Search

Supervolcanoes: deadly for life, deadly for climate

A collaboration of Australian and Swedish scientists has found that current carbon dioxide (CO2) emission rates are 200 times that of even the most catastrophic ancient supervolcano event. Known as the ‘Great Dying’, that event about 252 million years ago wiped out at least 90% of the species on Earth, and 96% of marine animals. But not all supervolcanic events are linked to mass extinctions. Recent research led by Dr Qiang Jiang, then at Curtin University’s School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Australia, indicates that some past supervolcanic events involved a slower rate of release of CO2 or less CO2 overall, or both, and that this was unrelated to the size of the eruption. To investigate these ideas, Jiang and team looked at the two largest supervolcanic regions of the past 540 million years – approximately the time at which complex life forms emerged on Earth. The largest, the Ontang Java province, is now split into three pieces around New Zealand and the Solomon Islands, explains Dr Hugo Olierook, study co-author and Research Fellow of Geology at Curtin, with most of it underwater or inaccessible. So the team turned its attention to the second-largest volcanic province, known as the Kerguelen large volcanic province – a body of solidified lava that’s three times the size of France in the southern Indian Ocean. The researchers dated samples collected from Kerguelen using Argon-Argon dating, which indicated an age of around 120 million years. “The new age data revealed that the Kerguelen eruptions were, in fact, active right across the global oceanic anoxic event 120 million years ago,” says Professor Fred Jourdan, Director of the Western Australian Argon Isotope Facility at Curtin. “But while they may have rapidly degraded the environment for marine organisms, it did not lead to a deadly mass extinction.” Armed with powerful microscopes and lasers, the team then looked deep inside the basalt samples for tiny (10-micron diameter) frozen magma blobs known as inclusions and measured the pockets of volatiles – molecules that become gasses easily (water, CO2 and hydrogen sulphide, for instance) – released from the magma blob as it solidified and shrank. When compared to similar gas studies of supervolcanoes associated with mass-extinction events, Jiang and team found that the Kerguelen province emitted at least five times less CO2 and at a rate 30 times slower than volcanic eruptions that wiped out entire life forms. Out of the big five extinction events since animals arose, four have been attributable to supervolcanoes, which deplete oceans of oxygen and cause global climate change on time scales too small for evolutionary adaption of many land and marine animals. Earth does have mechanisms through which carbon is drawn down into oceans, rocks and soils, explains Olierook. “Shells incorporate carbon into their structure, and oceans themselves draw down carbon into ocean beds, but this happens on the order of a few hundreds of thousands of years.” When the rates of CO2 emissions far outpace the drawdown cycle – such as during CO2-rich supervolcanic events, then the balance is upset. So, why are some supervolcanoes rich in CO2? There are a few likely reasons. When hot magma rises to the surface, it can interact with the rock layers it cuts through. In the case of CO2-rich supervolcanoes, Olierook says that the magma has intruded through “organic rich sedimentary basins, heating them up and turning to a sort of peat and coal, the kind of material that easily becomes CO2”. In the case of the two largest supervolcanoes, they “sat in the middle of the ocean. So, there was no really big amount of organic-rich material there,” he says. There is also the possibility that the rising magma itself is carbon-rich – something Olierook hopes to research further in the future. Finally, the research team compared the current rates of CO2 emission with those during the supervolcanic events that resulted in catastrophic mass extinctions. “Alarmingly our calculations also show that we are now currently emitting carbon dioxide 200 times faster than those supervolcanic eruptions that caused the most severe mass extinctions,” says Olierook. While this sounds like bad news all around, it also contains a faint glimmer of hope. “If we’re able to slow down our CO2 emissions now, we will actually see the effects of slowing it down now,” says Olierook. “We are certainly not at the point of having the highest ever CO2 in our atmosphere, yet – there was far more CO2 in the atmosphere, say 100 million years ago. “So, if we can focus on slowing the rate of CO2 emissions down, we could get to a level where our planet can cope with the emitted CO2.” This article originally appeared on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/earth/supervolcanoes-deadly-life-and-climate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cosmosmagazine.com</a> and was written by Clare Kenyon. Image: Shutterstock

Travel Trouble

Activist arrested for planning party for Queen's Covid diagnosis

Extinction Rebellion activist Eric Serge Herbert has been arrested over allegedly organising an "anti-monarch street party" in honour of Queen Elizabeth's recent Covid-19 diagnosis. In a recent social media post, Eric called people to "rejoice by dancing" in Sydney's inner west suburb of Newtown this Saturday. He also added that anyone who attended could "imagine the corpse of the oppressors being mangled beneath our feet." The Facebook event page for the party said, "It’s about time we overthrow the queen and the rule of the monarch." "We need sound systems, lots of glitter, tools to dig up the road, tires of barricades, fire and rage." Her Majesty tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday, and is reportedly experiencing mild cold-like symptoms. Her positive diagnosis comes one week after her eldest son Prince Charles tested positive for a second time since March 2020. According to the Daily Mail, defence lawyer Mark Davis argued that the party was a joke and that the 23-year-old was not actually planning to go ahead with the bash. Police have alleged that in planning the party, Herbert breached the bail conditions granted to him when he appealed a 12-month prison sentence for blockading coal trains in the Hunter region of New South Wales last year. Mr Davis relayed that his client denied breaching his bail and that the social media post was intended in jest. "I’ll put this bluntly because I think it needs to be – this is a comedic post, it’s an ironic post," he said. Magistrate Joy Boulos granted Herbert bail, agreeing he clearly did not intend to go to the party, but told him to stay away from social media. Image credits: Instagram

Legal

10 almost-extinct words you should start using right away

Embrangle Definition: To embroil, confuse, or entangle. Usage: Mother’s plants dangled, I got embrangled, and now I have two sprained ankles. Snollygoster Definition: A shrewd, selfish person, especially a politician. Usage: Next January, the local council voters might elect a snollygoster as a Mayor. Fubsy Definition: Chubby or squat. Usage: Despite my new year’s health resolutions, holiday leftovers kept me fubsy well into March. Recrement Definition: waste matter; scum. Usage: Sanitation workers were understandably cross when my medieval role-play group started dumping their recrement directly into the street. Skirr Definition: A whirring sound, as of the wings of birds in flight. Usage: We heard a mighty skirr overhead when the pigeons left their roost, followed by a plop, followed by an expletive. Frutescent Definition: Resembling or assuming the form of a shrub. Usage: A few weeks without a haircut and my poodle looks positively frutescent. Muliebrity Definition: The condition of being a woman; femininity. Usage: Frank was banned from the sorority due to his remarkable lack of muliebrity. Agrestic Definition: Rural; rustic. Usage: My grandfather had a very agrestic upbringing; his schoolteacher was a horse. Exuviate Definition: To shed; cast off. Usage: It becomes harder to exuviate a bad reputation after you’ve exuviated your pants in public. Skedaddle Definition: To leave a place suddenly. Usage: “Paris is so over,” the hipster bemoaned. “Let’s skedaddle to Amsterdam.” Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared in <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/culture/10-almost-extinct-words-you-should-start-using-right-away" target="_blank">Reader's Digest</a>.

Art

More than 200 Australian birds are now threatened with extinction – and climate change is the biggest danger

Up to 216 Australian birds are now threatened – compared with 195 a decade ago – and climate change is now the main driver pushing threatened birds closer to extinction, landmark new research has found. The <a href="https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/-/media/OEH/Corporate-Site/Documents/Animals-and-plants/Scientific-Committee/Determinations/Preliminaries/conservation-assessment-mukarrthippi-grasswren.pdf">Mukarrthippi grasswren</a> is now Australia’s most threatened bird, down to as few as two or three pairs. But 23 Australian birds became less threatened over the past decade, showing conservation actions can work. The findings are contained in a new <a href="https://ebooks.publish.csiro.au/content/action-plan-australian-birds-2020">action plan</a> released today. Last released in 2011, the action plan examines the extinction risk facing the almost 1,300 birds in Australia and its territories. We edited the book, written by more than 300 ornithologists. Without changes, many birds will continue to decline or be lost altogether. But when conservation action is well resourced and implemented, we can avoid these outcomes. <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434641/original/file-20211130-21-1i8g2ou.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="small bird perches on twig" /> Without change, threatened birds such as the southern emu wren, pictured, will be lost. Barry Baker <h2>The numbers tell the story</h2> The 216 Australian birds now at risk of extinction comprise: <ul> <li>23 critically endangered</li> <li>74 endangered</li> <li>87 vulnerable</li> <li>32 near-threatened.</li> </ul> This is up from 134 birds in 1990 and 195 a decade ago. We assessed the risk of extinction according to the <a href="https://portals.iucn.org/library/sites/library/files/documents/RL-2001-001-2nd.pdf">categories and criteria</a> set by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in its <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/assessment/red-list-index">Red List</a> of threatened species. As the below graph shows, the picture of bird decline in Australia is not pretty – especially when compared to the global trend. <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434586/original/file-20211129-22-xrs2e5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="" /> Authors supplied <h2>What went wrong?</h2> <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434618/original/file-20211130-24-11eplat.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" alt="two black birds nuzzling" /> Birds are easily harmed by changes in their ecosystems. Dean Ingwersen/BIRDLIFE AUSTRALIA Birds are easily harmed by changes in their ecosystems, including introduced species, habitat loss, disturbance to breeding sites and bushfires. Often, birds face danger on many fronts. The southeastern glossy black cockatoo, for example, faces no less than 20 threats. Introduced cats and foxes kill millions of birds <a href="https://www.nespthreatenedspecies.edu.au/media/eeufmpqx/112-the-impact-of-cats-in-australia-findings-factsheetweb.pdf">each year</a> and are considered a substantial extinction threat to 37 birds. Land clearing and overgrazing are a serious cause of declines for 55 birds, including the swift parrot and diamond firetail. And there is now strong evidence climate change is driving declines in many bird species. A good example is the Wet Tropics of far north Queensland. Monitoring at 1,970 sites over 17 years has <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.07.23.453540v1">shown</a> the local populations of most mid- and high-elevation species has declined exactly as climate models predicted. Birds such as the fernwren and golden bowerbird are being eliminated from lower, cooler elevations as temperatures rise. As a result, 17 upland rainforest birds are now listed as threatened – all due to climate change. The Black Summer <a href="https://www.awe.gov.au/sites/default/files/env/pages/ef3f5ebd-faec-4c0c-9ea9-b7dfd9446cb1/files/assessments-species-vulnerability-fire-impacts-14032020.pdf">bushfires</a> of 2019-20 – which were <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-020-00065-8">exacerbated</a> by climate change – contributed to the listing of 27 birds as threatened. We estimate that in just one day alone – January 6, 2020 – about half the population of all 16 bird species endemic or largely confined to Kangaroo Island were incinerated, including the tiny Kangaroo Island southern emu-wren. Some 91 birds are threatened by droughts and heatwaves. They include what’s thought to be Australia’s rarest bird, the Mukarrthippi grasswren of central west New South Wales, where just two or three pairs survive. Climate change is also pushing migratory shorebirds towards extinction. Of the 43 shorebirds that come to Australia after breeding in the Northern Hemisphere, 25 are now threatened. Coastal development in East Asia is contributing to the decline, destroying and degrading <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms14895">mudflat habitat</a> where the birds stop to rest and eat. But rising seas as a result of climate change are also <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rspb.2013.0325">consuming</a> mudflats on the birds’ migration route, and the climate in the birds’ Arctic breeding grounds is <a href="https://www.fullerlab.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Wauchope-et-al-2017.pdf">changing</a> faster than anywhere in the world. <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434625/original/file-20211130-17-1o8c7vz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="dead bird lies one charred ground" /> The Black Summer bushfires devastated some bird populations. James Ross/AAP <h2>The good news</h2> The research shows declines in extinction risk for 23 Australian bird species. The southern cassowary, for example, no longer meets the criteria for being threatened. Land clearing ceased after its rainforest habitat was placed on the World Heritage list in 1988 and the population is now stable. Other birds represent conservation success stories. For example, the prospects for the Norfolk Island green parrot, Albert’s lyrebird and bulloo grey grasswren improved after efforts to reduce threats and protect crucial habitat in conservation reserves. Intensive conservation efforts have also meant once-declining populations of several key species are now stabilising or increasing. They include the eastern hooded plover, Kangaroo Island glossy black-cockatoo and eastern bristlebird. And on Macquarie Island, efforts to <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/26198759.pdf">eradicate</a> rabbits and rodents has led to a spectacular recovery in seabird numbers. The extinction risk of nine seabirds is now lower as a result. There’s also been progress in reducing the bycatch of seabirds from fishing boats, although there is <a href="https://www.doc.govt.nz/globalassets/documents/conservation/marine-and-coastal/marine-conservation-services/reports/final-reports/antipodean-albatross-fisheries-overlap-2020.pdf">much work</a> still to do. <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434639/original/file-20211130-13-1suwehz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="lyrebird under leaves" /> The Albert’s lyrebird has been a conservation success. Barry Baker <h2>Managing threats</h2> The research also examined the impact of each threat to birds – from which we can measure progress in conservation action. For 136 species, we are alarmingly ignorant about how to reduce the threats – especially climate change. Some 63% of important threats are being managed to a very limited extent or not at all. And management is high quality for just 10% of “high impact” threats. For most threats, the major impediments to progress is technical – we don’t yet know what to do. But a lack of money also constrains progress on about half the threats. What’s more, there’s no effective monitoring of 30% of the threatened birds, and high-quality monitoring for only 27%. Nevertheless, much has been achieved since the last action plan in 2010. We hope the new plan, and the actions it recommends, will mean the next report in 2030 paints a more positive picture for Australian birds.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/172751/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/stephen-garnett-4565">Stephen Garnett</a>, Professor of Conservation and Sustainable Livelihoods, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/charles-darwin-university-1066">Charles Darwin University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/barry-baker-1295242">Barry Baker</a>, University associate, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-tasmania-888">University of Tasmania</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/more-than-200-australian-birds-are-now-threatened-with-extinction-and-climate-change-is-the-biggest-danger-172751">original article</a>. Image: Shuttershock

Family & Pets

Science gave this rare lizard a name – and it may already be headed for extinction

Bushfires are a threat to most animal species. But for one rare lizard living on a rocky island in the sky, a single blaze could wipe the species off the planet. The Kaputar rock skink (Egernia roomi) is thought to have have one of the smallest ranges of any reptile in New South Wales – at the summit of a single extinct volcano, Mount Kaputar. The existence of this mysterious skink was informally known for decades, and in August last year the species was finally <a href="https://journals.australianmuseum.net.au/sadlier-2019-rec-aust-mus-715-183197/">scientifically described</a>. But months later, it may already be headed for extinction. Late last year, bushfires are thought to have ripped through <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/bushfire-recovery/priority-animals">more than half</a> the Kaputar rock skink’s habitat. We don’t yet know what this means for its survival, but the outlook is not good. A very special skink The Kaputar rock skink is handsome lizard, typically around 10 centimetres in body length, with dark chocolate brown and grey scales and an orange belly. It’s found in the Nandewar Ranges near Narrabri. The ranges – weathered remnants of ancient volcanic eruptions between 21 and 17 million years ago – rise out of the surrounding plains in a series of breathtaking rock formations. The <a href="https://australianmuseum.net.au/blog/amri-news/kaputar-rock-skink/">Kaputar rock skink</a> lives on one of these outcrops, Mount Kaputar. It exists on a narrow band of rock at the summit, more than 1,300 metres above sea level. This high elevation areas is cooler than the surrounding plains, which suits this cool-adapted species perfectly. But the species’ tiny range means it’s highly vulnerable. When danger strikes, the Kaputar rock skink has nowhere to go. When the fires hit Bushfires tore through the Nandewar Ranges in October and November last year, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-29/giant-pink-slug-mount-kaputar-national-park-survived-bushfire/11911308">reportedly burning</a> more than 17,000 hectares of bush. More than half of Kaputar rock skink habitat is believed to have burned. The expert panel advising the federal government on bushfire recovery has named the skink as one of 119 severely-affected species needing urgent conservation intervention. But the species’ rugged, remote habitat, combined with COVID-19 restrictions, have delayed efforts to assess the extent of the damage. It’s likely that many Kaputar rock skinks died during the fires themselves, although we hope others survived by crawling deep into rock cracks. But after the fires, threats remain. Vegetation loss may make the skinks easy prey, and in a charred landscape, there may be little for the reptiles to eat. History tells us fires do affect high-elevation skinks. For example, fire is thought to have driven the rock-dwelling Guthega skink (Liopholis guthega) to become <a href="https://journalofherpetology.org/doi/abs/10.1670/13-194">locally extinct</a> at some sites on the Bogong High Plains in northeast Victoria. A mountain of threats Species restricted to a small area are vulnerable to any loss of habitat. And fire is not the only threat to the Kaputar rock skink. Climate change is a big concern. While many species respond to increasing temperatures by migrating uphill to cooler climes, that’s not possible for the skink, which is already precariously perched on a summit. Introduced goats may also be <a href="https://journals.australianmuseum.net.au/sadlier-2019-rec-aust-mus-715-183197/">taking a toll</a> as they trample through the rocky terrain. <a href="https://media.australianmuseum.net.au/media/dd/documents/1716_complete.f27b407.pdf">Evidence</a> suggests humans are also a disturbance to the Kaputar rock skink’s habitat. The reptiles live close to the edge of cliff lines that are readily accessible by walking tracks. Trampling of low vegetation has been observed at many sites, as have disturbed rocks – the latter possibly from people wanting to find and photograph the species. Where to now? Scientists know relatively little about the Kaputar rock skink. One thing we’re sure of, though, is that the species’ existence is threatened. Surveys are needed at known skink locations, as well as surrounding areas where it might lie undiscovered. Understanding where the species occurs and how it responds to fires, drought and other disturbances is critical to conservation efforts. Of course it’s the middle of winter now, so the skinks may not be very active on their cold mountain top. But my colleagues and I hope to travel to Mount Kaputar soon to survey the skink’s habitat and find out how the species fared. It’s just months since science officially <a href="https://twitter.com/skinks_iucn/status/1168266798757662720">welcomed</a> the Kaputar rock skink to the world. It’s far too early to say goodbye. Dane Trembath, an Australian Museum biologist with a focus on reptiles, contributed to this article. Written by Jodi Rowley. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-few-months-ago-science-gave-this-rare-lizard-a-name-and-it-may-already-be-headed-for-extinction-140356">The Conversation.</a>

Family & Pets

“On the brink of extinction”: The iconic Aussie animal set to vanish within 50 years

Australia’s beloved platypus is now feared to be on the “brink of extinction”. Researchers at the University of New South Wales say the number of platypuses in the wild could drop by 66 per cent by 2070 due to climate change and other environment threats. According to researchers, increasing temperatures across the country, the intense drought and land clearing are all contributing to the species’ decline. Director for UNSW’s Centre for Ecosystem Science, Richard Kingsford said the future for the animal was “grim”. “This is impacting their ability to survive during these extended dry periods and increased demand for water,” Mr Kingsford said in the journal article, Biological Conservation. “If we lost the platypus from Australian rivers, you would say, ‘What sort of government policies or care allow that to happen?’” The study’s lead author, Gilad Bino said the growing threat of climate change could hinder the platypus’s ability to repopulate, which in turn would result in “extinction”. “We are not monitoring what we assume to be a common species. And then we may wake up and realise it’s too late,” said Dr Bino. The platypus is currently listed as “near-threatened” under the IUCN Red List of threatened species but Dr Bino says the government needs to assess how much the animal is at risk. The Victorian Environment Department said they were working with the federal government over whether the platypus’ status needed to be changed to “threatened”.

Home & Garden

Australian bushfires could drive more than 700 animal species to extinction

The scale and speed of the current bushfire crisis has caught many people off-guard, including biodiversity scientists. People are scrambling to estimate the long-term effects. It is certain that many animal species will be pushed to the brink of extinction, but how many? One recent article suggested <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-season-in-hell-bushfires-push-at-least-20-threatened-species-closer-to-extinction-129533">20 to 100</a>, but this estimate mostly considers large, well-known species (especially mammals and birds). A far greater number of smaller creatures such as insects, snails and worms will also be imperilled. They make up the bulk of biodiversity and are the little rivets holding ecosystems together. But we have scant data on how many species of <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2020-01-08/insects-invertebrates-frogs-affected-by-bushfire/11843458">small creatures</a> have been wiped out in the fires, and detailed surveys comparing populations before and after the fires will not be forthcoming. So how can we come to grips with this silent catastrophe? Using the information that is available, I calculate that at least 700 animal species have had their populations decimated – and that’s only counting the insects. This may sound like an implausibly large figure, but the calculation is a simple one. I’ll explain it below, and show you how to make your own extinction estimate with only a few clicks of a calculator. Using insects to estimate true extinction numbers More than <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/science/abrs/publications/other/numbers-living-species/contents">three-quarters</a> of the known animal species on Earth are insects. To get a handle on the true extent of animal extinctions, insects are a good place to start. My estimate that 700 insect species are at critical risk involves <a href="https://conservationbytes.com/2011/07/26/predicting-marine-biodiversity/">extrapolating</a> from the information we have about the catastrophic effect of the fires on mammals. We can work this out using only two numbers: A, how many mammal species are being pushed towards extinction, and B, how many insect species there are for each mammal species. To get a “best case” estimate, I use the most conservative estimates for A and B below, but jot down your own numbers. How many mammals are critically affected? A <a href="https://time.com/5761083/australia-bushfires-biodiversity-plants-animals/">recent Time article</a> lists four mammal species that will be severely impacted: the long-footed potoroo, the greater glider, the Kangaroo Island dunnart, and the black-tailed dusky antechinus. The eventual number could be much greater (e.g the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jan/04/ecologists-warn-silent-death-australia-bushfires-endangered-species-extinction">Hastings River mouse</a>, the <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/12/fires-rage-across-australia-fears-grow-rare-species">silver-headed antechinus</a>), but let’s use this most optimistic (lowest) figure (A = 4). Make your own estimate of this number A. How many mammal species do you think would be pushed close to extinction by these bushfires? We can expect that for every mammal species that is severely affected there will be a huge number of insect species that suffer a similar fate. To estimate exactly how many, we need an idea of insect biodiversity, relative to mammals. How many insect species are out there, for each mammal species? The world has around <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/science/abrs/publications/other/numbers-living-species#downloads">1 million</a> named insect species, and around <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/science/abrs/publications/other/numbers-living-species#downloads">5,400 species</a> of land mammals. So there are at least 185 insect species for every single land mammal species (B = 185). If the current bushfires have burnt enough habitat to devastate 4 mammal species, they have probably taken out around 185 × 4 = 740 insect species in total. Along with many species of other invertebrates such as spiders, snails, and worms. <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/309629/original/file-20200113-103971-8f6187.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/309629/original/file-20200113-103971-8f6187.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="" /></a> There are hundreds of insect species for every mammal species. https://imgbin.com/ For your own value for B, use your preferred estimate for the number of insect species on earth and divide it by 5,400 (the number of land mammal species). One recent study suggests there are at least <a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology-science/science/far-fewer-species-animals-plants-5803977">5.5 million</a> species of insects, giving a value of B of around 1,000. But there is reason to suspect the real number could be <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-earths-biodiversity-could-be-much-greater-than-we-thought-61665">much greater</a>. How do our estimates compare? My “best case” values of A = 4 and B = 185 indicate at least 740 insect species alone are being imperilled by the bushfires. The total number of animal species impacted is obviously much bigger than insects alone. Feel free to perform your own calculations. Derive your values for A and B as above. Your estimate for the number of insect species at grave risk of extinction is simply A × B. Post your estimate and your values for A and B please (and how you got those numbers if you wish) in the Comments section and compare with others. We can then see what the wisdom of the crowd tells us about the likely number of affected species. Why simplistic models can still be very useful The above calculations are a hasty estimate of the magnitude of the current biodiversity crisis, done on the fly (figuratively and literally). Technically speaking, we are using mammals as <a href="https://conservationbytes.com/2011/07/26/predicting-marine-biodiversity/">surrogates</a> or <a href="https://methodsblog.com/2018/10/08/biodiversity-vascular-plants/">proxies</a> for insects. To improve these estimates in the near future, we can try to get more exact and realistic estimates of A and B. Additionally, the model itself is very simplistic and can be refined. For example, if the average insect is <a href="https://blog.csiro.au/the-impact-of-bushfires-on-australian-insects/">more susceptible</a> to fire than the average mammal, our extinction estimates need to be revised upwards. Also, there might be an unusually high (or low) ratio of insect species compared to mammal species in fire-affected regions. Our model assumes these areas have the global average – whatever that value is! And most obviously, we need to consider terrestrial life apart from insects – land snails, spiders, worms, and plants too – and add their numbers in our extinction tally. Nevertheless, even though we know this model gives a huge underestimate, we can still use it to get an absolute lower limit on the magnitude of the unfolding biodiversity crisis. This “best case” is still very sad. There is a strong argument that these unprecedented bushfires could cause one of biggest extinction events in the modern era. And these infernos will burn for a while longer yet.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/129773/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mike-lee-8293">Mike Lee</a>, Professor in Evolutionary Biology (jointly appointed with South Australian Museum), <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/flinders-university-972">Flinders University</a> This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-bushfires-could-drive-more-than-700-animal-species-to-extinction-check-the-numbers-for-yourself-129773">original article</a>.

Family & Pets

The result of Australia's extinct species is saddening and devastating

It’s well established that unsustainable human activity is <a href="https://wwf.panda.org/knowledge_hub/all_publications/living_planet_report_2018/">damaging the health of the planet</a>. The way we use Earth threatens our future and that of many animals and plants. <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-a-mass-extinction-and-are-we-in-one-now-122535">Species extinction</a> is an inevitable end point. It’s important that the loss of Australian nature be quantified accurately. To date, putting an exact figure on the number of extinct species has been challenging. But in the most comprehensive assessment of its kind, our <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S000632071930895X">research</a> has confirmed that 100 endemic Australian species living in 1788 are now validly listed as <a href="http://www.nespthreatenedspecies.edu.au/news/a-review-of-listed-extinctions-in-australia">extinct</a>. Alarmingly, this tally confirms that the number of extinct Australian species is much higher than previously thought. The most precise tally yet Counts of extinct Australian species vary. The federal government’s list of extinct <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicthreatenedlist.pl?wanted=flora">plants</a> and <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicthreatenedlist.pl?wanted=fauna">animals</a> totals 92. However 20 of these are subspecies, five are now known to still exist in Australia and seven survive overseas – reducing the figure to 60. An RMIT/ABC fact check <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-19/fact-check-does-australia-have-one-of-the-highest-extinction/6691026">puts the figure</a> at 46. The states and territories also hold their own extinction lists, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature keeps a global database, the <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org">Red List</a>. Our <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S000632071930895X">research</a> collated these separate listings. We excluded species that still exist overseas, such as the <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=24168">water tassel-fern</a>. We also excluded some species that, happily, have been rediscovered since being listed as <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-13/seed-bank-holds-the-forgotten-conservation/10610418">extinct</a>, or which are no longer recognised as valid species (such as the obscure snail <a href="https://bie.ala.org.au/search?sortField=&dir=desc&q=Fluvidona+dulvertonensis">Fluvidona dulvertonensis</a>). We concluded that exactly 100 plant and animal species are validly listed as having become extinct in the 230 years since Europeans colonised Australia: <ul> <li>38 plants, such as the <a href="https://bie.ala.org.au/species/http://id.biodiversity.org.au/name/apni/91897">magnificent spider-orchid</a></li> <li>1 seaweed species</li> <li>34 mammals including the <a href="https://australianmuseum.net.au/learn/australia-over-time/extinct-animals/the-thylacine/">thylacine</a> and pig-footed bandicoot</li> <li>10 invertebrates including a funnel-web spider, beetles and snails</li> <li>9 birds, such as the <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=723">paradise parrot</a></li> <li>4 frogs, including two species of the bizarre <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/phenomena/2013/03/15/resurrecting-the-extinct-frog-with-a-stomach-for-a-womb/">gastric-brooding frog</a> which used its stomach as a womb</li> <li>3 reptiles including the Christmas Island forest skink</li> <li>1 fish, the Pedder galaxias.</li> </ul> Our tally includes three species listed as extinct in the wild, with two of these still existing in captivity. The mammal toll represents 10% of the species present in 1788. This loss rate is far higher than for any other continent over this period. The 100 extinctions are drawn from formal lists. But many extinctions have not been officially registered. Other species disappeared before their existence was recorded. More have not been seen for decades, and are suspected lost by scientists or Indigenous groups who <a href="https://theconversation.com/eulogy-for-a-seastar-australias-first-recorded-marine-extinction-103225">knew them best</a>. We speculate that the actual tally of extinct Australian species since 1788 is likely to be about ten times greater than we derived from official lists. And biodiversity loss is more than extinctions alone. Many more Australian species have disappeared from all but a vestige of their former ranges, or persist in populations far smaller than in the past. <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/303097/original/file-20191122-74593-1qdj0uz.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="" /> The geographical spread of extinctions across Australia. Darker shading represents a higher extinction tally. Dating the losses Dating of extinctions is not straightforward. For a few Australian species, such as the Christmas Island forest skink, we know the <a href="https://theconversation.com/vale-gump-the-last-known-christmas-island-forest-skink-30252">day the last known individual died</a>. But many species disappeared without us realising at the time. Our estimation of extinction dates reveals a largely continuous rate of loss – averaging about four species per decade. Continuing this trend, in the past decade, <a href="https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/cobi.12852">three Australian species have become extinct</a> – the Christmas Island forest skink, Christmas Island pipistrelle and Bramble Cay melomys – and two others became extinct in the wild. <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/303096/original/file-20191122-74584-f59vt8.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="" /> Cumulative tally of Australian extinctions since 1788. The extinctions occurred over most of the continent. However 21 occurred only on islands smaller than Tasmania, which comprise less than 0.5% of Australia’s land mass. This trend, repeated around the world, is largely due to small population sizes and vulnerability to newly introduced predators. We must learn from the past The 100 recognised extinctions followed the loss of Indigenous land management, its replacement with entirely new land uses and new settlers introducing species with little regard to detrimental impacts. Introduced cats and foxes are implicated in most mammal extinctions; vegetation clearing and habitat degradation caused most plant extinctions. Disease caused the loss of frogs and the accidental introduction of an Asian snake caused the recent loss of three reptile species on Christmas Island. The causes have changed over time. Hunting contributed to several early extinctions, but not recent ones. In the last decade, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/534437a">climate change</a> contributed to the extinction of the Bramble Cay melomys, which lived only on one Queensland island. The prospects for some species are helped by legal protection, Australia’s fine national reserve system and threat management. But these gains are subverted by the legacy of previous habitat loss and fragmentation, and the ongoing damage caused by introduced species. Our own population increase is causing further habitat loss, and new threats such as climate change bring more frequent and intense droughts and bushfires. Environment laws have demonstrably <a href="https://theconversation.com/environment-laws-have-failed-to-tackle-the-extinction-emergency-heres-the-proof-122936">failed to stem the extinction crisis</a>. The national laws are now under review, and the <a href="https://theconversation.com/our-nature-laws-are-being-overhauled-here-are-7-things-we-must-fix-126021">federal government has indicated</a> protections may be wound back. But now is not the time to <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/epbc/about/review">weaken</a> environment laws further. The creation of modern Australia has come at a great cost to nature – we are not living well in this land. <hr /> The study on which this article is based was also co-authored by Andrew Burbidge, David Coates, Rod Fensham and Norm McKenzie.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/127611/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/john-woinarski-16660">John Woinarski</a>, Professor (conservation biology), <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/charles-darwin-university-1066">Charles Darwin University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/brett-murphy-11434">Brett Murphy</a>, Associate Professor / ARC Future Fellow, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/charles-darwin-university-1066">Charles Darwin University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/dale-nimmo-15432">Dale Nimmo</a>, Associate professor/ARC DECRA fellow, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/charles-sturt-university-849">Charles Sturt University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/michael-f-braby-511682">Michael F. Braby</a>, Associate Professor, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-national-university-877">Australian National University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/sarah-legge-413029">Sarah Legge</a>, Professor, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-national-university-877">Australian National University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/stephen-garnett-4565">Stephen Garnett</a>, Professor of Conservation and Sustainable Livelihoods, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/charles-darwin-university-1066">Charles Darwin University</a> This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/scientists-re-counted-australias-extinct-species-and-the-result-is-devastating-127611">original article</a>.

Family & Pets

What a mass extinction is and what it means for you

For more than 3.5 billion years, living organisms have thrived, multiplied and diversified to occupy every ecosystem on Earth. The flip side to this explosion of new species is that species extinctions have also always been part of the evolutionary life cycle. But these two processes are not always in step. When the loss of species rapidly outpaces the formation of new species, this balance can be tipped enough to elicit what are known as “mass extinction” events. A mass extinction is usually defined as a loss of about three quarters of all species in existence across the entire Earth over a “short” geological period of time. Given the vast amount of time since life first evolved on the planet, “short” is defined as anything less than 2.8 million years. Since at least the <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/215/4539/1501">Cambrian period</a> <a href="https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev.earth.33.092203.122654">that began</a> around 540 million years ago when the diversity of life <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/105/Supplement_1/11536">first exploded</a> into a vast array of forms, only five extinction events have definitively met these mass-extinction criteria. These so-called “Big Five” have become part of the scientific benchmark to determine whether human beings have today created the conditions for a sixth mass extinction. The Big Five These five mass extinctions have happened on average every 100 million years or so since the Cambrian, although there is no detectable pattern in their particular timing. Each event itself lasted between 50 thousand and 2.76 million years. The first mass extinction happened at the end of the Ordovician period about 443 million years ago and wiped out over 85% of all species. The Ordovician event <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/pala.12397">seems to have been the result</a> of two climate phenomena. First, a planetary-scale period of glaciation (a global-scale “ice age”), then a rapid warming period. The second mass extinction occurred during the Late Devonian period around 374 million years ago. This affected around 75% of all species, most of which were bottom-dwelling invertebrates in tropical seas at that time. This period in Earth’s past was characterised by high variation in sea levels, and rapidly alternating conditions of global cooling and warming. It was also the time when plants were starting to take over dry land, and there was a drop in global CO2 concentration; all this was accompanied by soil transformation and periods of low oxygen. The third and most devastating of the Big Five occurred at the end of the Permian period around 250 million years ago. This wiped out more than 95% of all species in existence at the time. Some of the suggested <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031018216306915">causes</a> include an asteroid impact that filled the air with pulverised particle, creating unfavourable climate conditions for many species. These could have blocked the sun and generated intense acid rains. Some other possible causes are still debated, such as massive volcanic activity in what is today Siberia, increasing ocean toxicity caused by an increase in atmospheric CO₂, or the spread of oxygen-poor water in the deep ocean. Fifty million years after the great Permian extinction, about <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/248289771_Triassic-Jurassic_boundary_events_Problems_progress_possibilities">80% of the world’s species</a> <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/292/5519/1148">again went extinct</a> during the Triassic event. This was <a href="https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783319680088">possibly caused</a> by some colossal geological activity in what is today the Atlantic Ocean that would have elevated atmospheric CO₂ concentrations, increased global temperatures, and acidified oceans. The last and probably most well-known of the mass-extinction events happened during the Cretaceous period, when an estimated 76% of all species went extinct, including the non-avian dinosaurs. The demise of the dinosaur super predators gave mammals a new opportunity to diversify and occupy new habitats, from which human beings eventually evolved. The <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/350/6256/76">most likely cause</a> of the Cretaceous mass extinction was an extraterrestrial impact in the Yucatán of modern-day Mexico, a massive volcanic eruption in the Deccan Province of modern-day west-central India, or both in combination.<img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/301159/original/file-20191111-178484-1e7unnm.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="" />Is today’s biodiversity crisis a sixth mass extinction? The Earth is currently experiencing an extinction crisis largely due to the exploitation of the planet by people. But whether this constitutes a sixth mass extinction depends on whether today’s extinction rate is greater than the “normal” or “background” rate that occurs between mass extinctions. This background rate indicates how fast species would be expected to disappear in absence of human endeavour, and it’s mostly measured using the fossil record to count how many species died out between mass extinction events. The most accepted background rate estimated from the fossil record gives an average lifespan of about one million years for a species, or one species extinction per million species-years. But this estimated rate is highly uncertain, ranging between 0.1 and 2.0 extinctions per million species-years. Whether we are now indeed in a sixth mass extinction depends to some extent on the true value of this rate. Otherwise, it’s difficult to compare Earth’s situation today with the past. In contrast to the the Big Five, today’s species losses are driven by a <a href="http://assets.press.princeton.edu/chapters/s5_8879.pdf">mix of direct and indirect human activities</a>, such as the destruction and fragmentation of habitats, direct exploitation like fishing and hunting, chemical pollution, invasive species, and human-caused global warming. If we use the same approach to estimate today’s extinctions per million species-years, we come up with a rate that is between <a href="https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/66/9/785/1753703">ten and 10,000 times higher than the background rate</a>. Even considering a conservative background rate of <a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/1/5/e1400253">two extinctions per million species-years</a>, the number of species that have gone extinct in the last century would have otherwise taken between 800 and 10,000 years to disappear if they were merely succumbing to the expected extinctions that happen at random. This alone supports the notion that the Earth is at least experiencing many more extinctions than expected from the background rate. It would <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nature11018">likely take several millions of years</a> of normal evolutionary diversification to “restore” the Earth’s species to what they were prior to human beings rapidly changing the planet. Among land vertebrates (species with an internal skeleton), <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/345/6195/401">322 species have been recorded going extinct</a> since the year 1500, or about 1.2 species going extinction every two years. If this doesn’t sound like much, it’s important to remember extinction is always preceded by a loss in population abundance and shrinking distributions. Based on the number of decreasing vertebrate species listed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/">Red List of Threatened Species</a>, 32% of all known species across all ecosystems and groups are decreasing in abundance and range. In fact, the Earth has lost about <a href="https://wwf.panda.org/knowledge_hub/all_publications/living_planet_index2/">60% of all vertebrate individuals since 1970</a>. Australia has one of the worst recent extinction records of any continent, with <a href="https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/9ca4/f10e7349b6618dfbbfeb118a0954ab0643b8.pdf">more than 100 species of vertebrates going extinct</a> since the first people arrived over 50 thousand years ago. And more than 300 animal and 1,000 plant species are <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/">now considered threatened with imminent extinction</a>. Although biologists are still debating how much the current extinction rate exceeds the background rate, even the most conservative estimates reveal an exceptionally rapid loss of biodiversity typical of a mass extinction event. In fact, <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12210-013-0258-9">some studies show</a> that the interacting conditions experienced today, such as accelerated <a href="http://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-35068-1">climate change</a>, changing atmospheric composition caused by human industry, and abnormal ecological stresses arising from human consumption of resources, define a perfect storm for extinctions. All these conditions together indicate that a sixth mass extinction is <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nature09678">already well under way</a>. <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/frederik-saltre-220925">Frédérik Saltré</a>, Research Fellow in Ecology & Associate Investigator for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/flinders-university-972">Flinders University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/corey-j-a-bradshaw-9183">Corey J. A. Bradshaw</a>, Matthew Flinders Fellow in Global Ecology and Models Theme Leader for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/flinders-university-972">Flinders University</a> This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-a-mass-extinction-and-are-we-in-one-now-122535">original article</a>.

Family & Pets

Kerri-Anne Kennerley’s controversial “speed bumps” comments generate official complaints

Comments made by Studio 10 host Kerri-Anne Kennerley have landed her in hot water, as official complaints have been lodged to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). In a statement to <a rel="noopener" href="https://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/kerri-anne-kennerley-comments-spark-official-complaints-022523135.html" target="_blank">Yahoo Lifestyle</a>, the media authority confirmed that complaints were made over Kennerley’s comments on the Extinction Rebellion protesters. Her comments suggested that protestors be used as “speed bumps” as well as being left in jail without food. “The ACMA has received four complaints regarding the comments made by Ms Kennerley regarding Extinction Rebellion protesters,” a spokesperson told Yahoo Lifestyle. The comments made by Kennerley were part of a panel discussion over the arrest of protesters who are disrupting traffic as part of the week long “Spring Rebellion” climate change protests. “Personally, I would leave them all super glued to wherever they do it,” Kennerley said, adding that emergency services should not be aiding the protesters. “No emergency services should help them, nobody should do anything, and you just put little witches hats around them, or use them as a speed bump.” Despite Sarah Harris, another Studio 10 co-host saying that Kennerley’s comments were going to get them into trouble, she did not hold back. “Put them in jail, forget to feed them,” Kennerley continued. “(Or) some of the aged care homes around Australia, that would really sort them out.” However, in a statement obtained by <a rel="noopener" href="https://junkee.com/kerri-anne-kennerley-climate-rebellion/224397" target="_blank">Junkee</a>, Channel 10 have stood by Kennerley’s comments, saying that they were “in jest”. “This morning on Studio 10 Kerri-Anne Kennerley made comments regarding climate protesters that were said in jest. Before the show concluded, Sarah Harris reiterated the tone of her remarks, affirming that Kerri-Anne wasn’t inciting violence. “Kerri-Anne confirmed that she was indeed speaking in hyperbole and her words were clearly a joke. There was no intent to cause offence. Over the past few days, Studio 10 has extensively addressed a range of opinions on this subject.” ACMA refers complaints to the broadcasters initially, and will only take action if after 60 days, no response has been issued from the broadcaster. ACMA can also move forward with complaints if they are not satisfied with the response.

“Use them as a speed bump”: Kerri-Anne Kennerley slams climate change protesters

Controversial Studio 10 host Kerri-Anne Kennerley has slammed climate change protesters and urged motorists should “use them as speed bumps”. She made the comments this morning on the show after a news story about arrests of Extinction Rebellion protesters who were disrupting traffic and services across the country as part of a week long “Spring Rebellion”. “Personally, I would leave them all super glued to wherever they do it,” she said. “The guy hanging from the Story Bridge. Why send emergency services? Leave him there until he gets himself out. No emergency services should help them, nobody should do anything, and you just put little witches hats around them, or use them as a speed bump.” Kennerley quickly realised she might have gone too far. “Oh, we’re going to get into trouble! Is that wrong?” She quickly added: “Put them in jail, forget to feed them. Some of the aged care homes around Australia, that would really sort them out.” Extinction Rebellion spokesman James Norman has condemned Kennerley’s comments, and spoke to <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/climate-change/use-them-as-a-speed-bump-kerrianne-kennerley-suggests-running-over-climate-change-protesters/news-story/6dcec4f260d9df8f2cf3f6f4542e8614" target="_blank">news.com.au</a> about their impact. “Kerri-Anne Kennerley really should think very carefully before making such statements about the impacts they could have. The motivation behind Extinction Rebellion is just to draw attention to the climate emergency, and we always seek to do so in a disruptive but strictly nonviolent manner.” Mr Norman added, “Respect for other people is at the centre of our ethos and principles, and I would hope other people, especially public commentators, would approach us with the same level of respect for common decency.” Kennerley’s comments come after Queensland Premier Annastacia Palazszuk has said “enough is enough” and that she wants protesters to be sent to jail. “Most people do the right thing, it’s just this group who need to be brought under control,” she said to <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/queensland-government/send-protesters-to-prison-premier-annastacia-palaszczuk/news-story/9e54a22619e9573f7ca314bf72c217ab" target="_blank">The Courier-Mail</a>.

News

Australia’s animal extinction crisis “inevitable” under current conservation laws

A Senate inquiry report recently released painted a grim picture for the native animals of the native Australian landscape. The report explained that the current approach to wildlife protection was “incapable” of stopping the spiralling rates of extinction and recommended a “complete overhaul” of legislation. Suzanne Milthrope, national nature campaign manager at the Wilderness Society, said that three native species have been wiped out in the last decade. “The evidence is clear — Australia is in an extinction crisis,” Ms Milthorpe said to <a href="https://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/conservation/australias-animal-extinction-crisis-worsening-and-inevitable-under-current-conservation-laws/news-story/7c19cb36c26de897c95477a07567f889">news.com.au</a>. “We’re number two in the world for species loss, and if we keep turning a blind eye to major threats to wildlife like deforestation, even iconic animals like the koala will go.” The World Wildlife Fund said that the equivalent of 14 football fields of habitat for koalas is bulldozed every day in NSW. WWF- Australia conservationist Stuart Blanch said that there are currently less than 20,000 koalas left in NSW and they are set to be extinct in the state by 2050. “Koalas will disappear from NSW unless the state increases legal protections of mature forests and woodlands,” Dr Blanch said. “It is a wakeup call for our east coast to appear alongside notorious forest destruction hot spots such as the Amazon, Congo Basin, Sumatra and Borneo,” WWF-Australia boss Dermot O’Gorman said. The Senate has called for an independent environmental protection authority with powers and funding to enforce compliance with laws. Ms Milthorpe agrees. “We welcome the recommendation for strong national environment laws that can actually stop the threats to wildlife and an independent watchdog with teeth to enforce them,” Ms Milthorpe said. “But we need more than recommendations. Positive action on the environment is showing up as a huge issue in both national polls and the recent NSW election. “What that tells us is neither party can be a credible candidate for government without having detailed, costed policies on how they’ll deal with major causes of extinction, like the legacy of 200 years of inappropriate deforestation and the worsening impacts of climate change.”

Domestic Travel

Death of an Aussie icon? Koalas facing extinction by 2050

The government should take immediate action to prevent koala extinction, the World Wildlife Fund has urged, as numbers of the iconic Aussie animal continue to drop. According to the WWF, koala populations have rapidly declined in New South Wales and Queensland due to excessive tree-clearing. “Australia is the only developed country home to an internationally-recognised ‘deforestation hotspot’,” said WWF’s International President Pavan Sukhdev. “The rate of tree clearing in Australia’s east is comparable to the destruction taking place in the Amazon and Borneo … The world is watching to see how Australia will respond to koalas being driven towards extinction due to excess tree clearing.” The <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/mar/05/global-deforestation-hotspot-3m-hectares-of-australian-forest-to-be-lost-in-15-years" target="_blank">Guardian</a> reported that Queensland clears more land every year than the rest of Australia combined together, with 395,000 hectares or more than 1,500 football fields worth of woodland being cleared in 2015-16 in the state. Meanwhile in NSW, only 9 per cent of the land is in a healthy or near-natural condition, according to Daisy Barham from the Nature Conservation Council of NSW. While there is no widely-accepted number of total populations, there is a consensus among experts and authorities that koala numbers are falling. A 2018 WWF report claimed that koala population has declined from 31,400 to 21,000 between 1990 and 2010. It projected that if current trends continue, koalas may be extinct by 2050. However, the Australian Koala Foundation said it is “<a rel="noopener" href="https://www.savethekoala.com/our-work/how-akf-and-government-got-their-numbers" target="_blank">practically impossible</a>” to get an accurate count in the wildlife. Richard Kingsford, a professor of environmental science at the University of NSW also told the <a href="https://www.thecourier.com.au/story/5963835/nationals-koala-numbers-laid-bare/?cs=7">AAP FactCheck</a> that the 2050 prediction is “blunt” and could not yet be determined. A <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.thecourier.com.au/story/5963835/nationals-koala-numbers-laid-bare/?cs=7" target="_blank">senate report</a> nevertheless confirmed that the numbers of koala had “undergone marked decline over three generations”. The WWF has offered to work with governments and communities to halt the koala decline. The issue on koala preservation has become a contentious topic ahead of the NSW election this Saturday as the candidates for the Coffs Harbour electorate debate the need for a Great Koala National Park in the area.

News

The popular girls name that could soon become extinct

Baby names are constantly going in and out of fashion, but new research has revealed a former popular name is on the verge of becoming extinct. According to a Quartz study, Heather is becoming a rare name all because of one iconic '80s movie. In 1975, Heather was among the top five most popular girls’ names in the US with over 24,000 babies being given the name. However, the name has decreased in popularity more than any other name that was formerly in the top 1000. In 2017, only 291 babies were named Heather. According to an investigation by Deadspin, the dislike of the name stems from the '80s film Heathers starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater. Unfortunately, the 1989 flick made the name “synonymous with all that is evil about cliquey high school girls”. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/v5gHF3FNr78" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> In the movie, all the mean girls shared the name Heather and it left a bitter taste in viewers’ mouths. Do you think the name Heather should make a comeback? Let us know in the comments below.

Family & Pets

One of our favourite animals could be facing extinction

It’s one of the most beautiful, majestic creatures on the planet, but if we don’t act soon, the tallest land animal on Earth may be heading for extinction. Giraffe numbers have plummeted in the last few decades, with populations <a href="http://www.iucnredlist.org/news/new-bird-species-and-giraffe-under-threat-iucn-red-list" target="_blank">falling by almost 40 per cent</a> from 160,000 in 1985 to 97,500 in 2015. In fact, the giraffe threat level was upgraded from “least concern” to “vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List, skipping the “near threatened” status altogether. The alert comes after decades of the animal being hunted for sport, poached for their tails, meat, and even for their skin and hair for use in jewellery. “These gentle giants have been overlooked,” Sir David Attenborough said in June last year. “It’s well-known that African elephants are in trouble and there are perhaps just under half a million left. But what no-one realised is there are far fewer giraffes, which have already become extinct in seven countries.” The crisis is yet another sad reminder of the world’s dire wildlife situation, with the current global extinction threat at its worst in around 65 million years. In fact, according to <a href="http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/all_publications/living_planet_index2/" target="_blank">the WWF</a>, the total number of vertebrate species has more than halved within the last 40-odd years.

Family & Pets

These formerly popular names may soon be extinct

If you’re a Michael, you might soon find that you share your name with no one under the age of 20. Despite being the most popular boy’s name for 43 out of 44 years in the 20th century, it faces extinction, with less than 14,000 new Michaels born in the US last year – the lowest since 1940. It’s believed the current trend of parents seeking unique names could be contributing to the decline. At its peak in the 1960s, 833,343 Michaels were born a year. By the 1990s, however, the name was kicked off the top spot by Jacob, and between 2010 and 2016, there were only 109,542 baby boys dubbed “Michael”. Unfortunately, it’s not the only classic name heading towards extinction. Earlier this year, website <a href="https://www.babycentre.co.uk/" target="_blank">BabyCentre</a> pulled data from three million UK mothers to create a list of 36 formerly popular names that had not yet been registered in 2017, and there’s more than a few which will be familiar to over-60s. <ol start="1"> <li>Angela</li> <li>Bertram</li> <li>Beverley</li> <li>Cecil</li> <li>Carol</li> <li>Clarence</li> <li>Clive</li> <li>Cyril</li> <li>Debra</li> <li>Diane</li> <li>Donna</li> <li>Dean</li> <li>Doris</li> <li>Dennis</li> <li>Derek</li> <li>Duncan</li> <li>Elaine</li> <li>Ernest</li> <li>Geoffrey</li> <li>Horace</li> <li>Joanne</li> <li>Leonard</li> <li>Maureen</li> <li>Malcolm</li> <li>Nigel</li> <li>Neville</li> <li>Paula</li> <li>Roy</li> <li>Sally</li> <li>Sandra</li> <li>Sharon</li> <li>Sheila</li> <li>Tracey</li> <li>Wendy</li> <li>Yvonne</li> <li>Wayne</li> </ol> Is your name on the list? Let us know in the comments below and tell us, will you be sad to see these names disappear? Or is it time for a new batch?

News

Bananas under threat of extinction

Bananas are one of the world’s five staple foods, with 100 million tonnes of bananas being produces annually in 120 countries. However, online journal <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgen.1005876" target="_blank">PLOS Genetics</a> reports that the threat of a new fungal disease could be putting our beloved banana in jeopardy. The Sigatoka complex – made up of fungal diseases yellow Sigatoka, eumusae leaf spot and black Sigatoka – could potentially wipe out the yellow fruit completely in ten years. Black Sigatoka poses the greatest risk in the complex, as it is capable of producing enzymes to break down the banana plant’s cell walls and shut down its immunity system. Fortunately, researchers at the University of California, who discovered the threat, say that the findings better equip researchers to develop disease-resistant banana plants and more effective disease-prevention treatments. How do you think the extinction of bananas would affect our lifestyle? Let us know in the comments below. Related links: <a href="/health/body/2016/07/pomegranate-could-slow-ageing/">This fruit could help slow down ageing</a> <a href="/health/body/2016/07/how-to-spot-hidden-sugars/">Experts reveal how to spot hidden sugars</a> <a href="/health/body/2016/07/foods-that-make-you-lose-weight/">Foods that make you lose weight</a>

News

Dogs could be banned in some Queensland suburbs due to koala extinction

Certain South East Queensland suburbs may be proposing a ban on dog ownership in a desperate bid to protect the region’s dwindling koala population. Both wild and domestic dogs pose a threat to one of our most beloved national animals, and a panel of koala experts spearheaded by Environment Minister Steven Miles are recommending a temporary ban on our four-legged friends in a last-ditch attempt to prevent extinction. “Protecting habitat is critical, but certainly in urban areas, we need certainly to manage dogs and cars much more effectively,” Associate Professor at the University of Queensland, Jonathan Rhodes, told the <a href="http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/dogs-could-be-banned-from-queensland-suburbs-as-koalas-face-extinction-20160706-gpznof.html" target="_blank">Brisbane Times</a>. “And that is one thing that hasn't worked in places like Pine Rivers and the Koala Coast (Redlands).” Rhodes and his fellow experts explain that urban development and all that comes with it – namely cars and domesticated dogs – is responsible for the decline in koala numbers. In fact, <a href="http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/calls-to-raise-koala-protection-to-endangered-20131111-2xci8.html" target="_blank">between 1997 and 2011</a>, almost 11,000 of the over 15,000 South East Queensland koalas were killed as a result of cars, dogs, and stress-related disease. Most of these deaths occurred in Redlands, Pine Rivers and Ipswich, where populations have dropped by up to 65 per cent. “The reality is this is crunch time for the koalas of the Koala Coast,” panel member Dr Alistair Melzer said. “The measures that have put in place to date – although extremely well-meant – just haven't worked.” Related links: <a href="/news/news/2016/06/baby-kola-rescued-after-storm/">Tiny baby koala rescued after storm is melting hearts</a> <a href="/travel/domestic-travel/2016/06/adorable-baby-koala-explores-world-for-first-time/">Adorable baby koala explores world for first time</a> <a href="/news/news/2016/04/koala-starts-physio-after-being-hit-by-a-car/">Peta the koala starts physio after being hit by a car</a>

News

The extinct baby names making a comeback

Some baby names have been so unpopular in recent years that they were assumed to be extinct. But for these 13, it appears a comeback is on the horizon. According to Nameberry, these 13 names are seeing a resurgence in the next generation. 1. Bonnie 2. Clementine 3. Cordelia 4. Emmet 5. Faye 6. Ford 7. Judson 8. Khalid 9. Leif 10. Rosalyn 11. Louisa 12. Thea 13. Stevie Related links: <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/family-pets/2015/11/interspecies-animal-friendships/">15 unlikely friendships that will melt your heart</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/family-pets/2015/12/christmas-miracle-save-sister/">A Christmas miracle saved my sister</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/family-pets/2015/12/life-lessons-from-grandparents/">Top 10 life lessons kids learn from grandparents</a>

News

Our Partners

Over 60

News

Shop

Catalogues

Newspaper

Contests

Entertainment

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Property

Compare

Games

Information

Keep up to date

Search

Supervolcanoes: deadly for life, deadly for climate

Activist arrested for planning party for Queen's Covid diagnosis

10 almost-extinct words you should start using right away

More than 200 Australian birds are now threatened with extinction – and climate change is the biggest danger

Science gave this rare lizard a name – and it may already be headed for extinction

“On the brink of extinction”: The iconic Aussie animal set to vanish within 50 years

Australian bushfires could drive more than 700 animal species to extinction

The result of Australia's extinct species is saddening and devastating

What a mass extinction is and what it means for you

Kerri-Anne Kennerley’s controversial “speed bumps” comments generate official complaints

“Use them as a speed bump”: Kerri-Anne Kennerley slams climate change protesters

Australia’s animal extinction crisis “inevitable” under current conservation laws

Death of an Aussie icon? Koalas facing extinction by 2050

The popular girls name that could soon become extinct

One of our favourite animals could be facing extinction