The state government-sanctioned euthanasia sparked global attention and criticism, but experts say the root of the problem lies in the management of Victoria’s blue gum plantations.
To prevent extinctions, we need to start addressing the big gaps in our national threatened species list, argues Hugh Possingham, the Biodiversity Council’s Co-chief Councillor.
In recent years, states such as South Australia have moved to liberalise native wildlife ownership laws. Could this be good for threatened species? That depends. Turning threatened species into pets may keep the species alive – but unable to survive without us.
A coastal emu nest has been discovered on the NSW North Coast, where the population of the endangered species is estimated at fewer than 40 individuals.
Conservationists and Traditional Owners have celebrated the return of the common brushtail possum to Central Australia, where the species is locally extinct.
The New Holland mouse hasn’t been seen in the Otway ranges, its native habitat, since 2003 and scientists are now worried for their future.
The seeds illustrated by Anne Hayes here can be found in coastal forests in northern NSW and southern Queensland.
Australia’s ‘native’ dog, the dingo, is loved or loathed, depending on what side of the fence you’re on. To Indigenous people they are a revered totem; to graziers they are public enemy number one, while some scientists see them as an environmental saviour. Dingoes often find themselves in no-man’s land. Read more in Amanda Burdon’s feature on the place of the dingo in Australia – and see more of Jason Edward’s stunning shots – in AG#136.
Termite damage costs Australian homes at least a billion dollars each year – but they are absolutely vital for ecosystems.
The final batch of 15 western quolls has been released in South Australia’s Flinders Ranges National Park after an absence of more than a century.