Australia

Tag: Australia

Restoring Australia’s Kangaroo Island Post-Wildfire

To recover and restore Kangaroo Island after last year’s devastating wildfires, Australian authorities are working to remove harmful, feral cats. Kangaroo Island, Australia’s third-largest island, provides refuge for a variety of threatened and endemic species. In the summer of 2020, Australia and Kangaroo Island were hit with large and deadly brushfires. A total of 210,000 […]

Written by on March 23, 2021

The Biodiversity Threat Facing Australia’s Wildlife

Biosecurity offers hope for Australia’s threatened wildlife. The recent UN IPBES report states that currently, one-eighth of the world’s species are at risk of extinction. This startling statistic equates to roughly one million species in total. This is the result of an array of factors including climate change and invasive species introduction. Unfortunately, there is no […]

Written by on May 31, 2019

Australia: A New Initiative to Save Native Wildlife

A new initiative introduced in Australia aims to reduce the pressures of feral and invasive animals on native wildlife. Australia has existed largely in isolation for thousands of years and contains a plethora of endemic species. In fact, 45% of its birds and 80% of mammals found in Australia are found nowhere else in the world. However, feral […]

Written by on May 17, 2019

13 Species Saved Thanks to Conservation Havens

To date, conservation havens in Australia have helped save 13 species from feral cats and invasive foxes. Conservation havens are saving Australia’s species. So much so, that 13 mammal extinctions have been prevented in Australia so far by using invasive-free areas. These havens are incredibly important considering Australia has the highest recorded rate of mammal […]

Written by on March 13, 2019

Australia’s Native Wildlife Struggles Against Invasive Species

The largest driver of native species loss in Australia is invasives, but innovative approaches might be able to help. Invasive species are one of the leading causes of extinction around the world. This could not be more true than in Australia where research published in the Pacific Conservation Biology journal in September suggested that the risk invasive species pose to native flora and fauna is […]

Written by on February 1, 2019

How a Wasp Might Save the Christmas Island Red Crab

Invasive crazy ants threaten Christmas Island Red Crab populations, but a certain species of wasp might be able to help. Christmas Island, a remote Australian territory in the Indian Ocean, is known for an abundance of Red Crabs, a species once recorded in numbers nearing 44 million. The Red Crab has captured the hearts of naturalists […]

Written by on January 24, 2019

Turning Back the Clock 400 years on Dirk Hartog Island

Conservationists are trying to turn Dirk Hartog Island, Australia back into the wildlife paradise it once was before European settlement. In 1616 Dutch Explorers landed on Dirk Hartog Island, but they were only the first wave of people to come to the island off the Northwest coast of Australia. With these waves of people also […]

Written by on October 19, 2018

Finn the Wonder Dog Retires to Santa Cruz

Finn the Wonder Dog has retired from his years of service as a conservation detection dog and is now living a life of luxury in Santa Cruz, California. Do you remember Finn the Wonder Dog? Finn is a trained detection dog that has helped Island Conservation and other conservation organizations confirm the successful removal of […]

Written by on August 29, 2018

Feral Cats Catching More Than Australia’s Native Birds

A new study finds invasive feral cats are hunting more than just Australia’s native birds but are also are having a dramatic impact on native reptile populations. In 2017, a study estimated 99.8% of Australia’s land mass had invasive feral cats present which creates a big problem for native birds. Now, researchers are realizing Australia’s […]

Written by on August 24, 2018

Australia’s Reptiles are at Risk of Extinction

Australian snake and lizard populations are declining according to a recent update to the IUCN Red List. Australia has lost more animals to extinction than any other country in the world. They are going through an extinction crisis that keeps worsening; researchers recently announced that seven percent of Australia’s reptiles are on the verge of […]

Written by on July 13, 2018