<
https://theconversation.com/native-birds-have-vanished-across-the-continent-since-colonisation-now-we-know-just-how-much-weve-lost-176239>
"In the 250 years since Europeans colonised Australia, native birdlife has
disappeared across the continent. Our new research has, for the first time,
registered just how much Australia has actually lost – and our findings are
astonishingly sad.
We focused on 72 species of birds faced with extinction today, including the
Kangaroo Island glossy black cockatoo, regent honeyeater, and night parrot. We
found 530 million hectares, or 69%, of Australia, has lost at least one bird
species. In some parts of the country, we’ve lost up to 17 birds.
Land clearing, along with threats such as cat predation, have driven ten birds
to disappear from over 99% of their historical habitat. Indeed, we show the
last 250 years has seen more than 100 million hectares of now-threatened bird
habitat cleared on mainland Australia – that’s 15% of Australia’s landmass.
For many of the species we examined, their remaining habitats occur in patches
surrounded by farmland, towns and cities. To give birds and other animals a
chance at survival, we need effective national leadership not only to protect
existing habitats, but also to restore lost habitat and manage future habitat
under climate change."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
