Articles on Endangered

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October 13, 2016

Why we should bother saving Britain’s only venomous snake

Anita Malhotra, Bangor University

We should be worried about the adder – but not because it's dangerous.

Despite ongoing conflict in the DRC, the number of endangered mountain gorillas in the Virunga National Park has increased. Shutterstock

July 6, 2016

Conservation efforts can’t afford to shy away from high-risk conflict zones

Edd Hammill, Utah State University; Ayesha Tulloch, Australian National University; Hugh Possingham, The University of Queensland; Kerrie Wilson, The University of Queensland, and Niels Strange, University of Copenhagen

For the survival of iconic species in Africa, it is crucial that conservation efforts do not ignore conflict zones.

DNA analysis reveals that there are three populations of Antarctic blue whales. Paula Olson, courtesy of IWC

March 8, 2016

Antarctica’s blue whales are split into three distinct populations

Catherine R. M. Attard, Flinders University; Luciana Möller, Flinders University, and Luciano Beheregaray, Flinders University

Antarctica's blue whales all feed in the same place. But a new genetic analysis suggests they are actually three separate populations that breed in different parts of the globe.

Fragments of woodland surrounded by cleared land in south west Australia. Google Earth

January 6, 2016

Unique Australian wildlife risks vanishing as ecosystems suffer death by a thousand cuts

Ayesha Tulloch, Australian National University; James Watson, The University of Queensland; Jeremy Ringma, The University of Queensland; Megan Barnes, The University of Queensland, and Richard Fuller, The University of Queensland

Australia may have reputation for vast areas of wilderness, but in reality the continent's ecosystems have been chopped and diced. Now we need to protect what's left.

Feral cats are thought to be responsible for the decline of many Australian species. Melissa Jensen

July 23, 2015

The war on feral cats will need many different weapons

Katherine Moseby, University of Adelaide and John Read, University of Adelaide

Feral cats are highly adaptable and highly variable, hence we must continue to search for their Achilles Heel and invest in a wide range of control methods.

The Bramble Cay melomys - the latest in a long line of extinct Australian mammals. Queensland Government

January 14, 2015

Another Australian animal slips away to extinction

Milena Kim, James Cook University and Bob Pressey, James Cook University

Last July, the federal environment minister, Greg Hunt, announced the appointment of Gregory Andrews as Australia’s first Threatened Species Commissioner. His mission: to help avert the extinction of a…

July 31, 2014

Fussy pandas maintain a balanced diet of bamboo

University of Sydney

Pandas migrate long distances in order to maintain nutritionally balanced diets of bamboo. Researchers from the University…

May 15, 2014

Newly discovered Indian dancing frogs at risk

Ceylon Journal of Science

Some 14 new species of dancing frogs have been found in the mountains of India, but researchers say changing habitats puts…

February 3, 2014

Breeding technique to slow marsupial extinction

University of Newcastle

An innovative breeding technique could help bring Australia’s endangered kangaroos and wallabies back from the brink of extinction…

*Leopardus tigrinus* can be found in Eastern Amazonia or the dry semi-arid Caatinga. Project Wild Cats of Brazil

November 27, 2013

One becomes two: genes show Brazilian wild cat is two species

Shireen Chan, The Conversation

A new species of wild cat in central and north-eastern Brazil has been confirmed, according to a study published today in…

Captive bred Tasmanian devils have recently been reintroduced to Tasmania. But do we want daring or docile devils in the wild? AAP

November 24, 2013

Personality matters: when saving animals, fortune favours the bold

William Feeney, Australian National University

Reintroduction programs are key initiatives for re-establishing or re-stocking animal populations, and while some are successful, many, unfortunately, are not. Endangered and critically endangered animals…

August 23, 2013

Endangered turtles swallowing twice as much plastic

University of Queensland, CSIRO

Green and Leatherback turtles are swallowing plastic at twice the rate they were 25 years ago. The research conducted by…

The US Endangered Species Act controversially lets ordinary citizens propose endangered species: would it work in Australia? Doug Beckers

September 26, 2012

Trust the public: citizens can help save endangered species

Eric Biber, University of California, Berkeley and Berry Brosi, Emory University

The US Endangered Species Act, which became law in 1973, was one of the first major pieces of national legislation for the protection of biodiversity. It is still one of the most stringent. It has also…

Only 5% of the world’s plants, and 1% of invertebrates have been assessed under IUCN guidelines. Tim√

July 11, 2012

Silent declines: recognising unlisted ‘endangered’ species

Craig Costion, James Cook University and Andrew Lowe, University of Adelaide

If an entire forest falls and its occupants approach extinction, does anybody hear it? Since for the vast majority of species, the answer is most likely no, we decided to be proactive and recently published…

September 30, 2011

List of critically endangered Australian birds swells

Sunanda Creagh, The Conversation

A new report on Australian birds has added four more species to the critically endangered list and found that a total of…

August 11, 2011

The rat race: pitting native rats against introduced vermin

University of Sydney

A new trial starting this week will take place in 16 bushland locations in NSW with the aim of reintroducing a native rat…

An adult female Borneo Rainbow Toad, also referred to as Sambas Stream Toad (Ansonia latidisca); approximately 51 mm in length has been photographed for the first time. © Indraneil Das/http://www.conservation.org/newsroom/pressreleases/Pages/Lost_mphibian_Stages_Amazing_Reappearing_Act.aspx

July 15, 2011

Rainbow toad reappears after 87 years

Sunanda Creagh, The Conversation

A ‘rainbow toad’ not seen in 87 years has been spotted in the forests of Borneo and photographed for the very first time…

Monitor lizard (Varanus macraei), Papua New Guinea. Found on the tiny islands off the Vogelkop (Bird’s Head) Peninsula of Papua in Indonesia and capable of reaching a metre in length. WWF/Lutz Obelgonner

June 27, 2011

River shark and blue goanna among 1000 new species discovered in New Guinea

Sunanda Creagh, The Conversation

A giant river shark, rainbow fish and a lurid blue monitor lizard are among the 1,060 new species discovered in the relatively…

Top contributors

Ayesha Tulloch
Research Fellow, Australian National University
Hugh Possingham
Professor, The University of Queensland
Christopher Johnson
Professor of Wildlife Conservation and ARC Australian Professorial Fellow, University of Tasmania
Megan Barnes
Postdoctoral fellow, Decision Science, The University of Queensland
Andrew Lowe
Director of Food Innovation, University of Adelaide
Craig Costion
Post Doctoral Research Fellow, James Cook University
Eric Biber
Professor of Law, University of California, Berkeley
Berry Brosi
Associate Professor of Environmental Sciences, Emory University
Bob Pressey
Professor and Program Leader, Conservation Planning, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University
Gerry Ryan
PhD Student, University of Melbourne
Hamish Campbell
Senior lecturer, Charles Darwin University
Milena Kim
Research officer, Environmental Policy, James Cook University
William Feeney
Fulbright Postdoctoral Fellow, The University of Queensland
James Watson
Associate Professor, The University of Queensland
Tatiane Campos Trigo
Department of Genetics, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul