It is International threatened species day TODAY - and WE ALL need to care about it!
Why does it matter? Because the world is losing species to extinction at over 1000 times faster than the natural evolutionary rate - and with each loss a 'hole' occurs in the web of life - the fabric that makes up nature. As with a spiders web, too many holes and the whole web collapses. This 'web' supports US ALL - people are just one of its species - but we can't live happy and productive lives without the other species. Working together nature provides oxygen, clean water, food, shelter, medications etc. It gives a sense of peace and purpose. We are a part of nature. So we really do need to care. Our lives and the lives of our children, depend on it.
What about King Island? King Island has two known critically endangered bird species - the King Island Brown Thornbill and the King Island Scrubtit. Tw0 others migrate through - the Orange Bellied Parrot and the Swift Parrot. Two others are listed as vulnerable to extinction, the King Island Black Currawong and Green Rosella. Those are just there ones we know about. There are many other species that live here that we don't know about e.g. the Pygmy Possum, King Island Platypus and Potoroo and it is highly likely that several of these species are also endangered.
What can we do? The primary cause of species extinction is a loss of the places where species live. Every time we clear land of natural habitat we are reducing the area in which other species can live. Many die when the land is cleared, as there is nowhere else for them to live. All the other 'homes' are already full. So we need to:
- STOP clearing land, including shelter belts, along roadways and along waterways.
- support the scientists working to establish ways in which we (people) and nature can live together without harm to any of us. Here are just a couple of ways you can do that, but there are others you may prefer.
donate to Birdlife Australia's Preventing Extinctions program This program is already assisting King Island to help secure and find out more about our threatened species., so by donating to this you are directly supporting the work being done on King Island
donate to the Australian Conservation Foundation.
- Protect remnant patches of natural forest or scrub that you might own. Don't clear it.
- Talk to your friends and family about how you and they can help to preserve our wonderful island as a healthy, beautiful and happy place to live - and then DO IT.
- JOIN the King Island Natural Resource Management Group committee and directly help restore and care for our wonderful natural areas.
Our lives and the lives of our children, depend on it...
