We don’t have to passively sit back and watch Australia’s species and ecosystems die. Here are five concrete steps the next government should take.
Australia’s remarkable animals, plants and ecosystems are world-renowned, and rightly so.
Unfortunately, our famous ecosystems are not OK. Many are hurtling towards , threatening even iconic species like the koala, platypus and the numbat. More and more species are , with over since British colonisation. That means Australia has one of the worst conservation records in the world.
This represents a monumental . Our leaders are failing in their to the environment. Yet so far, the election campaign has been on threatened species.
Here are five steps our next government should take.
Numbats - dubbed Australia’s meerkats - are endangered. Photo: Shutterstock.
Australia’s environmental laws and policies are failing to safeguard our unique biodiversity from extinction. This has been established by a series of independent , and over the past decade.
The 2020 review of our main environmental protection laws offered . To date, no major party has clearly committed to introducing and funding these recommendations.
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. Similarly, widespread land clearing in Queensland and New South Wales makes pointless on an 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 nations have mandatory monitoring of all threatened species, which means they can early and step in before it’s too late.
How much do you think the federal government spends on helping our threatened species recover? The answer is shockingly low: per year across the entire country. That’s less than $2 a year per Australian. The government spent the on supporting the business events industry through the pandemic.
Our overall environmental spending, too, is . In an age of mounting environmental threats, federal funding has fallen sharply over the past nine years.
For conservationists, this means distressing decisions. With a tiny amount of funding, you can’t save every species. That means ongoing neglect and .
This investment is far less than what is needed to or to reduce the very real financial risks from . If the government doesn’t see the environment as a serious investment, why should the ?
The next government should fix this . 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 per cent of the Coalition’s promised in the month since the budget was released in late March.
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We already have of the major threats facing our species and ecosystems: the ongoing destruction or alteration of vital habitat, the damage done by invasive species like foxes, rabbits and cats, as well as pollution, disease and climate change. To protect our species from these threats requires laws and policies with teeth, as well as investment.
If we protect threatened species habitat by stopping clearing of native vegetation, mineral extraction, or changing fishing practices, we will not only get better outcomes for biodiversity but also save money in many cases. 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.
Phasing out coal, oil and gas will also be vital to stem the damage done by climate change, as well as boosting support for green infrastructure and energy.
Any actions taken to protect our environment and recover species must be evidence-based and have in place, so we can figure out if these actions actually work in a cost-effective manner against specific objectives. This is done routinely in the US.
Salvaging our damaged environment is going to take time. That means in many cases, we’ll need firm, multi-partisan commitments to sustained actions, sometimes even across electoral cycles. Piecemeal, short-term or will not help Australia’s biodiversity long-term and do not represent best use of public money.
For millennia, First Nations people have cared for Australia’s species and .
In many areas, their forced displacement and disconnection with longstanding cultural practices is linked to further damage to the environment, such as more .
Focusing on can deliver environmental, cultural and social benefits. This means increasing representation of Indigenous people and communities in ecosystem policy and management decisions.
We must urgently engage and empower local communities and landowners to look after the species on their land. Almost half of Australia’s threatened species can be found on , including farms and pastoral properties. We already have of what this can look like.
The next government should radically scale up investment in biodiversity on farms, through rebates and for conservation covenants and sustainable agriculture. In many cases, caring for species can improve farming outcomes.
Corroboree frogs are critically endangered. Photo: Shutterstock.
To care for the environment and the other species we live alongside is good for us as people. Tending to nature in our cities makes people .
Protecting key plants and animals ensures key “services” like pollination and the cycling of continues.
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. But we are not looking after these species and their homes properly. The next government must take serious and swift action to save our species.
, Professor in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life & Environmental Sciences, ; , ARC Future Fellow, , and , Lecturer and ARC DECRA Fellow,
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