Australia Commits to Nation’s Most Ambitious Conservation Effort Ever

Australia promised to dedicate at least 30% of its land and $224.5 million to protecting its threatened and endangered species over the next 10 years. It’s the largest conservation effort in the country’s history.

The “Zero Extinctions” action plan names 110 Australian plants and animals for protection. It also names 20 habitats for preservation. And it assigns 124,000 acres of land for governmental oversight.

“These are the strongest targets we’ve ever seen.” That's according to a government expert. “I will not ... accept environmental decline and extinction as inevitable,” she said.

The plan also adds 15 new species to the endangered or threatened list.

Australia’s unique wildlife has been hard-hit in recent years. Climate change fueled wildfires in 2019 and 2020. They became known as “The Black Summer” fires. In total, they killed or displaced about 3 billion animals.

Experts know that their goals will be tough to achieve. According to a nature program manager, the plan is key "if future generations of Australians are to see animals like koalas” in the wild.