Protecting our biodiversity is up to all of us.

As the national pet cat population passes 5 million, how we manage our feline companions has been the subject of a national survey of local governments led by Biodiversity Councillor Professor Sarah Legge from The Australian National University. The major impact of roaming pet cats on local wildlife has led one third of local governments to enact regulations to reduce roaming cat impacts, such as 24 hour cat containment and cat-free suburbs near high value conservaiton areas. State and territory laws are highly variable and are making it hard for some councils to better manage cats. Local councils in WA and NSW complained most often about this situation. They want changes to state laws to make it easier for them to set and police local rules about cat containment or cat prohibition. As well as protecting local wildlife, cat containment has welfare benefits for cats. 

Read more on The Conversation

New research published in Biological Conservation has identified 15 Australian mammals, 8 birds, 4 frogs, one reptile and one fish that have recovered such that they no longer meet the criteria for listing as threatened. While this is less than 10% of Australia’s threatened wildlife, the team led by Biodiversity Councillor Prof John Woinarski from Charles Darwin University says each species recovery should be celebrated, and provides important lessons on the factors underpinning success, and also highlights the gaps for those species that are not doing so well. The recoveries have taken targeted management over many years, by many government agencies, conservation NGOs and others, and these efforts will need to be ongoing to stop species sliding back. Threatened species affected by broad-scale land clearing, forestry, climate change and changed fire regimes have not recovered – Australia is not managing those threats adequately yet, and they represent formidable challenges.

Read more on The Conversation

A new study by researchers at The University of Queensland has found that the EPBC Act is not delivering on its primary purpose of halting biodiversity loss.  Biodiversity Council Chief Councillor, Professor Hugh Possingham who is a co-author of the paper, said that the study, which looked at 15 years of data on development referrals from Queensland and News South Wales, found that the habitat of threatened species continues to be lost, despite EPBC Act assessment processes.

We are delighted to welcome our new Executive Director Ilsa Colson, who has started this week. Ilsa has 20 years' experience working with government, business and non-profits to achieve real outcomes for the community and the environment. She's been an advisor to Federal and State Ministers in portfolios including environment, water, climate change and education. She's held leadership roles in organisations including the Clean Energy Council, Zoos Victoria and Parks Victoria. She was Chief of Staff to the Victorian Deputy Premier for seven years, and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She owns a small rural block that she is slowly revegetating with the express purpose of supporting biodiversity.

World leaders from close to 200 delegations have signed up to a new Global Biodiversity Framework. The long-awaited deal firms up commitments to ensure 30 per cent of land, freshwater and marine areas are protected, with a priority on biodiversity hotspots. The agreement recognises the crucial role of Indigenous people in protecting our plants, animals and ecosystems, and,  with a strong showing from sustainable business leaders, places expectations on businesses to report how they rely on and impact biodiversity. But the deal missed the opportunity to set ambitious targets to end extinctions, and there's much more to be done to ensure the commitments expressed translate into meaningful investment and action both in and beyond protected areas. See how events unfolded at our CoP 15 Blog, and read our analysis on the key wins, ongoing concerns and the road ahead.