Wildlife Australia Magazine Wildlife Australia Summer 2021 Vorige editie

THIS EDITION of Wildlife Australia brings yet more confirmation of the great truism of wildlife conservation: start by leaving good habitat alone.
A decisive step in wildlife conservation did come out of the COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow. It was reported that 141 country signatories – including, of course, Australia – had agreed to halt and reverse deforestation by 2030, focusing on the great forests of Amazon and Borneo. It is a milestone agreement, if it can be lived up to.
The endorsing countries cover more than 90 percent of the world’s forests – about 3.7 billion hectares – and the agreement is bolstered by £14 billion (US$19.2 billion) in public and private funds for conservation. As significant are moves to rein in the major protagonist agricultural invaders of these great forests. Affected countries – 28 in total – agreed they would make sure their trade in key international commodities including palm oil, cocoa and soy is not a contributor to deforestation.
While that sounds like major progress – particularly for wildlife conservation – the six-point Glasgow Leaders Declaration on Forests and Land Use is not so clear cut, enthusiastic or binding in its detail, unfortunately.
So, the COP26 declarations may seem more conversation than conservation, to those working hard on the ground to protect habitat for Australia’s increasing list of threatened species.
In this edition, we focus on the delightful yellow-bellied gliders that just need their old-growth hollow trees and special eucalyptus leaf food supply left alone. But human development is encroaching – fast.
We also look at the immediate challenges facing sharks and rays, the regent honeyeaters under pressure in the Hunter Valley, the 26 most endangered frogs of Australia, some rare good news on the fascinating antechinus, plus a lot more. Australia’s biggest nature challenge imperative remains: habitat protection.