mass coral bleaching is just one example of a far broader problem.
Although it represents a rapid and extensive example of ecosystem
degradation, coral bleaching is not surprising: it is consistent with
many changes that are occurring now across Australia’s natural
bleaching has been seen on 93% of the reefs that make up the Great
XL Caitlin Seaview Survey
iconic trees – including the world’s tallest flowering plant,
and the most widely distributed eucalypt, the River
Red Gum –
are among the hardest hit.
stark example is the floodplain forests of the Murray-Darling Basin.
Reduced rainfall and water extraction for human needs have deprived
River Red Gums of the flooding integral to their existence. The
consequence is that 79%
of forests on the Murray River have dieback.
Tree graveyards are a common sight.
the back of historic declines (primarily due to land
of species declined
substantially as the drought took hold. The assumption, or perhaps
hope, was that these declines were part of a natural cycle, and that
the drought’s end would bring a return to normal. This
did not happen.
aren’t as many galahs as there were before the Millennium
image from www.shutterstock.com
result is that our bird communities have dramatically
as little as two decades. As we enter another period of drying, there
is grave concern about the future of southern Australia’s birds.
do Australians value?
are just a few examples of massive ecosystem degradation. Sadly,
there are many more. The battle for Australia’s biodiversity can
still be won, but this requires decisive action on climate change and
serious investment over many election cycles.
budget allocation for the federal Department of the Environment is
shrinking and is now less than 0.5% of the government’s spending.
It is hard not to draw comparisons with the recent announcement that
Australia will spend A$50
billion on submarines.
contrast, avoiding extinctions of Australian birds would cost around
A$10 million per year —
a cost we are, at the moment, unwilling to meet.
tell me what you value; show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what
May 3, Australia’s government will present its 2016 budget and,
with an election looming, we will also soon learn about the
opposition’s spending commitments. The coming months will expose
how major parties value Australia’s environment, and the election
to follow will measure the degree to which Australians accept it.