Australia to lose 45 animal species in 20 years

By IANS,

Sydney : Up to 45 native animal species in Western Australia will die within 20 years if no action is taken for their conservation, a study said Wednesday.


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Species such as the spotted tree monitor, golden bandicoot, scaly-tailed possum, monjon rock wallaby and the western chestnut mouse were in grave danger.

The study on the Kimberley region – titled “Priority Threat Management to Protect Kimberley Wildlife” – was released by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Xinhua reported.

The report said that at present, $20.2 million a year is spent on conservation efforts in Kimberley, home to many threatened species.

However, even if that money was spent properly, the region would still lose some 31 native animals, it said, calling for an immediate cash injection of $96 million to save the creatures from extinction.

“This investment is great value,” said Hugh Possingham, one of the six co-authors of the report. “We can save some of Australia’s most iconic mammals and birds at a cost of only about $1 million per species per year.”

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