Key Threats to 
 Wildlife

Australian wildlife faces a wide range of threats, many of which are human driven. All of the threats are complex and interlink to compound future risk.

Habitat Loss

One of the most critical threats is habitat loss and fragmentation, largely caused by land clearing for agriculture, urban development, and infrastructure, and compounded by natural disasters, climate change and other threats. When habitats are destroyed or broken into smaller areas, animals lose access to food, shelter and breeding grounds, and populations can become more isolated, making them more vulnerable to extinction.

A recent study highlighted that half of the habitat of Australia's highly imperiled narrow-range species is outside protected areas

Climate Change

Hotter and drier conditions, more frequent and severe natural disasters, and changes in rainfall patterns, affect the survival of many species. Extreme weather events can wipe out local populations, while longer-term changes in climate can disrupt breeding cycles, food availability, access to habitat, and survival rates. Understand more how climate change impacts our native wildlife.

Human - Wildlife Interactions

As the human residential and industrial footprint expands wildlife are forced into closer proximity to, and more impacted by, humans and human activities. Some of the most common issues impacting wildlife include: 

  • Vehicle strikes, with WIRES receiving over 20,000 calls annually to help wildlife injured in vehicle collisions,
  • Entanglement e.g. where animals such as birds and flying-foxes can get caught in non-wildlife friendly netting of fruit trees in gardens and orchards, or impaled by barbed wire fences when flying.
  • Electrocution on power lines, which particularly impacts flying-foxes during breeding season, many of which are threatened species,
  • Intentional cruelty including poisonings, with activities directed to individual animals or entire populations,
  • Approved hunting or culling, where governments approve individuals or organisations to hunt or cull different species at various times, and 
  • Displacement, which is linked to habitat loss and leads to more animals looking for homes in unexpected locations, such as brushtail possums looking for shelter in roofs.
Pollution and Waste

Industrial, agricultural, and consumer pollution and waste contaminate land and waterways, and unintentionally entangle or poison wildlife. 

Disease

Different species can be affected by different diseases which can spread rapidly through vulnerable populations. Examples of ongoing diseases impacted wildlife include beak and feather disease impacting parrots, and mange which takes a massive tool on wombat populations. Australia is also bracing for a potential outbreak of a particularly devasting strain of Avian Flu (H5N1) which has decimated wildlife populations worldwide.

 

Introduced Species

Introduced predators such as foxes have had devastating impact on native wildlife, while species like rabbits, deer, and cane toads compete for food and damage ecosystems. Invasive plants can also overtake natural landscapes, reducing the quality of habitat and food available for native animals.

Addressing These Threats

To safeguard the future for wildlife these threats require action on many levels by government, corporations, communities and individuals. Essential interventions include:

  • Protecting and restoring habitat, including the creation of wildlife corridors to reconnect fragmented areas, and stronger land-use planning.
  • Building resilience to climate change through habitat restoration, emissions reductions, and wildlife focused fire management to risk reduce e.g. traditional cool burning techniques.
  • Community action to reduce pollution and waste, and support wildlife-friendly products and practices.
  • Humane management of invasive species and strong biosecurity controls.
  • Developing and implementing effective species recovery plans. 

What Can You Do?

Some of the critical ways you can take action to help wildlife overcome these threats include:

  1. Making sure your government representatives know that protecting wildlife, and wildlife habitat are major priorities for you and your community.
  2. Create more wildlife friendly gardens to increase local wildlife access to suitable habitat and essential food sources, and get your council involved in planting more wildlife habitat and food banks,
  3. Be wildlife aware when driving, particularly at dawn and dusk, and during breeding seasons.
  4. Using wildlife-friendly netting if netting is needed in your garden or orchard, and encouraging others to do the same.
  5. Using wildlife-friendly fencing on properties, and help get old barbed-wire fences removed or updated.
  6. Putting pressure on government and corporations to stop environmental pollution and waste, and make sure discarded waste, is disposed of responsibly.
  7. Supporting WIRES, and other wildlife and environmental groups to expand their work in wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and preservation.