BIODIVERSITY THREAT
Northern Australia is not the mammal haven it was believed to be, according to a landmark audit of the nation’s biodiversity. The Australian Terrestrial Biodiversity Assessment 2002 found almost 3000 of the country’s ecosystems to be under threat.
Half of all Australia’s inland birds are listed as threatened, due to a loss of wetland habitat. Land clearing, which is happening faster than in any other developed country, is mostly to blame. Animals such as the spotted-tail quoll were thought to be thriving in parts of the north, where land clearing is less intense. But the report found they are suffering from exposure to other…
