Australia has one of the worst faunal extinction records on Earth. A reasonable way to compare Australia’s extinction rate with other nations is to look at the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List.
According to the IUCN, only three countries have lost more animal species than Australia. Australia is fourth (behind USA, Mauritius, French Polynesia) across about 250 countries that the Red List covers.
Dr Jane with a critically endangered Australian Bilby
Currently, the Australian Senate is holding an inquiry into Australia’s Faunal extinction crisis including the wider ecological impact of faunal extinction, the adequacy of Commonwealth environment laws, the adequacy of monitoring and assessment practices and how effective compliance mechanisms for enforcing Commonwealth environmental law actually are.
The Jane Goodall Institute Australia (JGIA) has provided a submission to the Senate Inquiry. The submission, authored by JGIA Board and Roots & Shoots Member, Zara Bending, is available to read on the Parliament of Australia’s website.
