প্রকাশ: 19/07/2022
Australia has lost
more mammal species than any other continent and has one of the worst rates of
species decline among the world's richest countries, a five-yearly
environmental report card released by the government on Tuesday said.
Some animals such as the blue-tailed skink are now only
known to exist in captivity, while the central rock-rat and Christmas Island
flying fox are among mammals considered most at risk of extinction in the next
20 years, largely due to introduced predator species.
The sandalwood tree is also in decline.
The report, which comes after drought, bushfires and floods
ravaged Australia over the past five years, said increasing temperatures,
changing fire and rainfall trends, rising sea levels and ocean acidification
were all having significant impacts that would persist.
"The State of the Environment Report is a shocking
document - it tells a story of crisis and decline in Australia's
environment," Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said in a statement,
adding that the new Labor government would make the environment a priority.
"I won't be putting my head in the sand," she
said.
The number of species added to the list of threatened
species or in a higher category of threat grew 8% from the previous report in
2016 and would rise sharply as a result of the bushfires that hit in 2019-2020.
The "Black Summer" bushfires killed or displaced
an estimated 1 billion to 3 billion animals and razed 9% of koala habitat.
Spending of around A$1.7 billion ($1.2 billion) a year is
required to revive threatened species, the report said, adding that the
previous government's targeted spending for threatened species was A$49.6
million.
Australia's average land temperatures have increased by 1.4
degrees Centigrade since the early 20th century.
"Sea levels continue to rise faster than the global
average and threaten coastal communities," the report said.
Many of the country's most prized ecosystems, such as the
Great Barrier Reef which has been hit by mass coral bleaching, are threatened
by climate change and environmental extremes, the report said.
While coral reef health is declining due to marine
heatwaves, the report also highlighted the threat of ocean acidification,
caused by absorption of carbon dioxide from the air, which it said was nearing
a tipping point that would cause the decline of coral juveniles that are key to
reef recovery.
Scientists and environmental groups said the report was a
wake-up call for the new Labor government to step up carbon emissions
reductions to curb climate change, overhaul laws to protect habitat and invest
more money to protect species.
"There is no more time to waste," said Jim
Radford, a research fellow at La Trobe University.
- Reuters
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