Letter by 240 leading scientists calls on Scott Morrison to stem extinction crisis

More than 240 conservation scientists have called on Scott Morrison to drop his opposition to stronger environment laws and seize a “once-in-a-decade opportunity” to fix a system that is failing to stem a worsening extinction crisis.

The Leadbeater’s possum is a critically endangered species.
 More than 1,800 Australian plants and animals are formally
 listed as threatened with extinction. Conservation scientists are
 calling on the government to act.

With the federal government due to this week announce a 10-yearly legislated review of the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act, the scientists have signed an open letter to the prime minister urging him to increase spending and back laws to help protect the natural world from further destruction.

The letter says three native species have become extinct in the past decade and another 17 could follow in the next 20 years. More than 1,800 Australian plants and animals are formally listed as threatened with extinction, but the scientists say this is an underestimate.

Read the story from The Guardian by Adam Morton - “Letter by 240 leading scientists calls on Scott Morrison to stem extinction crisis.”