Survey respondents overwhelmingly prioritised saving a human life – even if that person had been repeatedly told to evacuate and even if, as a consequence, a snail or shrub species became extinct.
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Articles on Species extinctions
Displaying 1 - 20 of 26 articles
We found three previously unknown species of mulgaras hiding in museum collections – but all three have been driven to extinction since European colonisation of Australia.
Our research shows the world is not on track to achieve any of the Sustainable Development Goals. But with decisive action, we can still achieve a fairer, more sustainable and prosperous future.
The Australian government has at last produced a serious plan to control an introduced predator that is a big reason this country has one of the world’s worst records for species extinctions.
The successful quest to find a species last seen more than 50 years ago has added to the urgency of protecting the vanishing grassland habitat of a lizard that had been feared extinct.
Woylies bred in wildlife havens were smaller and less flighty than their counterparts in the wild. This could jeopardise the success of repopulation programs.
The species at risk include flowering plants, moss and lichens, tough invertebrates and breeding seabirds.
A new paper explores how a carefully controlled fuel reduction burn killed 17 critically endangered western ringtail possums.
The sheer number of Chinese-funded dams pose a substantial risk to biodiversity. And yet, environmental regulation of these projects has serious flaws.
Tackling this global problem requires an international effort – particularly by rich nations where the demand for exotic pets is increasing.
The new paper also found some mammals are suffering due to a lack of fire.
Roughly 90% of species on Earth are believed to be undiscovered. Whether researchers will be able to identify them before they go extinct is unclear.
Nine mammals in Northern Australia are at risk of extinction in the next two decades – and we know little about this home-grown crisis.
Sharks have been around for more than 400 million years — but not all sharks are equally resilient to changes around them. Why do some groups thrive, while others dwindle?
While the prospect of reviving extinct species has long been discussed, advances in genome editing have now brought such dreams close to reality.
Researchers found 16% of coral species have not been seen for many years. This finding is alarming, because local extinctions suggest global extinctions may be looming.
Recent flooding may have reduced the remaining coral population by 90%. Combined with damage from fishing, boating and coastal development, the species may be gone in a decade.
Research into fox scents suggests a complex form of ‘chemical communication’ underlies the animal’s behaviour. The findings could help improve pest control methods and protect native wildlife.
The Earth has experienced five periods of mass extinction. Scientists can’t quite be certain yet, but they’re fairly sure we’re now well into the sixth.
Realising the silence of outer space was what made us appreciate our precarious position down on this pale blue dot – so beginning our obsession with extinction.
Top contributors
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Professor of Conservation Biology, Charles Darwin University
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Jaana Dielenberg is a Friend of The Conversation.
University Fellow, Charles Darwin University
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Professor of Wildlife Ecology, Australian National University
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Adjunct Asssociate Professor, James Cook University
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Professor of Conservation and Sustainable Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University
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Associate Professor in Quantitative Ecology, The University of Melbourne
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Professor in Ecology, Charles Sturt University
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Associate Professor of Environmental Engineering, RMIT University
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Adjunct Associate Professor, Molecular and Life Sciences and ARC Centre for Mine Site Restoration., Curtin University
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Adjunct assistant professor, Southern Cross University
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Principal research scientist, CSIRO
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Australian Research Council Industry Laureate Fellow, University of Adelaide
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Matthew Flinders Professor of Global Ecology and Models Theme Leader for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Flinders University
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Conservation biologist, Queensland University of Technology
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Associate Professor in Conservation Physiology, The University of Western Australia
