Fifteen new species, and three ecological communities, have been added to the critically endangered and endangered lists as the federal government outlines a pathway for species conservation and recovery.
Seven animal species were added, including the western beautiful firetail, parma wallaby and grey snake.
The 10-year plan prioritises 110 species and sets ambitious targets, which include preventing any new extinctions of plants and animals, and protecting and conserving at least 30 per cent of Australia’s land mass.
Conservationists say while it is encouraging to see action from the government, the fiscal amount outlined falls short of what is required to save endangered species.
“It’s good to see increased ambition for the environment, which is sorely needed … we’ve obviously had the scathing State of the Environment Report, which shows that the environment is in a very dire state and is continuing to get worse,” said Euan Ritchie, a professor in wildlife ecology and conservation at Deakin University.
“The disappointing thing is that this government is only committing about $225 million as part of this plan to conserving those species and places. That’s just a long way short of what’s required,” he said.
A study published by the University of Melbourne last year estimated that $1.7 billion per annum was required to recover threatened species.
The government says that the $224.5 million earmarked for the Saving Native Species program will need to be ratified in the upcoming budget, like all forward spending.
Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek said the government was setting “the strongest targets we’ve ever seen” to try to stop the extinction of Australia’s flora and fauna.
“Our current approach has not been working. If we keep doing what we’ve been doing, we’ll keep getting the same results,” she said.
Climate change and extreme weather events were identified in the State of the Environment Report as drivers of negative changes in Australia’s biodiversity.
The report warned that the country’s ecosystems and associated species would continue to change substantially in response to climate change.
Professor Ritchie said that meaningful action, not just words, was needed to tackle climate change and save species.
“We’ve seen the current government has only committed to 43 per cent emissions reductions target, which we know is a long way short of what we need to prevent climate change and keep it under 1.5 degrees of warming,” he said.
He said it was hypocritical of the federal government to lay the blame solely at the feet of the previous federal government for its poor environmental performance.
“That ignores the fact that in Queensland, Victoria and the ACT, there’s been widespread land clearing. And in Queensland and WA, they’ve been approving, or trying to approve, new coal and gas projects – and they’re Labor governments,” Professor Ritchie said.
“We need to see co-operation across all levels of government if we’re to see better environmental outcomes.”
Speaking on the ABC’s Radio National on Tuesday morning, Ms Plibersek said the government still planned to introduce new environmental laws next year but wouldn’t rule out opening new coal and gas projects.
“All of these projects are contemplated within our country’s trajectory towards zero-net emissions,” she said.
“All of these have to fit within our pathway to getting our carbon pollution down to zero by 2050. And that doesn’t mean that there’s no pollution; it means that businesses that can’t eliminate their pollution need to offset it. And we need a strong and credible way of offsetting pollution as well.”
Animals added to list of threatened species
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Western Beautiful Firetail – added as ENDANGERED
A small bird with a distinctive red ‘firetail’; the 2019 bushfires on Kangaroo Island resulted in a substantial decline in the population -
Malanda Rainbowfish – added as CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
Found in small rivers in the Atherton Tablelands of Qld, introduced species are leading to hybridisation (breeding with introduced species leading to this species dying out) -
Oxleyan Pygmy Perch – retained as ENDANGERED
A small brown or olive-coloured fish with a distinctive orange-rimmed tail. It is facing habitat loss and is confined to freshwater systems in the lowlands in northern NSW -
Parma Wallaby – added as VULNERABLE
A small rock wallaby endemic to NSW along the Great Dividing Range, it is threatened by fire and foxes due to reduced vegetation cover -
Grey Snake – added as ENDANGERED
The grey snake population is facing habitat loss and degradation by agricultural practices, invasive species and poisoning by cane toads -
Gravel-Downs Ctenotus – added as CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
A small lizard, it is found only in the Diamantina Lakes area in Qld and faces predation by feral pigs as well as fires and habitat loss -
Key’s Matchstick Grasshopper – added as ENDANGERED
A small, wingless grasshopper it is facing habitat loss and is sensitive to drought and frequent bushfires as it only breeds once a year. It cannot escape many threats because it is wingless.
Thirteen species of plants were added to the threatened species lists including the Headland Commersonia, Coastal Leek Orchid, and White Star Bush.
Three ecological communities were added including Mount Kaputar, Ben Halls Gap Sphagnum Moss Cool Temperate Rainforest; subtropical eucalypt floodplain forest and woodland of the NSW north coast, and south-east Queensland bioregions.
