Tiffanie Turnbull

Australia is experiencing a severe biodiversity crisis, leading the world in mammal extinctions and losing roughly four species per decade. Habitat destruction for agriculture, mining and logging, invasive predators and diseases, climate change, fires and floods are driving more than 100 plant and animal species toward or into extinction. Conservation efforts, including monitoring, captive breeding, habitat protection and predator control, have helped the numbat recover to about 3,000 individuals and leave the international threatened-species list, but experts warn that the species remains vulnerable. Scientists and conservationists argue that Australia lacks sufficient political will and funding: annual federal conservation spending is far below what they estimate is needed, while subsidies for environmentally damaging activities remain substantial. Government reforms and a 2030 biodiversity target offer a framework for improvement, but conflicts with economic interests—such as salmon farming in Tasmania—illustrate the continuing difficulty of prioritizing environmental protection.

Australia is experiencing an accelerating biodiversity crisis driven by habitat destruction, invasive species, disease, climate change and extreme weather, with at least 67 officially recorded extinctions and researchers estimating the true number exceeds 100. The numbat offers a rare conservation success: coordinated monitoring, predator control and breeding programs have helped increase its population to about 3,000 and move it from endangered to near-threatened status. However, other species remain at risk, and conservation efforts are undermined by inadequate funding, harmful subsidies, development pressures and limited political will. Experts warn that stronger protection, sustained investment and continued management are essential to prevent the numbat's recovery from being reversed.

Australia has one of the world's worst records for species extinction, driven by habitat destruction, invasive predators, disease, climate change and natural disasters. At least 100 plant and animal species are believed to have disappeared, while many more are declining. Conservationists say government spending and enforcement remain far below what is needed, despite recent environmental reforms and biodiversity targets. The numbat provides a rare success: its national population has risen to about 3,000, with numbers at Dryandra Woodland increasing ten-fold, leading to its removal from the endangered list. Researchers caution that continued funding and predator control are essential to prevent a repeat of the brush-tailed bettong's relapse.

A landslide triggered by days of monsoon rains struck a girls' Islamic study centre in Cox's Bazar, killing seven students and a teacher. Thirteen people were rescued from the debris, eight of whom died, with five others hospitalised. Additional landslides since Sunday have killed at least eight more Rohingya refugees. Authorities warn of further landslides and floods as heavy rain continues in the overcrowded Rohingya camps.

A landslide triggered by heavy monsoon rains buried an Islamic girls’ study centre in Cox’s Bazar, killing seven students and a teacher and injuring five others. Rescuers recovered 13 people from the mud, while additional landslides in recent days have killed at least eight Rohingya refugees. The region houses over a million Rohingya living in precarious hillside shelters after fleeing Myanmar’s 2017 military crackdown. Authorities warn of further landslides and floods as more rain is forecast.