Australia’s endangered species dilemma

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Wildlife enthusiast John Cann knows it’s tough to describe the experience of ending a 20-year search for a creature so rare that it can only be found in one remote Australian waterway.

Wildlife enthusiast John Cann /Reuters Photo

"Words couldn't express how I felt. I'd seen one on a log and I wasn't real sure of it and I went back and got my binoculars and the turtle had moved then because she's seen me. So, I put a hide up, a canvas hide, and I just sat there and waited and it came back up again and sure enough, was a Mary River turtle. I'd never seen a big one before in my life,” said Cann.

The Mary River turtle, with its distinctive green algae mohawk, was recently added to a global list of endangered species. But its fragile existence has been known in Australia for at least a decade.

Mary River turtle /Photo by Chris Van Wyk

“There was a recovery plan prioritized for that species and a working group developed with a fair bit of money poured into sorting that out, but here we are 10 years down the track and there has been no draft even released,” said Evan Quartermain, head of programs at Humane Society International Australia.

Some of Australia’s unique creatures have become a part of the country’s identity and economy, helping to drive tourism. But there is a growing concern that not enough is being done to protect them.

“Just recently, the federal government has reduced or pulled the funding from our major flagship long-term monitoring campaigns in Australia and these are projects that have been going for almost 30 years now,” said University of Sydney lecturer Thomas Newsome.

Efforts are underway to protect several endangered species including the eastern quoll and Tasmanian devil, and rid the country of introduced predators such as cats and foxes.

Pygmy possum /CGTN Photo

But conservation groups say not enough is being done to stop development in fragile ecosystems.

“We are continually faced by lobby groups who oppose this sort of environmental regulation who claim that it is green tape and tying up economic development – that is simply not the case,” said Quartermain.

Scientists say Australia needs to have a better system of protecting its animals, otherwise they warn, fewer searches like John Cann's will end in success.

(Top image: Mary River turtle /Photo by Chris Van Wyk)