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Australia hosts environment summit to address growing number of endangered bird, animal species

Xinhua, July 16, 2015 Adjust font size:

More efforts and money needed to be allocated towards securing the future of Australia's endangered animals, a leading environmentalist said on Thursday.

Speaking to local media ahead of a key environmental summit in Melbourne, the World Wide Fund's Darren Grover called for the Australian government to invest more money into saving 10 endangered species, including native birds, the Tasmanian devil and Leadbeater's possum.

The National Threatened Species Summit, being held on Thursday, will discuss an action plan to halt the wildlife crisis in Australia.

Grover said the summit would host a variety of key speakers, including federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt, who is set to announce important first steps in tackling the issue.

"The Threatened Species Summit is an opportunity to explore solutions and discuss practical ways to halt Australia's wildlife crisis at a time when our threatened species are under more pressure than ever before," Grover told Sky News on Thursday.

"Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt has done a great job of raising awareness about the plight of threatened species but we now need a set of strong actions if we are to prevent further extinctions in Australia."

Hunt released a statement saying he was "pleased" to announce a raft of funding programs at the summit in Melbourne.

"I want to bring these birds back far enough from the brink to survive in the wild long-term. I want future generations to enjoy the color, movement and song they bring to our lives," he said on Thursday.

The news follows a release from Birdlife Australia which showed dramatic decreases in the number of common, native birds, such as the kookaburra, magpie and the willy wagtail.

Birdlife Australia CEO Paul Sullivan said he was shocked to learn that common native birds were in decline.

"We've known for some time that many rare bird populations are declining but we were not aware of the decline of these very common and iconic Australian birds," he said on Wednesday.

Grover has called for the Environment Minister to increase targeted funding to ensure the survival of all native birds and animals.

Among the 10 Australian species at "extreme risk of extinction' are the Eastern barred bandicoot, Bellinger River snapping turtle, freshwater sawfish and Swift parrot. Endi