"Lambs to the slaughter - reintroducing bettongs to the lower cotter catchment" - My Comments

Check out this blog post and my comment, it's a very interesting read as to how we consider and concentrate our conservation efforts in not very effective ways.


https://biodiversityconservationblog.wordpress.com/2015/05/17/lambs-to-the-slaughter-reintroducing-bettongs-to-the-lower-cotter-catchment

Devising Better Conservation for Australia's Marine Parks

Australia's coral reefs and marine parks are considered to be the best in the world. Home of the Great Barrier Reef, a listed UNESCO World Heritage Site, Australia's waters are filled with all manner of coral, fish, and other marine creatures. What most people don't know, however, is the extent at which Australia's other coastal regions are teaming with all sorts of diversity and life. There is so much more to marine areas in Australia than the Great Barrier Reef, and with new proposed changes to the management of these reefs may see the destruction of these unheard of zones due to ignorance from government officials in charge of managing these reefs.

Namely in reference to the 2012 Australian Federal Government proposed marine park network around Australia, which sees to protect 10% of Australia's coastal and marine areas. This network is in lines with the Aichi target that set a goal of protecting 10% of all coastal and marine areas in an effective and equitable manner. However, since the proposition of this network of parks, not much has happened. The re-zoning of the Great Barrier Reef in 2004 was considered a great success for fisheries and conservation of biodiversity, it was a true tale of triumph of management. Not only did these plans help the fisheries industries, but it was beneficial for the environment as well. However, the parks planned by the Federal Government have been predicted to fail in protecting the most ecologically crucial parts of the ocean whilst boosting an economically unsustainable industry.

This is because, in the plans that have been proposed have failed to meet one of the key criteria of the Aichi target for protected areas. They are massively under-representative of the natural biodiversity of the regions they are needed to protect. Instead, what is protected are areas that experience the least amount of stress and are generally poorer in species representation (they are all located outside of where normal human activity occurs). This is especially ironic and embarrassing for the government, as the 2004 zoning of the Great Barrier Reef pretty much set the standard for global marine park development.

As the first country to undertake such a massive overhaul of policy for conservation, Australia really needs to up their game and should be concerned that they are not setting a high enough bar. Currently, a review is occurring to address the shortcomings of the original plans and create more representative parks. If we could achieve such great things in the past, we have an obligation to set the same high standards now.

Saving Biodiversity

The planet’s dizzying levels of diversity from animals to plants, and even the ecosystems they inhabit are all crucial elements that act in an immaculate balance to keep the Earth’s systems in check. Every single day we learn more and more about the how precious our planet is, from discovering new species to discovering innovative ways to cure human disease from obscure sources we rely on the huge diversity that the planet offers us for survival.

The only problem with this reliance on nature’s diversity of life (known as biodiversity) is that we are losing so much of it at a rate of up to 200-2,000 species every year. Natural extinction just occurs through survival of the fittest, but the rate that we are currently losing species is up to 1,000 and 10,000 faster than what the planet’s natural extinction rate is. This is cause for problem. We will never stop relying on the planet for resources, but at the same time this reliance will cause our planet’s eventual destruction. The planet is now relying on us for survival.

Conservation of species and ecosystems is becoming a crucial part of how we manage land. Especially in Australia, where the species and ecosystems have been hit the hardest by not only human impacts, but also global climate change. Australia has one of the highest levels of species loss in the world. Our biodiversity has been dealt blow after blow , we have lost over 75% of our rain forests in the last year and as much as 35% of all species lost in globally have been from Australia .

So how can we fix this? How can we maintain our biodiversity at the stage that is at? How do we prevent even more extinction from occurring?

The answer to all those questions isn’t simple, but we can start with conserving and protecting what remaining species and ecosystems that we have. There isn’t any stock standard solution that we can all use that will apply to every species and every solution. The Earth’s biodiversity means just that, every species that needs to be conserved has to be done so on a case by case basis. Therefore, drawing awareness to the dire state of our biodiversity and the ongoing plight of those striving to protect and conserve it is crucial.

Conservation is SO important. But so is awareness.  

Why I Care

I’ve always been asked about the reasons I fell into environmentalism. It’s a topic that’s been really personal to me over the time I've studied as a student scientist but also as an activist. For the past 20 years I’ve called Australia home. I’ve seen Australia by foot, by car, by plane, and by boat, and every single time I’ve visited a new place I’ve been overwhelmed by the natural beauty that I’ve found there. For that reason, I’m an environmental activist as well as a scientist determined on preserving this beautiful country for the future.

I remember the first time I went on an overnight camp to trap and tag animals in one of the many temperate woodlands located in south Western Australia. It was a moment I’ll always hold close as one of the heralding beacons leading me to fall into my career path and own personal interests.

My breath was fogging in the cool air of the morning and we were walking up and down trap lines, checking each and every trap to see if we had caught any animals overnight that we could tag and collect data for. One of the traps held a precious surprise, a ring tailed possum with a joey in her pouch. Ringtail possums, in case you weren't aware, are classed as an endangered species in the state of Western Australia. A baby was such great news for this population that was struggling to survive after extensive habitat destruction and the threat of feral predators and human impacts. The smell of eucalyptus forests in the morning mixed with wet earth, and the pure joy following an exhausting night of setting up traps to be rewarded with such a fantastic result. The efforts we were putting into saving the population had finally paid off, it wasn't just good news – it was great news. I was seeing the same coin from both sides; I could see the progress in front of my own eyes, but at the same time, I could see that there was still so much more work to do to do.

It was a call to do more, to be more. I now work with two conservation organisations as a volunteer and an advocate for conservation in Australia as well as working towards a degree in environmental science. It’s more than just fighting to save animals and plants, it’s about getting the word out there about the beautiful diversity and uniqueness of the country that I live in.