Scientific experts 'extremely concerned' by plan to stop extinctions.

Australia’s blueprint to save animals and plants from extinction is inferior to that of developing nations such as Rwanda and Myanmar, according to scientists who warn the strategy “falls far short” of addressing a crisis in species loss.

There are less than 1000 numbats left in the wild. The
species is threatened by loss of habitat and feral predators.

The draft proposal has also prompted questions over why humans, urban areas and industrial landscapes have been included in the official definition of “nature”.

The federal government says the document is still a draft and “not government policy”.

The Department of the Environment and Energy released a draft plan in December titled Australia's Strategy for Nature 2018-2030.

The 17-page document aims to protect biodiversity – which includes plant and animal species, habitats and ecological communities – against threats such as climate change and urban development. Critics derided it as a “global embarrassment”.

Read Nicole Hasham’s story from The Age - “Scientific experts 'extremely concerned' by plan to stop extinctions.”

United Nations General Assembly: From North Korea to global terror threats, these are the issues on the agenda

Facing an escalating nuclear threat from North Korea and the mass flight of minority Muslims from Myanmar, world leaders will gather this week at the United Nations starting to tackle these and other tough challenges — from the spread of terrorism to a warming planet.

This will be US President Donald Trump's first
 time attending the UN General Assembly.

The spotlight will be on US President Donald Trump and France's new leader, Emmanuel Macron, who will both be making their first appearance at the General Assembly, which begins tomorrow.

They will be joined by more than 100 heads of state and Government, including Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe, one of Africa's longest-serving leaders who is said to be bringing a 70-member entourage.

These are the key issues to follow during the UN General Assembly, in no particular order:

Read the ABC News story - “United Nations General Assembly: From North Korea to global terror threats, these are the issues on the agenda".

On Hurricanes and Hypocrisy

Floods have killed over 1,200 Nepal and Bangladesh in a disastrous South Asian monsoon. Meanwhile, Hurricane Irma, the most powerful storm ever recorded over the Atlantic Ocean, has destroyed 90% of structures on Barbuda making the nation ‘practically uninhabitable’. Millions of people have been displaced by the effects of climate change, and it’s only time before millions more will need to look towards finding a new home.

Haiti — Hurricane Matthew.

This, combined with the news of Myanmar’s religious genocide against the Rohingya Muslims, and the ever increasing death tolls in Syria and Afghanistan… there has never been a more appropriate time to demand that we in the West start welcoming people into our country. I believe it is, in fact, our moral duty to offer a home to those who seek asylum.

Read Katherine Sylwester’s story on Voices of the Revolution - “On Hurricanes and Hypocrisy.”