Environment needs billions of dollars more: here’s how to raise the money

Conservation is not cheap, but it is worth it.

Extinction threatens iconic Australian birds and animals. The regent honeyeater, the orange-bellied parrot, and Leadbeater’s possum have all entered the list of critically endangered species.

It is too late for the more than 50 species that are already extinct, including bettongs, various wallabies, and many others. Despite international commitments, policies and projects, Australia’s biodiversity outcomes remain unsatisfactory.

A 2015 review of Australia’s 2010-2050 Biodiversity Conservation Strategy found that it has failed to “effectively guide the efforts of governments, other organisations or individuals”.

Insufficient resourcing is one cause of biodiversity loss. The challenge is impressive. Australia must tackle degradation and fragmentation of habitat, invasive species, unsustainable use of resources, the deterioration of the aquatic environment and water flows, increased fire events, and climate change.

This all requires money to support private landholders conducting conservation activities, to fund research, to manage public lands, and to support other conservation activities conducted by governments, industry, and individuals.

So where can we find the funds?

Read the piece on The Conversation by the Director of the Australian Centre for Agriculture and Law at the University of New England, Paul Martin; a researcher a the Centre for Agriculture and Law from the University of New England, Amy Cosby; and a lecturer in Law from the University of New England, Kip Werren - “Environment needs billions of dollars more: here’s how to raise the money.”