Threatened Species Day is an salient reminder that growing numbers of precious species remain at risk because of human activity and a lack of action to deal with it. With Tasmania’s bird species under increasing risk from bird flu, now is the time to protect their habitat.
From the Maugean skate and Tasmanian devil to the Orange-bellied and swift parrots, many of Tasmania’s iconic animals are under threat and at increased risk. There’re more than 650 plants and animals currently listed as threated in Tasmania.
Major threats are being driven by state-sanctioned extractive industries, from salmon farming to native forest logging. The Liberal Government aren’t taking their responsibility to protect Tasmania’s species seriously.
Their Threatened Species Strategy is more than 25 years old, and the new draft has been criticised as woefully inadequate in a climate and biodiversity crisis. They’ve also slashed their funding for threatened species protection, including the Orange-belled parrot breeding program.
This Threatened Species Day, the fate of this state’s beautiful birds should be a particular focus for the government. As bird flu spreads across Tasmania, Tasmania’s threatened bird species are at greater risk than ever before, and government should act to deal with other threats.
The Greens have already called for hunting, dog-walking and four-wheel driving to be banned in reserves, and the requirement for dogs to be kept on leashes on beaches. Now’s the time to stop other threats to birds, like gillnetting, duck shooting, native forest logging and crop protection permits for high risk species like black swans.
