Articles on Threatened species

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Fish leave bits of DNA behind that researchers can collect. Mark Stoeckle/Diane Rome Peebles images

April 12, 2017

Fishing for DNA: Free-floating eDNA identifies presence and abundance of ocean life

Mark Stoeckle, The Rockefeller University

Animals shed bits of DNA as they go about their lives. A new study of the Hudson River estuary tracked spring migration of ocean fish by collecting water samples and seeing whose DNA was present when.

Orange-bellied parrots are one of the species included in the government’s Threatened Species Prospectus. JJ Harrison

March 20, 2017

Government needs to front up billions, not millions, to save Australia’s threatened species

Don Driscoll, Deakin University; Bek Christensen, The University of Queensland, and Euan Ritchie, Deakin University

The government's charity drive for threatened species shows it's unwilling to invest what's needed to prevent extinction.

Citizen science projects are a way to contribute to science from your own backyard. Shutterstock

March 9, 2017

What our backyards can tell us about the world

Kathryn Teare Ada Lambert, University of New England

From birds to bees, the wildlife in your backyard can tell us important things about the health of our environment.

February 10, 2017

The environmental costs of Trump’s wall

Shonil Bhagwat, The Open University

We should be building wildlife bridges on the US-Mexico border – not walls.

Dingoes are often promoted as a solution to Australia’s species conservation problems. Dingo image from www.shutterstock.com

February 8, 2017

A wolf in dogs’ clothing? Why dingoes may not be Australian wildlife’s saviours

Helen Morgan, University of New England; Guy Ballard, University of New England, and John Thomas Hunter, University of New England

The notion of using dingoes to protect Australia's wildlife is based on wolves in the US, but research cast doubts on the link.

The Cape peninsula moss frog is smaller than 20mm and is, therefore, hard to monitor. Francois Becker

December 11, 2016

How we learned to listen to elusive, threatened frogs

John Measey, Stellenbosch University

A robust technique using the wonders of digital media has helped researchers understand how threatened species like frogs are faring on our globally changing planet.

December 9, 2016

Planet Earth II: why most animals can’t hack city living

Kirsty Park, University of Stirling

Some animals love living in the urban jungle – but they are a small minority, compared to those we risk losing to urbanisation.

These orange-bellied parrot chicks are the species’ last chance. Mark Holdsworth and Friends of the OBP

November 23, 2016

There are 14 wild orange-bellied parrots left – this summer is our last chance to save them

Rob Heinsohn, Australian National University and Dejan Stojanovic, Australian National University

Researchers are planning to monitor orange-bellied parrot nests all summer to make sure they raise chicks successfully.

Storm season in the Australian tropical savanna. Euan Ritchie

August 26, 2016

EcoCheck: Australia’s vast, majestic northern savannas need more care

Euan Ritchie, Deakin University and Brett Murphy, Charles Darwin University

Australia's Great Northern Savannas are the largest and most intact ecosystem of their kind on Earth. But they still face pressure from grazing, mining and agricultural expansion.

The Bramble Cay Melomys is arguably the first mammal driven extinct by climate change, rather than direct human interaction. Ian Bell/EHP/State of Queensland

July 4, 2016

We can’t save all wildlife, so conservation laws need to change

Phillipa McCormack, University of Tasmania and Jan McDonald, University of Tasmania

Australia’s conservation laws presume that we can preserve everything in its natural state. But in a changing world, we'll have to be more flexible than that.

The Fat-tailed Dunnart is found in box gum grassy woodland. Damian Michael

June 22, 2016

Here’s a good news conservation story: farmers are helping endangered ecosystems

David Lindenmayer, Australian National University; Chloe Sato, Australian National University; Dan Florance, Australian National University, and Emma Burns, Australian National University

There's rarely good news in conservation - but we've been studying a program that actually works.

Antarctica’s delicate ecosystem could be under threat from invasive species. Ceridwen Fraser

May 27, 2016

Antarctica may not be as isolated as we thought, and that’s a worry

Ceridwen Fraser, Australian National University

A warming Earth could see invading species arrive in Antarctica via the floating "taxi service" of the sea. That could be a threat to the southern continent's delicate ecosystem.

Moo-ve along: livestock are one of many threats to Australian freshwater ecosystems. Mick Stanic/Flickr

May 9, 2016

We all live downstream – it’s time to restore our freshwater ecosystems

Chrystal Mantyka-Pringle, University of Saskatchewan; Jonathan Rhodes, The University of Queensland, and Tara Martin, CSIRO

Freshwater covers only 0.5% of the Earth's surface but is home to 10% of the world's lifeforms.

Land clearing rates in Queensland tripled since 2010. Martin Taylor

February 21, 2016

Queensland land clearing is undermining Australia’s environmental progress

Martine Maron, The University of Queensland; Bill Laurance, James Cook University; Bob Pressey, James Cook University; Carla P. Catterall, Griffith University; Clive McAlpine, The University of Queensland; Hugh Possingham, The University of Queensland; James Watson, The University of Queensland; Jonathan Rhodes, The University of Queensland; Kerrie Wilson, The University of Queensland, and Marc Hockings, The University of Queensland

Land clearing in Queensland has tripled in the past five years.

The numbat, Australia’s equivalent of a meerkat, is one of the unique mammal species confined to the south west. Sean Van Alphen

February 18, 2016

Australia’s south west: a hotspot for wildlife and plants that deserves World Heritage status

Hans Lambers, University of Western Australia and Don Bradshaw, University of Western Australia

South west Australia is home to an astonishing number of plants and some of the country's weirdest wildlife. Now we need to protect it.

Black rhino cow and calf, southern Africa. Guy Castley

February 17, 2016

Going on safari? Research shows ecotourism can help save threatened species

Guy Castley, Griffith University; Clare Morrison, Griffith University, and Ralf Buckley, Griffith University

Next time you plan a holiday you can rest assured that wildlife sightseeing can help some threatened species.

Top contributors

Euan Ritchie
Senior Lecturer in Ecology, Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life & Environmental Sciences, Deakin University
Jonathan Rhodes
Associate Professor, The University of Queensland
Guy Castley
Senior Lecturer, Griffith University
Hugh Possingham
Director ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, The University of Queensland
Tara Martin
Principal Research Scientist, University of British Columbia
Martine Maron
ARC Future Fellow and Associate Professor of Environmental Management, The University of Queensland
Bill Laurance
Distinguished Research Professor and Australian Laureate, James Cook University
David Lindenmayer
Professor, The Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University
Emma Burns
Executive Director, Long Term Ecological Research Network; Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University
Brett Murphy
Research Fellow, Charles Darwin University
Guy Ballard
Adjunct Senior Lecturer, University of New England
Hans Lambers
Hans Lambers is a Friend of The Conversation.

Professor of Plant Biology and Past Inaugural Head of School of Plant Biology, University of Western Australia
Bob Pressey
Professor and Program Leader, Conservation Planning, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University
Don Driscoll
Professor in Terrestrial Ecology, Deakin University
Clive McAlpine
Professor, The University of Queensland