, slimy or scaly friend out in the wild. From cuddly koalas to colourful parrot fish and hungry crocodiles (which we’ll admire from afar), they’re all part of what makes our country so special.
The latest wildlife additions raise Australia’s total number of threatened species to 2,212, largely due to climate change, invasive species and habitat destruction. Among the new flora and fauna are 51 plants, 24 reptiles and crustaceans, 19 fish, 13 birds, six frogs, three insects and one earthworm, plus three ecological communities in southwestern and southeastern Australia. Many of these species are only found in Australia, including the Daintree rainbow fish, Jardine river turtle, pink cockatoo, broad-toothed rat and Lord Howe Earthworm.
Out of all mammals, our nation’s beloved koalas and fiesta northern quolls were two of the most severely impacted by habitat deconstruction in 2023. This is a major reality check for Australia, which is currently the world leader in mammal extinction, and last year, approved 10,426 hectares of habitat destruction – the equivalent of clearing the size of the MCG 5,000 times over.
It’s worth noting that the spike in new entries in 2023 also reflects a backlog of species assessments, many of which were affected by the 2019-20 black summer bushfires. You can read the full study here.
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