Call for stronger nature laws to protect Australian wildlife
- by: IFAW Australia
We are lucky to live in such an incredible country, with vast deserts, ancient rainforests and spectacular reefs and mountains. We are lucky to share this land with so many unique animals and birds, many of which are found nowhere else on earth, like koalas, kangaroos and kookaburras.
But, we are at risk of losing all of this. Australia has the world's worst mammal extinction rate. We are facing an extinction crisis. Weak national nature laws have failed time and time again to protect our unique animals and the places we share and call home.
We cannot continue along the same 'business as usual' path. Global warming, deforestation and habitat destruction are driving our globally recognised wildlife, land, and seascapes to breaking point.
We need a radical overhaul if we are to save what we all love.
We need stronger laws that stop the destruction of native wildlife and the places we all call home and protect Australia's unique animals and landscapes for future generations.
We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to turn this around. We need to act now to ensure Australia's iconic animals and ancient lands are part of not just our future, but our children's and grandchildren's future.
That time is now. You have the power. If you love it, help save it. Speak up for stronger laws that stop nature destruction and an independent regulator to enforce them. Join the movement below.
Email Australia's Minister for the Environment and Water, the Hon Tanya Plibersek MP, today.
Ask her to fulfill her promise to reform our nature laws. Ensure they are strong enough and properly enforced to reverse the wildlife extinction crisis and save what we all love – before it's too late.
Thank you for putting environmental law reform at the top of your agenda.
This issue is very important to me. I cannot stand by and watch as the unique animals and places we love here in Australia are destroyed.
We need stronger environmental laws that genuinely protect and restore nature. They need to give our animals and the places we all call home a chance to not only survive, but thrive.
I implore you to do all that is in your power to implement reforms that are:
1. Effective. The new laws need to be strong and have the teeth to not only halt what is happening but turn things around, change the status quo and make things better.
2. Fair. They need to apply to everyone. For too long now, nature has drawn the short straw and always loses against the vested interests of big agribusiness, logging companies and developments. No person, company, or industry should be given a free pass. We all need to be accountable for looking after the land we are so lucky to call home.
3. Transparent and have integrity. Everybody must have a meaningful say in environmental decisions that affect them. There needs to be an independent National EPA that will monitor and enforce these laws.
4. Forward-looking. Nature needs help to survive and thrive into the future. The new laws need to take a precautionary approach, so they stand the test of time. We have a moral obligation to protect the air that we breathe, the water that we drink, not just for ourselves but for our children, our grandchildren, and our great grandchildren.
5. Funded – Strong nature laws need serious funding and resources allocated to support implementation and they need to be properly enforced if they are to be truly effective.
Australia has ambitious global environmental targets to reach, and we can only meet those obligations by creating and implementing strong national laws.
Your government has the opportunity to create real and meaningful change to the conservation and long-term protection of Australia's environment, it's unique heritage and biodiversity. I entrust you as Minister for the Environment and Water, and your government, to listen to the people of Australia and seize this critical opportunity. This is our last chance.
If you love it, save it. Please make it happen.
[Your comment here]
Sincerely,
[Your name here]
By signing, you accept Care2's Terms of Service.
You can unsub at any time here.
Having problems signing this? Let us know.