Recognising Threatened Species Day

Today is Threatened Species Day, an opportunity to acknowledge the risks to Australia’s unique species and the work being done across the country to help them recover and thrive.

From tree plantings and weed removal to species specific mapping and monitoring using the latest conservation technology, countless individuals and organisations help every day to support and provide hope for threatened species.

It’s not just the work happening on the ground – research is finding innovative solutions to stay ahead of the game in the fight against key threats like feral cats, invasive weeds and climate change.

The Albanese Government is investing more than $600 million to better protect threatened plants and animals.

This funding is being delivered through the Saving Native Species Program, Natural Heritage Trust, National Environmental Science Program and other initiatives leading to encouraging outcomes including: 

• Just yesterday in a remote area of Gondwana Rainforest near the NSW and Queensland border, captively-reared mountain frogs were released into the wild in a world first. This project is helping endangered mountain frogs recover from the impacts of the 2019/20 bushfires, feral pigs and ongoing impacts of climate change.
• In Queensland’s Cape York Peninsula, golden-shouldered parrot nesting rates have doubled. A colourful small parrot, this species unusually nests in vacant termite mounds. Installing fencing to create a safe habitat from predators such as feral cats is an example of the work that is being done as part of this project.
• The world’s largest release of captive-bred White’s seahorse babies recently took place at Port Stephens in NSW. More than 1,200 of the endangered seahorses were released to rebuild the population after they suffered steep declines in major flooding events.
• Feral cat management in the Northern Territory’s MacDonnell Ranges has halted the decline and improved the trajectory of central rock-rat populations.
• Australia’s Critically Endangered eastern grey nurse shark population is increasing slowly. These improvements are a result of ongoing legal protection for the species by the Australian and NSW governments, and Australian Government funded research. The project is also supported by cooperation of commercial and recreational fishers in adopting fishing gear and practices that cause less injury to sharks caught accidentally.
• Across Australia’s desert region, Traditional Owners and Indigenous rangers monitoring the great desert skink found 509 active burrows earlier this year. The great desert skink is a vulnerable and culturally significant species. This project is not only boosting knowledge of its population but also tackling the threat of feral cats and foxes.
• On Raine Island in Far North Queensland, a pilot study has demonstrated that thousands of green turtle eggs can be moved to cooler beaches where they weren’t laid. This project is hoped to boost resilience to climate change, as the temperature of nests determines the sex of hatchlings.
• Around 1,000 Davies’ waxflower cuttings are maturing at the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens and a further 5,000 seeds have been sown, as part of propagation efforts to protect the future of the flower, which is only found in Tasmania.
• A three-pronged effort is helping to protect the Victorian grassland earless dragon, which was thought to be extinct until 2023. More dragons have been born through a captive breeding program at Melbourne Zoo, while work is also underway to protect wild populations. Another project is also trialling the use of conservation detection dogs to find any more unknown populations.
• And in Goobang National Park in western New South Wales, the pookila, also known as the New Holland mouse, was recently spotted for the first time in almost 30 years. Surveying for this native mouse is helping target conservation efforts to help maintain healthy populations across its range.

Minister for the Environment and Water Murray Watt said the Albanese Government is committed to no new extinctions.

“Sadly native wildlife continue to be threatened by feral predators, climate change, natural disasters, and by illegal wildlife trade and other human activity,” Minister Watt said.

“So today, on Threatened Species Day, I thank all people, researchers and groups who are supporting Australia’s threatened species. From those working directly with plants and animals, to those who are exploring new ways to tackle threats.

“While some of the work being undertaken is highly-skilled, there’s things every Australian can do to help, like keeping pets from wandering, planting more native gardens, reporting illegal wildlife activities, and stopping pollution in our oceans and waterways.

“We are committed to taking action to support threatened species and their habitats and that work is delivering great outcomes.

“There’s a long way to go, but it’s critical we protect Australia’s amazing and diverse plants and wildlife.”