TSN Community Grants Continue
15 Jun 2005
WWF-Australia has welcomed the announcement that Australia's Threatened Species Network (TSN) will continue to operate for the next three years.
WWF administers TSN, and is responsible for managing the TSN Community Grants Program. These community grants go towards supporting on-ground conservation efforts of nationally listed flora and fauna species and ecological communities. WWF has helped more than 270 projects receive grants around Australia and enabled thousands of people to start conserving their local threatened species.
Round eight of the Community Grants program is currently being assessed, with the successful applicants to be announced on National Threatened Species Day on 7th September 2005.
In the past these grants have funded programs such as the implementation of on-ground conservation efforts for threatened orchid species in South Australia, increasing the uptake of de-hooking and line cutting devices in the Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery in NSW and teaching West Australian community groups how to manage and contain the plant disease, Phytophthora dieback.
Many Australian species are now facing the serious threat of extinction. Last year 58 new plants and animals were added to the Threatened Species List (Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999). There are currently more than 1600 animals and plants facing the threat of extinction in Australia.
While some progress has been made, Australia is still falling far short of what it will take to avert the wave of extinctions into the foreseeable future and the official lists of threatened species will continue to grow. WWF estimates that up to 20% of Australia's half million or so plants and animals could be threatened with extinction as a result of the failure to deal with these threats in time. We must see a quantum leap in our nation's efforts to deal with key threats such as declining water quality and wetland health, weeds and pest animals, land-clearing, and climate change.
The Threatened Species Network (TSN) is a joint program of WWF-Australia with the Australian Government's Natural Heritage Trust.
For further information please contact:
WWF Communications Officer Virginia Dew (02) 82021290 or email- vdew@wwf.org.au
or WWF Communications Manager - Media Jacqueline McArthur (02) 9281 5515
or Mobile 0408626780
