Australia's kangaroos and wallabies face extinction without urgent action
05 Sep 2008
Australia's macropods, kangaroo and wallaby species, will face extinction if urgent action is not taken to protect their habitat, warns WWF-Australia in the lead up to National Threatened Species Day.
National Threatened Species Day is held on September 7 each year to highlight the pressures faced by Australia's native animals and plants. September 7 is the day in 1936 when the last Tasmanian tiger died in captivity in Hobart Zoo.
With twenty per cent of Australia's animal and plant species now threatened, WWF is highlighting the plight of our beautiful threatened macropods - a unique group of marsupials including tree kangaroos, rat kangaroos, hare and rock wallabies. Of the 53 species that existed before European settlement, six are now extinct with more at risk if urgent action is not taken.
"While most people know of the red kangaroo and other common kangaroos, they are unlikely to be aware of their smaller relatives, which include the rock wallaby, hare wallaby and tree kangaroo," said Kat Miller, WWF's Threatened Species National Manager.
"These beautiful creatures are now threatened with extinction, facing dangers such as habitat loss, introduced cat and fox predators, altered fire regimes, and now climate change – both of which diminish their habitat range. With 23 of Australia's macropod species now under threat, we risk further extinctions if we don't act quickly to restore habitats and reduce invasive species."
"We're currently faced with a choice – we can either take action to save our precious macropods and similar threatened species, or we can choose to sit back and ignore the problem. If we choose the latter, we can be sure that Australia's macropod species will suffer the same fate as the Tasmanian tiger – which has been lost forever," Ms Miller said.
"Without urgent action we risk losing more of the 346 animal and 1,249 plant species that are listed as threatened under federal legislation. Australia has the worst record of mammal extinction in the world. Incredibly, with half the mammals that have become extinct globally in the last 200 years, have been Australian species. We cannot afford to let more of our unique Australian animals disappear forever."
WWF is calling on all Australians to help protect the nation's threatened species, like the brush-tailed rock wallaby and the bridled nail-tailed wallaby, by getting involved in threatened species conservation.
"People can assist by joining a conservation or community group and assisting with nature conservation activities such as tree planting and revegetation schemes," Ms Miller said said. "They can also ensure they keep domestic animals inside at night so they don't escape and become feral predators."
For more information
Helen Pitman, WWF-Australia Communications Manager, 0439 605 107
Kat Miller, WWF-Australia Threatened Species National Manager, 0429 203 675
