200, pp. This South West Biodiversity Hotspot has 8379 native vascular plants (species + subspecies), 47% (3911) of which are endemic (found nowhere else on the planet) 1. In addition, they may compete with native plants and animals for food and shelter. We choose in some areas to let natural regeneration take place. These trends are all shaped by other indirect . What goes on there? Robyn Williams: Yes, the ants mean lunch and dinner for half the Australian population, including the furry ones. 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. Environment Minister Sussan Ley.Alex Ellinghausen. Did megafauna that used to roam Australia become extinct because of climate change or because of hunting? The sheer scale and intensity of the Australian bushfire crisis have led to apocalyptic scenes making the front pages of newspapers the world over. Minister backs down in fight to keep WA live sheep exports afloat. These include: A primary cause of biodiversity loss is a general lack of public awareness and appreciation of biodiversity and its values, this disconnect with nature often results in a lack of empathy with our natural heritage, and biodiversity. Perth is the capital of the Southwest Australia Ecoregion, one of only 34 internationally recognised Biodiversity Hotspots (Conservation International 2010). 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. If the conditions are too hot there, you can spread your seeds or fly around the corner and its potentially a bit cooler.. No, there is a race to clear it. But the incredible levels of biodiversity and endemism in this corner of Australia have presented something of a puzzle for researchers. (Credit: Esther Beaton), Yellow box grassy woodland regenerating from farmland on Bush Heritage Australias. When Im gone the land will look after Mark, and his kidsll say, Grandfather put all these trees in and theres a bit of me in them. Environmentally sustainable farming makes Australian farms more productive and, in fact, more profitable, says Brett Heffernan, a spokesperson for the National Farmers Federation. Global biodiversity loss and its impacts may be greater than previously thought, due to higher estimates provided for understudied . We overharvest resources which reduces both population sizes and genetic diversity of commercial species, such as fish. Between 7 and 10% of all species on Earth are located in Australia, with 85% of Australia's plant species endemic to the continent. All of these groups need to be around the table because they all have something important to contribute. Biodiversity loss includes the worldwide extinction of different species, as well as the local reduction or loss of species in a certain habitat, resulting in a loss of biological diversity. Agriculture destroys biodiversity by converting natural habitats to intensely managed systems and by releasing pollutants, including greenhouses gases. They also stock lightly and now rotate livestock between 35 small paddocks, instead of three large ones. In terms of bang for the buck, we get the most results for the least effort by conserving this corridor, Ian says. Robyn Williams: The late Tom Lovejoy, one of those I mentioned before in The Science Show we should remember, whose work was so significant, at the same level maybe as Rachel Carson, whose book Silent Spring was published 60 years ago. One species eats another, each is important. Richard Fuller: The fly spray comes out every now and then. We feel this real connection to the property. Land and natural resource use practices have also left a legacy of problems that have set in train a number of degrading processes which continue to impact on biodiversity. Iain Gordon, a biodiversity expert with the CSIRO in Townsville, says land quality is as important as quantity. Its a cold, wet winters night in Woomargama, in southern NSW, and were looking for squirrel gliders along a green road a patch of old-growth woodland on Bruce Lynchs farm. The research, published in the journal Science, found that human land use has driven down the population of many species to a dangerous extent across vast swathes of the planet. "If you look at where we've had the greatest rates of faunal decline, where Australia has had the highest levels of reductions in our animals has been on the Nullarbor Plain," Mr Andrews told the ABC earlier this month. The commission completed its report last July and the government sat on it until a . We missed [understanding] this here and thats why small mammals have been going extinct in northern Australia. 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. The resolution requires a robust, rigorous and defensible scientific information base. Were excited; greater gliders are normally found in the high country of Woomargama National Park, several kilometres to the south-east not down here towards the Hume Highway. About half of south-west WAs 8000 plant species are found nowhere else, as are many animals including the numbat, western swamp tortoise and honey possum which feeds on the nectar of flowering plants, such as banksias. WERE SITTING ON a jumbled pile of cracked, moss- and lichen-covered granite boulders on top of a hill overlooking the NSW town of Tumbarumba. Would you say that we have to preserve everything, or learn how to preserve enough? Robyn Williams: Yes, but isn't that the kind of blank cheque argument that the hard economic realities will no longer accept? 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. (2017, July 27). Half of the world's land Richard Fuller: Yes, I would completely agree, and of course I think the former two are the driver of the third, in a sense. 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. The report reveals a serious decline in biodiversity, an increase in habitat loss, and increasing levels of pollution. The Great Eastern Ranges Initiative (GER) is another ambitious corridor that is planned to run down 2800 km of Australias Great Dividing Range, from the Atherton Tableland in far north Queensland all the way to southern Victoria (see map, opposite). Red Sea and northern Australia. So I'm fascinated by what constitutes a healthy relationship between people and nature and how can we enhance that to drive the conservation agenda forwards. Robyn Williams: My final question, someone who is on one of your slides, Paul Ehrlich from Stanford University who has always for decades come across to Australia to study birds and various other creatures, and he has said that we've got several gigantic global problems at the moment, obviously climate change is one, population another, biodiversity the third, but not third in number but equal as a problem. Introduction of exotic plants and animals, and disease. Its filled with resources that evolutionarily they are suited to eat, says Mike. When one is communicating to others or when one is trying to work out the worth of different species, I think we start to fall into really difficult territory. All ecosystems now show the impact of the dominant species, humans. Western Australia; Travel Videos; Entertainment. The main factor in the loss of biodiversity is the increased rate of population growth. How have population growth, habitat change and introduction of new species affected Australia's biodiversity? The researchers believe that their data can be used to better target conservation efforts. "Modest recovery of biodiversity in a western European country: The Living Planet Index for the Netherlands", Biological Conservation, Vol. That's a native bird but it has been declared a key threatening process by the Australian government in its role in disrupting other bird communities. 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. Biodiversity is the diversity of species, ecosystems and genes on earth. Retrieved from Department of Parks and Wildlife Service: https://www.dpaw.wa.gov.au/plants-and-animals/468-biodiversity-conservation-act-2016, Integrate Sustainability Pty Ltd ': Remote NT mayor questions response time for flood evacuations. 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. T he World Economic Forum's Global Risks Report 2020 listed biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse as one of the top five threats humanity could face in the next ten years 1.In 2021, BlackRock named natural capital as one of the year's investment priorities 2.In tandem, pioneering companies published credible biodiversity strategies with robust biodiversity goals aligned to the Science . Nearly two-thirds (62 per cent) of the Australian landmass is pastoral or agricultural land. Despite all we know, biodiversity loss is at an all-time high On The Science Show with Robyn Williams Students learn about food webs at school. The Australian Museum respects and acknowledges the Gadigalpeople as the FirstPeoples and Traditional Custodians of the land andwaterways on which theMuseumstands. Climate Change: Changes . Australia ranks as the second worst of the group, with a biodiversity loss of 5-10%. 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. After protracted negotiations with a pastoral family in far northern New South Wales, the state government has bought more than 430,000ha of iconic Australian outback to be managed as national park. Work on the drafting of the new Biodiversity Conservation Regulations is underway (Service, 2017). It concludes that the condition of Australia's environment is "poor and deteriorating". The prerequisites will be to establish an effective captive-breeding program [at cold temperatures] for the Kosciuszko population. The loss of wetlands that began in 1829, and continues into the present day, is a deciding factor in Perth being able to retain its status as a biodiverse city. This adds to the threat to biodiversity which has already been placed under stress by other human activities. That funding is now nearing an end, but a group of six private and public organisations Bush Heritage Australia, the NCT, the NSW Governments Environmental Trust, the NSW National Parks Association, Greening Australia and OzGreen has agreed to take the project forward. Kenle, Wikicommons, Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus leucocephalus), Lake Joondalup, Perth, Western Australia, Australia, 2012. Everyday, more people need more space, consume more resources and generate more waste as world population continues to grow at an alarming rate. Robyn Williams: Biodiversity, a problem as shocking as climate change. 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