A review of listed extinctions in Australia
100 Australian endemic species are listed as extinct (or extinct in the wild) since the nation's colonisation by Europeans in 1788. The list includes 38 plants, 34 mammals, ten invertebrates, nine birds, four frogs, three reptiles, one fish, and a protist. This tally represents about 6–10% of the world's post-1500 recognised extinctions. The actual number of Australian extinctions is likely to be far more than those recognised in formal lists. Mammals have suffered the highest proportional rate of extinction (about 10% of the endemic mammal fauna).
Reviewing these extinctions, we found that species restricted to islands have been disproportionately affected. However even formerly wide ranging mammal species are now extinct. The only area to escape extinctions is Australia's mainland monsoonal tropics.
Extinctions are not a thing of the past, confined to Australia's early colonial history. Extinctions are ongoing, with three confirmed in the last decade.
The main cause of extinctions has varied among taxonomic groups: mammal extinctions has been caused mainly by introduced predators (cats and foxes), plants by habitat loss, frogs by disease, and reptiles by an introduced snake (to Christmas Island). Climate change contributed to Australia's most recent known extinction (the Bramble Cay melomys).
Table: Australian endemic species listed as Extinct, and considered here to be valid species with no records since listing as Extinct. * denotes three species that are extinct in the wild, but have surviving translocated populations or captive populations.
Further reading:J. C. Z. Woinarski, M. F. Braby, A. A. Burbidge, D. Coates, S. T. Garnett, R. J. Fensham, S. M. Legge, N. L. McKenzie, J. L. Silcock, B. P. Murphy (2019) Reading the black book: The number, timing, distribution and causes of listed extinctions in Australia, Biological Conservation 239 (2019) 108261
Top image: Listers Gecko. Photo Kirsty Faulkner
A conservation response to the 2019-20 wildfires
With other concerned conservation biologists, researchers from the Threatened Species Recovery Hub have developed a 'blueprint' for management responses to the 2019-20 wildfires. This report can be downloaded from our website.
Threatened Species Recovery Hub statement on the fires
​The Threatened Species Recovery Hub of the National Environmental Science Program expresses our sympathy to everyone whose life has been impacted by these horrific fires, and acknowledges the heartbreak of families who have lost everything, including loved ones.
'Tis the season...Understanding how threatened plants respond to different fires
Many landscapes in Australia are fire-prone, and increasingly so. Altered fire regimes can have a serious negative impact on threatened plant species and ecological communities. A Threatened Species Recovery Hub project is working to better understand the effects of different fire regimes on threatened flora in order to improve fire management strategies and conservation outcomes.
Backyard scientists helping possums and gliders
Almost a quarter of Australia's possums and gliders are listed as threatened under Australian environmental law, and many more are showing signs of decline. Dr Rochelle Steven from The University of Queensland believes people in the community can do a lot to support conservation, especially in urban areas.
Better detection and monitoring vital for better conservation outcomes
The detection and monitoring of threatened species have been a strong area of research in the National Environmental Science Program and also the two national environmental research programs which preceded it. Hub Director Professor Brendan Wintle takes a look at what we've been achieving and why it is so important to the conservation of Australia's threatened species.
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2019 The 100 Australian plants at greatest risk of extinction
2018 Crisis? What crisis? Our Senate inquiry response and more
2018 Protecting Yass daisies, kowaris and brush-tailed rabbit-rats and more
2018 Tracking curlew, saving orchids and more
2018 Musings on monitoring and more
2018 Quenda, cats, clearing, curlew and more
2017 Billy and the Northern Quolls
2017 NESP and threatened species
2017 Doing the business for biodiversity
2017 Learning from a failed biodiversity offset
2017 Preventing extinction - why we should
2016 It is people who save species
2016 Focus on what we can change
2016 Sustained collaboration to make a difference
2016 Threatened plants and animals on the move
2016 Applying the acid test
2016 Bilbies, birds and bandicoots.
2016 The benefit of connections
2016 Myrtle rust, Malleefowl, Island refuges and sharing success.
2016 Feral Cat Taskforce, 2020 targets and safe havens
The Threatened Species Recovery Hub is supported through funding from the Australian Government's National Environmental Science Programme.