More than 40 extinct species in the next 20 years is a very troubling thought. However, due to regional forest agreements failing in the time since they were established, that's exactly what could happen in Australia. The report, Abandoned - Australia's forest wildlife in crisis, has assessed the conservation status of federally listed forest-dwelling vertebrate fauna species affected by logging and associated roading and burning across Australia's regional forest agreement or RFA regions in New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and Western Australia.
Released by the Wilderness Society this week, the report identified 48 federally-listed threatened species of forest-dwelling vertebrate fauna living in areas subject to state-run logging operations. It also found that since the time the RFAs were signed, 11 forest vertebrate species had been raised to "endangered" or "critically endangered" categories, bringing the total to 24, and none had been lowered. Another 15 species were listed as threatened for the first time.
"The report calls on the next Australian government to commit to a policy that no more of Australia's unique wildlife species will be allowed to go extinct, and to ensure, backed by the necessary laws and resources, that this policy is fulfilled," said the Wilderness Society's national forest campaigner, Peter Roberston.
The agreements were negotiated as a way to balance the demands of the logging industry with environmental concerns, while removing the federal government from the logging operations assessment process, the report said, but in the past 20 years the threat to wildlife species has increased. Australia has the highest rate of mammal extinction in the world, and a Senate inquiry is examining why the laws are failing to arrest the trend. Fewer than 40 percent of Australia's threatened species have recovery plans in place to try to prevent extinction, and the federal environment department conceded it had no idea if those were even being implemented.
However, not everyone agrees with the findings of this report. In a statement, the federal environment minister, Melissa Price, rejected criticisms in the Wilderness Society report on threatened species, which she said were protected in RFA areas through conservation reserves.
"The suggestion that species are being pushed relentlessly and knowingly to extinction is both inflammatory and incorrect," said Price. "RFAs have played an important role in balancing the environmental, economic, cultural and social values of state native forests." she continued. "Renewed RFAs also include important new clauses focusing on environmental outcomes reporting, including reports on the status and trends of threatened species in RFA areas and the inclusion of new dispute resolution processes such as annual meetings and new audit provisions."
Whatever the case may be, deforestation has and always will pose a serious threat to wildlife. Strict regulation must be in place, and more importantly implemented accordingly, to ensure the longevity of every species on Earth.
