My grandson Callum picked up on the plight of the Tasmanian devils when he was in primary school. At the time, there was nationwide concern that this fascinating creature would become extinct because of the rapid spread of facial cancer tumours throughout their population.
This has occurred because devils have enormous sharp teeth and their eating, play and courtship rituals involve a lot of biting, creating ideal conditions for the spread of the deadly disease. This has driven their population to the brink of extinction.
The Tasmanian devil population was initially decimated by farmers in the 19th century who hunted them down. At that time, it was thought that these wild creatures were responsible for the death of lambs. But if the farmers had paused just briefly, to observe the eating habits of these native animals, they would have realised, like jackals, they only feed on carrion. A devil can smell a dead animal from five kilometres away.
At the age of 10, Callum took up the Tasmanian devil's cause and raised hundreds of dollars at his school to support the Devil's Ark protection and breeding program. This excellent facility is located in the remotest and highest corner of the Barrington Mountains, which form the northern edge of the Hunter Valley. Here, a cool alpine climate emulates the conditions in Tasmania.
In early August, Callum and I started at 5am on a boy's own adventure to this remote site. There had been recent heavy rains in the mountains, and the roads are in a shocking condition. Several times, we had to detour because of deep, fast running water over the road. We finally made it to the start of the 10am tour with 10 minutes to spare.
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The site has been renamed Aussie Ark because the sanctuary now protects other species. It sits on an original grant of 400 hectares, leased by the Packer family for 50 years at $1pa. This land which sits above the snow line up to 1300 metres elevation, has recently been augmented by the addition of state forest land, leased from the government.
Now four endangered species, Tasmanian devils, bandicoots, eastern quolls, and the brush-tailed rock-wallabies are enclosed. High fencing keeps out predators, such as feral domestic cats and the red fox. Rangers are also carrying out an extensive breeding program to ensure that these species do not become extinct.
The federal government recognised the possible extinction of our endangered wildlife 20 years ago when it passed the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (1999), the centrepiece of Australia's environmental legislation. It provides a legal framework to protect and manage Australia's nationally and internationally outstanding flora and fauna ecological communities, defined as being of national environmental significance.
It is said that Australia has some of the best policies of any government in the world but has a poor record when it comes to implementation. This is a pity in this case, as Australia is a biodiversity hotspot with 80 per cent of our plant and animal species found nowhere else in the world. But 10 per cent of global animal extinction has occurred here and continues to escalate.
The demise of our unique marsupials is now the most rapid of any nation in the world. This is genuinely shocking. Our federal environmental policies have had inferior outcomes with the protection of our unique fauna. How did it come to this, and what strategies are now in place to turn the tide?
In January 2018, Dr Sally Box was appointed as Australia's first Threatened Species Commissioner, tasked with implementing a strategy including practical conservation action to recover our most threatened plants and animals. The new Threatened Mammal Index will help determine where Australia needs to focus our efforts.
However, 40 per cent of our listed threatened species, have no recovery plans. The need for urgent conservation action has dramatically escalated over the past year. Nearly three billion animals were killed or displaced by Australia's recent devastating bushfires, with experts calling it "one of the worst wildlife disasters in modern history".
The federal government's response has been to set up an inquiry by a wildlife and threatened species bushfire recovery expert panel. But will the recent flurry in bureaucratic activity lead to any action on the ground to save the 1800 plant and animal species that are now listed as threatened?
Australia is spending only 15 per cent of what is needed to avoid extinction and recover its threatened species. What will it take to make the government act and provide the budget and programs necessary to head off this ecological disaster?
Perhaps the complete demise of our now critically endangered koala population?
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