AUSTRALIA: Conservationists work to develop a wildlife corridor to help save Australia's animals from climate change

Conservationists in Australia are working on a wildlife corridor spanning the continent to allow animals and plants to flee the effects of global warming. The 2,800-kilometer (1,740 mile) climate "spine," approved by state and national governments, will link the country's entire east coast, from the snow-capped Australian alps in the south to the tropical north -- the distance from London to Romania. Volunteers are currently working on an area of land called Scottsdale, approximately 75 kilometres south of the capital Canberra. The 1328-hectare property has been degraded from years of farming livestock, but in 2006 a conservation organisation acquired the land in order to turn the dry, weed-infested paddocks back into its natural environment. The volunteers are planting native vegetation, hoping to encourage native trees and grasses to grow - and to bring back native wildlife that once prospered in the area. "There's fifty plus species that are on the threatened species list in this area, so by planting back some of the trees and shrubs and grasses we'll be providing a feed source and a home, a habitat for those species to buffer again and to breed up and hopefully get to some sort of viable level so that they can maintain themselves," said project facilitator Lauren Van Dyke. It's areas like Scottsdale that will provide the backbone of the wildlife corridor. By acquiring privately owned farmland, government and environment groups aim to connect protected areas such as national parks together, so native animals whose habitats are threatened can move between the areas. Ecology researcher at the Australian National University, Brendan Mackey, explains that Australia's diverse population of animals is largely migratory and thus is important for them to be able to move around the country. "One of the problems that wildlife is going to face for a number of our animal species, the climate is going to change so that they're going to have to move to find a more suitable climate, so one of the things we're interested in with this wildlife corridor is how we can promote the flow of animals through the landscape so that they can respond to global warming," says Mackey. It is also important for animals to be connected to ensure genetic diversity, says Mackey. He says climate change will be another threat to many of Australia's already threatened species, whose numbers have been depleted from land clearing and feral pests. The creation of the corridor was agreed by state and federal governments this year amid international warnings that the country -- already the world's driest inhabited continent -- is suffering from an accelerated Greenhouse effect. Australia is expected to be one of the countries most susceptible to climate change, with its diverse range of ecological environments and fauna. Climate scientists have predicted temperatures rising by up to 6.7 degrees Celsius (12 degrees Fahrenheit) by 2080 in the country's vast outback interior. A 10-year drought is expected to slash one percent from the A$940 billion ($803 billion) economy. Scientific reports have also predicted more bushfires with the onset of climate change. The corridor, under discussion since the 1990s as the argument in support of climate change strengthened, will link national parks, state forests and government land. ENDS.

ITN Source | October 8, 2007