According to the latest report,
more than 500 animal species, 1,300 plant species and 80 "ecological communities" – naturally occurring groups of native plants, animals and other organisms – are listed as nationally threatened in Australia.
The nation has one of the worst extinction crises in the world. That's saying a lot when, by latest estimates, over 1 million species are in danger of disappearing globally.
You would think, with numbers like that, that the Australian government would act fast and do everything they could to stem this
"national disgrace." But budget cuts in the environment department have delayed action. Sometimes taking up to
six years to list endangered habitats. This is unacceptable. When your house is on fire, you don't want the authorities to sit on their thumbs. You want action and you want it then and there because it's a matter of life and death. The same goes when conservationist ring the alarm about a plant, animal or ecosystem that is in danger of disappearing. The government must act fast and do everything they can to stave off a biological disaster. But in Australia that isn't happening.
Call on Australia to fix this problem now, increase their budget, declare a national emergency and create a separate department whose sole function is to protect endangered species. If the environmental policies in Australia are toothless, then humans will eat up the last chance the nation's plants and animals have at survival. Sign now.