Australia Has Committed To Zero Extinctions

Making extinctions extinct.

The Australian government has publicly committed to no more extinctions for at least the next ten years.

The government’s focusing their efforts on 110 priority species, ranging from the Carnaby’s Cockatoo, to the Australian Sealion and the Green Turtle.

Currently, the Australian sea lion is a threatened species (listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of #Nature or IUCN) with a population estimated at 10,000 – 12,000.#Tiredearth #Oceans pic.twitter.com/y6gr8KOhBi

— Debbie_banks (@Debbie_banks30) May 30, 2021

The announcement has come after the State of the Environment Report 2022 has shown that Australian extinction rates are amongst the worst in the world.

Since colonisation in 1788, 39 Australian mammal species have gone extinct, which accounts for 38 per cent of global mammal losses.

Australia’s also lost a great deal of plant species, and in 2022, foreign plants outnumber native ones.

“The need for action has never been greater,” Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said.

“I will not shy away from difficult problems or accept environmental decline and extinction as inevitable.”

There are around 2000 animal and plant species on the threatened species lists, with that number growing every year, including 15 new additions in 2022.

The new pledge is all part of the updated Threatened Species Action Plan, which has also committed to protecting 30 per cent of Australian land for the purposes of conservation.

"We have identified 20 priority places around the nation which are places we know are very rich with biodiversity and where we can make a really big impact on protecting biodiversity," Minister Plibersek said.

These new goals are really ambitious, especially considering Australia’s track record with animal conservation.

But, Minister Plibersek says that by setting an ambitious goal, they’re giving themselves the opportunity to do the most work possible.

"It is important to set this goal because it means we focus our efforts on protecting the animals, plants and landscapes that are particularly vulnerable."

The biggest threats to animals in Australia are largely man-made, primarily land clearing. Animal populations in the eastern states were also decimated by the black summer fires.

The government has taken a hard stance on extinction, and we’re hoping it will work.