Life in Australia: Endangered Species and Threatened Wildlife

Considering that the size of its land area makes it the smallest of the seven continents, few would expect that Australia would be as diverse in its animal life as it actually is. Australia contains nearly 10% of the world’s biodiversity, and this is not limited to mammals and reptiles alone but includes amphibians, fish, and insects as well. Most people are familiar the kangaroos and other marsupials that call Australia home, but not many also know that its population of marsupials is more diverse than any other place on earth. Additionally, the continent is home to more than a million unique species, making it the sole habitat for countless animals. Importantly, 80% of the species of mammals found on Australia are unique to the continent, and only 96 of its 869 resident species of reptiles are found outside of Australia.

Unfortunately, Australia also holds the distinction of being the continent with the highest number of extinct species in the world, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. This rank is unlikely to be surrendered anytime soon, as the 427 threatened or endangered species of animals in Australia also make it the continent with the greatest number of declining animal populations on the earth. There are many reasons for this status, including human activities that are changing the landscape of the continent and, consequently, altering the habitat of many of these threatened or endangered species of wildlife.

Currently, it is estimated that 20% of the animal population in Australia is at risk for extinction on account of habitat destruction, feral domesticated animals, climate change, invasive weeds, and other dangers. Particularly harmful has been the massive use of chemicals. Pesticides and industrial byproducts that make their way into the water have poisoned countless numbers of animals that live in or depend on rivers, streams, and the ocean. Other forms of pollution besides chemicals are also a significant problem, and the dynamism of this pollution in the varying levels of pollutants and their distribution is endangering many plants and animals. Only a more vigilant approach to preventing pollution and lessening human impact on the environment will give these endangered animals and plants any chance of survival.

For more information on endangered species in Australia and why they are threatened, please consult the following:

• Australian Endangered Animals: This page gives an overview of the different endangered animals on the Australian continent.
• Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act: Here users can find both a list of threatened and endangered species that includes the common names for the animals and the dates on which they became endangered.
• Endangered: Fact sheets for each endangered, critically-endangered, and extinct species in Australia are accessible via this link.
• Australian Species and Climate: Climate change has had a drastic effect on endangered mammals, as this site reveals.
• Red List: This link takes users to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources’ Red List of the threatened and endangered species in Australia.
• Threatened Species: On this page there are fact sheets on threatened invertebrates and vertebrates.
• Mammals: This page includes a list of endangered mammal species and their names that are more commonly known to lay people.
• Critically Endangered: Australia’s endangered birds and their common names are listed here.
• Threatened Species: There is a lot of good information on this site about endangered, critically-endangered, and threatened species and their distribution, ecology, and conservation status.
• All Species: Threatened aquatic species are the subject of this page.
• Bird Species: Users will be able to better identify endangered bird species in the Chiltern, Victoria region of Australia when they view this resource.
• Vertebrate Fauna: Victoria, Australia has a large number of endangered vertebrate animals, as this page indicates.
• Australian Aviaries: This page provides the conservation status of several threatened native bird species in Australia.
• Western Australia: This good resource on the Shark Bay World Heritage Area contains detailed fact sheets on all the plant and animal species in that area.
• Non-marine Invertebrates: Australia’s Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act of 1988 protects these 46 threatened invertebrates on the continent.
• Endangered Marsupials: Issues contributing to the decline and endangerment on marsupial populations in Australia are covered here.

Additional information on animal species and on what causes them to become endangered

• Causes of Endangerment: There are many factors that are associated with endangerment, as this page explains.
• Why Species Become Endangered: This is an important resource from a mammalogist that looks at why species become endangered and threatened.
• Birds and Mammals: Here is a resource full of statistics of vulnerable and endangered mammals and birds in Australia.
• Causes of Extinction: The possible reasons for extinction of animals are outlined on this significant page.

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