The decline of high profile mammal species

. . . such as the koala and platypus is ongoing and yet under NSW’s new land-clearing laws, 99% of koala habitat can be bulldozed if it’s on private land !! Feb 2018

Make a protest [link closed] regarding these awful laws.

This morning I was birdwatching saw 46 species including Royal Spoonbills nesting, an intimate view of three Crested Shrike Tits, Mistletoe Birds, Rufous fantail and a pair of Regent Bowerbirds to mention a few. One might think – all is well, but it isn’t.

Hear Euan Ritchie talk about ‘Australia’s new extinction crisis‘ on Late Night Live 14 Feb.

‘The island continent of Australia harbors much of the world’s most distinctive biodiversity, but this review describes an extent of recent and ongoing loss of its mammal fauna that is exceptionally high and appreciably greater than previously recognized.

This complacency may change as the decline of high profile mammal species, such as the koala and platypus, becomes increasingly apparent. This review is sobering in its assessment of the current extent of loss of Australia’s mammal fauna, but some perceptive observers long ago foresaw this catastrophic outcome.’ JCZ Woinarski [i]

The problem with cuddly species is that they may not be key species for ecosystem health and – ‘Worldwide, around 20,000 endangered animal species are competing for scarce conservation funds – but just 80 ‘celebrity species’ are hogging most of the attention.’

[i] JCZ Woinarski et al, ‘Ongoing unraveling of a continental fauna: Decline and extinction Australian mammals since European settlement’, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 112, no. 5, pp. 4531-4540, ‎2015