Australia acts vs ecosystems collapse

CANBERRA: A coalition of Australian scientists have warned that urgent action is needed to save 19 ecosystems from collapse.

In a report, 38 scientists from 29 universities and government agencies described that some ecosystems are collapsing due to the impact of humans ranging from coral reefs, deserts and rainforests to waterways.

Dana Bergstrom, the lead author of the study from the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD), said the scientists examined 20 ecosystems, finding that 19 of them were experiencing potentially-irreversible changes as a result of rising temperatures, invasive species and habitat loss.

However, the study found that urgent action could still make a difference. “None of the 19 ecosystems has yet collapsed across its entire range, but for all case studies there is documented evidence of ecosystem collapse in some areas,” Bergstrom told The Guardian.

“Urgent action will be essential to prevent the loss of any of these ecosystems in their entirety.” Euan Ritchie, a contributor to the study from Deakin University, described the report as the most comprehensive analysis of Australia’s environment ever undertaken.

The only ecosystem studied that was found to have a better than low likelihood of recovery was the subtropical rainforest of coastal New South Wales.

The study called for a “three As” approach to restoring the ecosystems by increasing awareness of their value, better planning to anticipate threats and taking rapid action to mitigate them.

“People talk about climate change as something in the future. Climate change is here and collapse is coming,” Bergstrom said. “But we have the ability and we have the skills. We just need the willpower to make it happen.

“Protecting these iconic ecosystems is not just for the animals and plants that live there. Our economic livelihoods, and ultimately our survival, are intimately connected to the natural world.”