New tool to help save threatened animals in urban neighbourhoods

Do you know what is living in your backyard?

Almost 380 of the 1900 nationally listed threatened species* can be found in urban areas across Australia and are facing extinction*.

Australia has an abundance* of unique native animals and plants, with a growing number of large and small animals under pressure from habitat* loss and climate change.

The latest five-yearly State of the Environment report was released in July and found there are growing pressures on Australian wildlife from habitat loss and climate change*.

The report found that there are now more than 1900 species and ecological* communities listed as threatened; of these, 42 critically endangered* species have no protection in the National Reserve System*, which is Australia’s network of protected areas.

The number of Australia’s threatened species has seen an 8 per cent rise since 2016.

The number of plant and animal species listed as threatened in June 2021 was 1918, up from 1774 in 2016.

Since the release of the report, two new species have been added to the growing list of threatened animals. The mountain skink has been listed as endangered* and the southeastern glossy black cockatoo has been listed as vulnerable* in August.

The World Wide Fund for Nature has released a backyard tool for everyday Australians to use to help save some of the endangered wildlife found in urban areas.

Released on Tuesday, the new interactive tool “My Backyard” allows users to discover which threatened species live in their local area and what precautions* can be taken to help protect them.

WWF-Australia chief conservation* officer Rachel Lowry said people might be surprised to learn that bushland and forests near cities are home to some of Australia’s rarest animals.

“It is a fun and interactive tool that also makes it easier for people to take action, to reach out to their local MPs and call for better protection on behalf of our unique Australian wildlife,” Ms Lowry said.

“Australia’s native animals are under increasing pressure from climate change, habitat destruction and invasive species*. But, I’d also argue that our silence is impacting our threatened species because they need our voices now more than ever.”

Some of our endangered animals across Australia:

Victoria: Baw Baw frog and bush-tailed rock wallaby
NSW: Darling River snail and Fitzroy Falls spiny crayfish
QLD: bridled nail-tail wallaby and northern hairy-nosed wombat
SA: glossy black-cockatoo and hooded plover

For more, visit wwf.org.au/mybackyard

GLOSSARY

• threatened species: species are considered threatened if they are likely to become extinct in the foreseeable future
• extinction: the complete dying out of a species, when it no longer exists
• abundance: a plentiful amount of something, a large number
• habitat: place or environment where a plant or animal normally lives and grows
• climate change: long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns
• ecological: relating to the relationship between living things and their environment
• critically endangered: species facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild
• National Reserve System: includes some 13,540 protected areas, covering 19.75 per cent of the country – over 151.8 million hectares. It is made up of Commonwealth, state and territory reserves, Indigenous lands and protected areas run by non-profit conservation organisations, through to ecosystems protected by farmers on private properties
• endangered: species facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild
• vulnerable: species facing a high risk of extinction in the wild
• precautions: things done in advance to stop harm or trouble and bring good results
• conservation: protecting Earth’s natural resources for current and future generations
• invasive species: organisms that are not native to a particular area, cause huge environmental and economical damage are a primary cause of native animal extinctions

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QUICK QUIZ

1. How many nationally listed threatened species are there?
2. Of these, how many can be found in urban areas across Australia?
3. How many critically endangered species aren’t currently protected in the National Reserve System?
4. Which two species have been added to the endangered list since the State of the Environment report was released in July?
5. What does the new “My Backyard” interactive tool allow users to do?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Help your community
What do you think you should do if you discover an endangered creature living in your area? Design a poster or write a list of practical actions that would help your community protect endangered species.

Time: allow 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Science; Geography; Visual Communication Design

2. Extension
Why isn’t all Australian wildlife automatically protected? Create a mind map or brainstorm ideas that would help you to answer this question.

Time: allow 40 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Science; Geography

VCOP ACTIVITY
Advertisers wanted for My Backyard
Create an advertisement in whatever format you think will be beneficial for your target audience. Your goal is to convince them to jump on the WWF website and use the My Backyard tool to see what is endangered or threatened in their local area.

Remember that the look and language you would use if your target audience is your peers is going to vary greatly from an audience like the school principal or your grandparents, for example.

Think about what would appeal to your audience. Would it be a poster, radio ad, TV ad, or a pamphlet, just to name a few options.

What information do you need to include?

What layout will work best?

What key information should you include?

How will you convince them?

Planning is key; map out your thoughts and ideas first so you can really understand the pros and cons of your choices.