Extinction crisis for North Australia's mammals

Joint Media Release
Australian Wildlife Conservancy
14 May 2010

Australia is facing a new and potentially catastrophic wave of mammal extinctions. This is the finding of a high level meeting of scientists and land managers held last week in Darwin.

The workshop of over 40 leading experts found that there are major and ongoing regional extinctions of many native mammals in Northern Australia.

'The two day meeting was convened to discuss the latest research, as there have been a growing number of reports from scientists and local residents of declines in many native animals across Nrthern Australia,' said Dr. Sarah Legge of Australian Wildlife Conservancy, one of the scientists at the meeting.

'Some species have already disappeared from more than 90% of their past range across the North. Many formerly abundant animals such as the Northern Quoll, Golden Bandicoot and Bilby are declining, and doing so very rapidly. The declines are being reported from pastoral lands, indigenous lands, and national parks alike.'

'Northern Australia is the largest remaining tropical savanna on Earth. However, changes in land management have meant that many mammals in these savannas are now struggling to find enough food and shelter t survive. A range of factors, such as feral cats, unmanaged fire and over‐grazing are implicated in causing these declines.'

'The meeting unanimously agreed that decisive and immediate action across all land tenures is needed if we are to save species. This includes developing and implementing land management work plans as well as research plans to fill in priority knowledge gps.'

'In part we need to better understand the detail of what each native mammal needs to survive. However, we do know enough now to immediately assist and support landholders across Northern Australia to do the on‐ground management work needed ‐ work such as feral animal control and managing fire ‐ which we know will immediately assist these threatened species.'

'This is undoubtedly one of the major biodiversity conservation issues affecting Australia, which already has the worst rate of mammal extinctions in the world.

'It would be heartbreaking and internationally embarrassing if we were to stand aside and witness another wave of extinctions without making any effort to intervene. The only way to reduce the chance of extinctions in our iconic northern Australian mammals over the next decade is to take urgnt action now', finished Dr. Legge.