Australia among seven nations responsible for more than 50 per cent of global biodiversity loss

Australia is one of seven countries responsible for more than half of global biodiversity loss, according to a study published today.

Koalas are one species under pressure in Australia.

Scientists based their findings on the worsening in conservation status of species between 1996 and 2008 on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list.

The IUCN red list uses a series of categories to rank how close a species is to extinction, from "least concern" through to "extinct in the wild”.

Of the 109 countries studied, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, China and the United States (primarily Hawaii) also ranked inside the top seven as the worst offenders on conservation.

Read the ABC News story - “Australia among seven nations responsible for more than 50 per cent of global biodiversity loss.”