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Abstract
Australia's isolation from other continents over
millions of years led to the evolution of many
species that exist nowhere else, so called ‘endemic’
species. Of the ten megadiverse countries
in the world, we are the only one that is labelled
as ‘developed’ so have a global leadership role in
getting the balance right. However, European
settlement and the introduction of exotic species
animals and plants have perturbed ecosystems,
leading to changes in the distribution and abundance
of many species. Extinctions of species in
Australia now occur at 100–1000 times the ‘background’
rate. Land transformation—the clearing of
natural habitat for grazing, cropping and infrastructure—
has been a major driver of change and
species loss. Overgrazing of native pastures is a
particularly widespread problem, compounded by
a changing climate and a higher incidence of
drought in some areas. Drought also exacerbates
damage to wetlands, as river flows are reduced by
over-allocation of water to agriculture and other
uses. However, recent transformations in the
agriculture sector (e.g. water efficiency gains) and
government policy (e.g. land clearing legislation)
have halted the drivers of biodiversity loss.
Now, agriculture should not be seen as the problem,
but rather as the solution. The best chance
for many species is persistence in an agricultural
matrix, not the national parks system (which is
inadequately funded to meet its management
objectives). Significant progress can, for example,
be made through habitat restoration, wetland
creation and modifying grazing and fire management
practices, all of which have major benefits
through carbon sequestration. Biodiversity conservation
areas should be integrated with
agricultural land in ways that create almost win–
win situations—I think we can have biodiversity
and eat too. We need to prioritise ecosystems and
species for conservation, and allocate resources
accordingly. We also need to convince the conservation
movement that preservation is only part
of the solution—active and aggressive intervention
is another way of conserving biodiversity. This
will not be achieved easily without education of
the Australian people and encouraging their love
of the diversity of nature.