Helping Australian Wildlife
We often find ourselves referring to Australia as a place of rich flora and fauna, that has an incredible abundance and diversity of species found no where else in the world.
And that it is.
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It is also a place that has over 1,900 threatened animals and ecological communities under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).
"Threatened" flora and fauna, means that is has a risk of becoming extinct in the future.
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Australia's flora and fauna are significantly affected by 3 pressures:
Habitat loss
- Habitat destruction caused by clearing of land for development and industry.
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- Habitat fragmentation (the habitat becomes broken up).
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Immediate Impact:
- Direct mortality
- Animals lose their food, shelter and nesting sources.
Short-term Impact:
- Competition for resources in surrounding areas, often leads to starvation.
- Predation as animals are displaced and exposed.
- Low survival rate from stress endured.
Long-term Impact:
- Isolated populations, in-breeding and reduced genetic diversity.
- "Edge Effect" to remaining vegetation, poor quality habitat.
- Wildlife collision (hit by car) as animals spend time wandering the streets looking for a new home.
- Local or isolated extinctions.​
Invasive species
- Introduction of plant and animal species, and diseases.
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Native species can not evolve overnight to survive and live with invasive species.
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Immediate Impact:
- Direct mortality to native species from predation from cats and foxes.
- Habitat degradation in the form of vegetation loss, over-grazing and soil erosion from herbivore species such as rabbits, pigs, goats and camels. ​​​
- Spread of new diseases.
Short-term Impacts:
- Ecological change caused by the domination of invasive weeds. They can alter fire regimes resulting in more intense and frequent fires.
- Loss of biodiversity caused by invasive animals, like introduced fish and the cane toad.
Long-term Impacts:
- Extinction of small to medium sized mammals. Cats (both domestic and feral) are estimated to kill 2.1 billion native animals every year!​
- Irreversible changes to ecosystems being dominated by non-native species.
- Economic loss, it costs billions of dollars to combat invasive plants and animals.
Affects of climate change
- Climate change is a driver in species decline in form of an increase in the frequency of extreme weather events.
Immediate Impact:
- Extreme bushfires
- Extreme heat waves
- Severe droughts
- Extreme flooding events
- Marine heatwaves and coral bleaching
Short-term Impact:
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Cresswell ID, Janke T, Johnston EL (2021). Overview: Biodiversity. In: Australia State of the environment 2021, Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, Canberra,
https://soe.dcceew.gov.au/overview/environment/biodiversity, DOI: 10.26194/f1rh-7r05, ISBN: 978-0-646-86427-3
Climate Change - need to add to hover.
Short-Term Impacts (2030s)
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Rising Temperatures: Days over 35°C are projected to increase by 20–70% by 2030, with higher frequencies in cities like Sydney and Melbourne.
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Decreased Water Security: Southern Australia is experiencing a consistent decline in cool-season rainfall (a 9–16% decrease in some regions since the 1970s/90s), reducing water availability.
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Agricultural Disruption: Climate-related disasters are predicted to reduce agricultural output, increasing food prices and tightening water supplies, particularly in the Murray-Darling Basin.
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Energy Grid Strain: Extreme heat is stretching energy infrastructure, risking supply reliability during high-demand periods.
CSIRO +4
3. Long-Term Impacts (2050s and Beyond)
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Sea Level Rise & Coastal Erosion: Sea levels are projected to rise around 0.5m by 2090. By 2050, 1.5 million people could be at risk from coastal inundation, with 3 million at risk by 2090.
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"50°C" Days: Under high-emissions scenarios, major cities like Sydney and Melbourne could experience regular 50°C summer days.
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Economic Cost: The cost of disaster recovery is projected to rise to over $40 billion annually by 2050.
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Biodiversity Loss: Up to 70% of native plant species could face conditions outside their current range, risking total ecosystem collapse, especially for alpine and mangrove habitats.
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Economic Migration: Rising heat, uninsurable property, and food/water insecurity may force population shifts away from the most exposed areas.
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This section will explain the above photo in more detail