Conservation groups have slammed the federal government’s nature strategy saying it includes a lack of action to ensure the survival of threatened species.
Dominica Sanda
Australian Associated Press JANUARY 21, 2018 7:45PM
Australia could soon have the worst mammal extinction rate in the world because of the federal government’s nature strategy, conservation groups warn.
The draft strategy for 2018-2030, reviewed by federal and state governments, has been slammed by conservation groups who claim it includes a lack of action to protect Australia’s biodiversity.
“This lack of any real action will all but guarantee Australia continues to have the worst mammal extinction rate on the planet,” Wilderness Society national nature campaign manager Suzanne Milthorpe said in a statement on Sunday.
The document supports a national approach to conserve nature and includes goals to reduce threats to protected areas and improve the conservation management of Australia’s landscapes and seascapes.
The strategy suggests imposing an action inventory to show how each government is tracking in reaching its targets but offers no other plan outlining how the goals will be reached.
The Places You Love alliance, which features several Australian conservation groups, said the plan was a global embarrassment which lacked measurable targets and concrete commitments.
“The government has served up simplistic and unmeasurable dot points that are an embarrassment on the global stage and fall far short of the international commitments to conserve biodiversity we have made at the United Nations,” Humane Society International Australia head of programs Evan Quartermain said.
Other groups feared the lack of action would result in dying wildlife, environmental destruction and greater threats to survival for Australia’s threatened species.
The draft document is open for public consultation until March 16.
https://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/conservation/strategy/draft-revision
