Conservation in Australia is an issue of state and federal policy. Australia is one of the most biologically diverse countries in the world, with a large portion of species endemic to Australia. Preserving this wealth of biodiversity is important for future generations. 25% of Australia is managed for conservation.

Animal habitats like reefs and forests must be preserved in order to preserve the population and diversity of animal species. Conservation is vital for future study and for field research to be taken, and because biological richness is an unmeasurable aesthetic that may be developed into commercial recreational attractions.

According to Janine Benyus, the potential for advances in biomimicry in Australia is great because the extreme weather and conditions found here provide an excellent evolutionary incubator. Research on natural processes can only occur if the habitat is preserved and organisms continue to thrive.

thumb|right|320px|Rainforests such as the [[Daintree Rainforest|Daintree have immeasurable value.]]

Federal and State governments manage protected areas and national parks; a number of non-governmental organizations are also involved in conservation.

Conservation issues

A key conservation issue is the preservation of biodiversity, especially by protecting the remaining rainforests. The destruction of habitat by human activities, including land clearing, remains the major cause of biodiversity loss in Australia. The importance of the Australian rainforests to the conservation movement is very high. Australia is the only western country to have large areas of rainforest intact. Forests provide timber, drugs, and food and should be managed to maximize the possible uses. Currently, there are a number of environmental movements and campaigners advocating for action on saving the environment, one such campaign is the Big Switch.

Land management issues including clearance of native vegetation, reafforestation of once-cleared areas, control of exotic weeds and pests, expansion of dryland salinity, and changed fire regimes. Intensification of resource use in sectors such as forestry, fisheries, and agriculture are widely reported to contribute to biodiversity loss in Australia. Habitat fragmentation is one of the most important factors affecting the persistence of species. These programs have damaged the marine ecosystem. Queensland's "shark control" program has been called "outdated, cruel and ineffective". In 2018, the Humane Society International filed a lawsuit against the government of Queensland to stop shark culling in the Great Barrier Reef. There are only 46 mature individual trees remaining in the wild. Protected marine zones have been created in many areas to preserve marine biodiversity; as of 2002 they cover about 7% () of Australia's marine jurisdiction. In Australia forest cover is around 17% of the total land area, equivalent to 134,005,100 hectares (ha) of forest in 2020, up from 133,882,200 hectares (ha) in 1990. In 2020, naturally regenerating forest covered 131,614,800 hectares (ha) and planted forest covered 2,390,300 hectares (ha). Of the naturally regenerating forest 0% was reported to be primary forest (consisting of native tree species with no clearly visible indications of human activity) and around 18% of the forest area was found within protected areas. For the year 2015, 67% of the forest area was reported to be under public ownership, 32% private ownership and 1% with ownership listed as other or unknown.

thumb|right|250 px|Hopetoun Falls and other unique wilderness areas are protected within reserves and parks.

Protected areas of include those managed by the federal Department of the Environment and Energy, and national parks and other protected areas managed by the states, Agencies responsible for protected areas include:

  • Director of National Parks
  • Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
  • New South Wales Department of Environment and Climate Change
  • Parks Victoria
  • Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service
  • Department of Environment and Water (South Australia)
  • Department of Environment and Conservation (Western Australia)
  • Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service
  • Chief Minister's Department (Australian Capital Territory)
  • Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory

Threatened species

Conservation organisations

A number of governmental and non-governmental organisations work in the conservation and restoration of the Australian environment.

  • Australian Conservation Foundation
  • Australian Koala Foundation
  • Australian Marine Conservation Society
  • Australian Native Plants Society
  • Australian Rainforest Conservation Society
  • Australian Wildlife Society
  • Australian Wildlife Conservancy
  • Banksia Environmental Foundation
  • BirdLife Australia
  • Bush Heritage Australia
  • Capricorn Conservation Council
  • Capricorn Coast Landcare Group
  • Clean Up Australia
  • Conservation Volunteers Australia
  • Environment Tasmania
  • Emu Park Bushcare Group
  • Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife
  • Green Corps
  • Greening Australia
  • Gladstone Conservation Council
  • Invertebrates Australia
  • Landcare Australia
  • Land for Wildlife
  • Lockyer Uplands Catchments
  • National Parks Australia Council
  • Natural Heritage Trust Australia
  • Nature Conservation Council of NSW
  • Nature Foundation
  • North Brisbane Catchments
  • NSW Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service
  • OzFish Unlimited
  • Planet Ark
  • Queensland Conservation Council
  • Queensland Trust for Nature (see Avoid Island)
  • Queensland Water & Land Carers
  • Rainforest Rescue
  • Sustainable Population Australia
  • Sydney Metropolitan Wildlife Service
  • Wilderness Society
  • Trees for Life
  • Trust for Nature (Victoria)
  • Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland
  • Wildlife Warriors
  • World Wide Fund for Nature#WWF-Australia

See also

  • Environmental movement in Australia

References

  • State of the Environment reporting