Thats the dire warning from the Wilderness Society following the release of a damning interim report about the inadequacies of current environmental laws.
A Senate inquiry report released last night found the current approach to wildlife protection was incapable of stopping the spiralling rates of extinction and recommended a complete overhaul of legislation.
Suzanne Milthorpe, national nature campaign manager at the Wilderness Society, said three native species had been wiped out in the past decade.
However, scientists predict that rate of loss to skyrocket to possibly 17 extinct animals in the next 20 years a grim legacy of policy failures, Ms Milthorpe said.
The evidence is clear Australia is in an extinction crisis, Ms Milthorpe said.
Were number two in the world for species loss, and if we keep turning a blind eye to major threats to wildlife like deforestation, even iconic animals like the koala will go.
The equivalent of 14 football fields of koala habitat is bulldozed every day in NSW. Picture: Sue MurphySource:Supplied
The rate of habitat loss for koalas has accelerated, particularly in areas where the iconic animal is most under threat, in southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales.
The World Wildlife Fund said the equivalent of 14 football fields of habitat is bulldozed every day in NSW.
WWF-Australia conservationist Stuart Blanch said there were currently less than 20,000 koalas left in NSW and at the current rate, they are on track to be extinct in the state by 2050.
Koalas will disappear from NSW unless the state increases legal protections of mature forests and woodlands, Dr Blanch said.
Koalas are endangered in Queensland where the animal is the state faunal emblem.
Populations along Australias east coast have plummeted at a rate of 21 per cent per decade.
It is a wakeup call for our east coast to appear alongside notorious forest destruction hot spots such as the Amazon, Congo Basin, Sumatra and Borneo, WWF-Australia boss Dermot OGorman said.
The mountain pygmy possum is one of the species identified at being at serious risk of extinction. Picture: Jay TownSource:News Corp Australia
The Senate report on extinction made a number of recommendations to address the crisis, including a focus to reduce impact likes deforestation and climate change.
It also called on the government to establish an independent environmental protection authority with sufficient powers and funding to enforce compliance with laws.
We welcome the recommendation for strong national environment laws that can actually
stop the threats to wildlife and an independent watchdog with teeth to enforce them, Ms Milthorpe said.
But we need more than recommendations. Positive action on the environment is showing
up as a huge issue in both national polls and the recent NSW election.
What that tells us is neither party can be a credible candidate for government without having detailed, costed policies on how theyll deal with major causes of extinction, like the legacy of 200 years of inappropriate deforestation and the worsening impacts of climate change.
Bramble Cay melomys were declared extinct in the past decade.Source:News Corp Australia
The Christmas Island pipistrelle is also now extinct. Picture: Chris TidemannSource:Supplied
The three species that were declared extinct in the past decade are the Bramble Cay Melomys, Christmas Island Pipistrelle and Christmas Island Forest Skink.
When it comes to the 17 that could face extinction in the next 20 years, it is not a prescribed list but based on analysis of the rate of extinction, the Wilderness Society said.
That analysis was based in large part on research by the Threatened Species Recovery Hub, which identified 20 birds and 20 mammals most at risk of extinction in the next two decades.
Among them are the helmeted honeyeater, northern hopping-mouse, leadbeaters possum and mountain pygmy possum.
The northern hopping-mouse is one of the species that could become extinct in the next 20 years. Picture: Rebecca DieteSource:Supplied
The western ringtail possum is also at threat of extinction. Picture: Adrian Wayne/Parks and Wildlife.Source:Supplied
With the federal election just around the corner, Wilderness Society national campaign director Lyndon Schneiders called on all parties to outline meaningful conservation policies.
The buck needs to stop somewhere, Mr Schneider said.
Some 17 animals including the helmeted honeyeater are likely to be wiped out in the next 20 years under current laws, according to a Senate report. Picture: Dylan Sanusi-GohSource:Supplied
Australians will be horrified by the evidence presented to this inquiry and failures of successive governments to take real action.
Real change will only come through strong and decisive leadership and real funding by the national government. We can turn this crisis around only (through) strong and prescriptive laws and a strong independent agency, like a national EPA, with the teeth to hold governments and vested interests to account.
