Shoalhavenenviro - Biodiversity

Biodiversity
" What we are doing now to biodiversity is like burning Renaissance masterpieces to cook dinner.” Professor EO Wilson, scientist and writer.

Biodiversity is the web of life - the variety of all livings things - human beings, plants, animals, fungi, microbes, the genes they contain and the ecosystems in which they live.

Australia is one if 17 megadiverse countries which together contain 70% of the world’s species.

82% of mammals
45% of land birds
85% of our flowering plants
89% of our reptiles
93% of our frogs and
85% of inshore, temperate-zone fish are found nowhere else in the world.

Since European settlement

about 70% of all native vegetation has been destroyed, including 40% of forests and 75% of rainforests. Vegetation clearing is the most significant cause of biodiversity loss.
we have earned the world’s worst record for mammal extinctions. We have lost 19 of our 282 mammal species, 20 of our 770 bird species, many frog species and our fisheries are in significant decline.

Biodiversity is beginning to collapse under the weight of human disturbance.

The sustainable management of Australia’s biodiversity is considered to be crucial to the future of agriculture, fishing, clean air and ultimately, life on earth. (Australian Local Government Association and Biological Diversity Advisory Council 1999).

Click here to Link to our Threatened Species Page

Biodiversity - Links

Commonwealth Government
www.ea.gov.au
Click on publications, choose Dept of Environment & Heritage.

Documents include

Australia State of the Environment 2001, biodiversity section

Our Sea, Our Future. Major findings of the State of the Marine Environment for Australia, 1995.

The National Strategy for the Conservation of Australia’s Biological Diversity, 1996.

Review of the above Strategy, 2001.

National Local Government Biodiversity Strategy, 2001.

State Government

www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au
Click on Nature & Conservation, choose Conserving Biodiversity in NSW, then choose the NSW Biodiversity Strategy website.

www.epa.nsw.gov.au/soe
for the NSW State of Environment 2000: Biodiversity.

Local Government

Shoalhaven City Council’s 'State of the Environment' Report www.shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au/soer

In the report there are five major themes,

Atmosphere - air quality
Biodiversity - conserving biodiversity, bioregions
Land - geology, soils, land use and management
Water - water quality, ecology, coasts, estuaries, storm water, water catchments.
Human settlement - our effect on nature

Shoalhavenviro -Navigation

« Bushcare « Biodiversity « Endemic Plant List « Environmental Groups
« The Marine Environment « Managing our Environment
« Healthy Cities Projects « Contact 'Healthy Cities'