Australia’s next government must address our collapsed ecosystems and extinction crisis

Australia’s remarkable animals, plants and ecosystems are world-renowned, and rightly so.

Our famous ecosystems are not okay, unfortunately. Many are moving towards this. collapseEven iconic species such as the numbat, platypus, and koala are at risk. More and more species are endangered Going extinct, with over 100Since British colonization. This means Australia has one among the worst conservation records worldwide.

This is a huge accomplishment. government failure. Our leaders are failing in their duties. Duty of careto the environment. Yet, the election campaign has not been Unsettling silenceConcerning threatened species

Here are five steps your next government should take.

1. Align, strengthen and enforce policy and laws

Australia’s environmental laws and policies are failing to safeguard our unique biodiversity from extinction. This has been proven by a number of independent Reviews, Auditor-General ReportsAnd Senate InquiriesThe past decade.

2020 Review of our main environmental protection laws 38 recommendations. No major party has yet to commit to funding or introducing these recommendations.

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To actually make a difference to the environment, it’s vital we achieve policy alignment. That means, for instance, ruling out new coal mines if we would like to keep the world’s largest coral reef system alive. Similar to the Queensland and New South Wales cases, extensive land clearing has led to widespread land clearing. Tree planting initiativesPointless on the emissions front.

Despite Australia’s wealth of species, our laws protecting biodiversity are much laxer than in other developed nations like the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. These countries have mandatory monitoring for all threatened species. detect species decline early and step in before it’s too late.

2. Invest in the environment

How much do your estimates of the federal government spending on helping endangered species recover? Surprisingly, the answer is: 50 millionIn the whole country, it is less than $2 a year. That’s less than $2 a year per Australian. The government spent the Same amountSupporting the business events industry during the pandemic

Our total environmental spending is also high. It’s woefully inadequat. Federal funding has declined sharply in the last nine years, despite mounting environmental threats.

This means that conservationists have to make difficult decisions. With a tiny amount of funding, you can’t save every species. This means that you must continue to neglect them. more extinctions looming.

This investment is much less than what is required Restore threatened speciesReduce the financial risks that are very real. Loss of biodiversity. If the government doesn’t see the environment as a serious investment, why should the Private sector?

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This issue should be addressed by the next government Nature finance gap. It’s not as if there isn’t money. The estimated annual cost of recovering every one of Australia’s ~1,800 threatened species is roughly a mere 7% of the Coalition’s $23 billion worth of projectsPromised in the month since budget was released in March.

3. Be prepared to tackle the threats

We already have Get detailed informationThe main threats to our species, ecosystems, and species are the constant destruction or alteration in vital habitat, the damage caused by invasive species like cats, rabbits, and foxes, as well pollution, disease, and climate change. These threats must be protected by policies and laws that have teeth. This also requires investment.

We can save money and help endangered species habitat by not allowing the clearing of native vegetation or mineral extraction to continue. Why? Because it’s vastly cheaper to conserve ecosystems and species in good health than attempt recovery when they’re already in decline or flatlining.

It is also vital to eliminate oil, gas, and coal from the market in order to stop the climate change-related damage.

Any actions taken in order to protect the environment and recover species have to be supported by evidence. Solid monitoringSo we can determine if these actions are cost-effective and effective against specific objectives. This is a common practice in the US.

Salvaging our environment in its current state will take time. That means in many cases, we’ll need firm, multi-partisan commitments to sustained actions, sometimes even across electoral cycles. It doesn’t matter if it is a piecemeal, temporary or long-term commitment. Politized conservation will not help Australia’s biodiversity long-term and do not represent best use of public money.

4. Look to Indigenous leadership for healing Country

For millennia, First Nations people have cared for Australia’s species and Formed ecosystems.

In many places, forced displacement of long-standing cultural practices and disconnection from them is linked to more damage to the environment. Severe fires.

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Focus on Indigenous management of CountryCan deliver social, cultural, and environmental benefits. This means that Indigenous communities and peoples will be more involved in ecosystem management and policy decisions.

5. Collaborate with communities and cross boundaries

We must engage and empower local communities as well as landowners to protect the species on their property. Almost half of Australia’s threatened species can be found on private landThis includes farms and pastoral properties. We already have Good examplesImagine what this could look like.

The next government should dramatically increase investment in biodiversity on farms through rebates. tax incentivesFor sustainable agriculture and conservation covenants. In many cases, caring about species can improve farming results.

Conservation is good both for humans and all other species

As humans, it is important to care for the environment as well as the other species that we share our planet with. People can take care of nature in their cities by taking care of it. Happier and more healthy.

Protecting key plants and animals ensures key “services” like pollination and the cycling of soil nutrients continues.

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A single tree makes it easier for birds to navigate farmland. It acts as a steppingstone between habitats.

We’re lucky to live in a land of such rich biodiversity, from the ancient Wollemi pine to remarkable Lord Howe island stick insects and striking corroboree frogs. We don’t take proper care of these species or their homes. Our species must be saved by the next government.