Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the variety of all life forms: the different plants, animals and micro-organisms, the genes they contain and the ecosystems they form.
Successive State governments have failed to prevent the decline of biodiversity in WA. The State of the Environment Report WA 2007 lists 379 threatened plants species, 204 threatened animal species and 66 threatened ecological communities. Furthermore these numbers are increasing. 2010 was declared by the United Nations as Year of Biodiversity but no additional funding was provided to further biodiversity protection.
WA is home to some of the most extraordinary and unique biodiversity on earth. Our rich biodiversity can be attributed to the State’s size, spanning across a range of geographical, soil and climatic conditions. There is ongoing loss and degradation of biodiversity in WA. The south west corner of WA, from Jurien Bay to Israelite Bay, is one of the world’s 25 biodiversity hot spots. A biodiversity hot spot demonstrates the uniqueness of the ecosystems within that area, the level of threat the area is under and the biodiversity that has already been lost.
Giz has long advocated for a Biodiversity Conservation Act for WA. She has raised concerns about native vegetation clearing and the translocation of endangered species from Barrow Island. She also lobbied for the protection of the habitat of black cockatoos and questioned the consequences of reduced funding for the eradication of introduced pests, such as the European wasp, the European House borer and the Asian honey bees.
Have your say on the draft referral guidelines for three species of Western Australian black cockatoosreleased by the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. The guidelines are open for public comment until 19 August 2011. Comments can be sent to speciespolicy@environment.gov.au. These guidelines apply to the endangered Carnaby’s cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus latirostris), the vulnerable Baudin’s cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus baudinii) and the vulnerable forest red-tailed black cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus banksii naso) , anywhere they may occur in Western Australia. These species are listed as threatened or vulnerable under national environment legislation the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).
Interesting Links:
- Biodiversity Conservation in Western Australia
Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Rehabilitation Centre - February 2012
- 2007 State of the Environment Report – Biodiversity
- Australia’s Biodiversity Conservation Strategy 2010-2030
- Greens comments on Australia’s Biodiversity Conservation Strategy 2010-2030
- Greens WA – Biodiversity Policy
Join our Too Precious To Lose Campaign and Save our Cockatoos
