NQ Dry Tropics gets behind Australian Government Threatened Species initiative.

NQ Dry Tropics has welcomed the Australian Government’s new Threatened Species Strategy, launched by Environment Minister Greg Hunt MP at the recent Threatened Species summit, held at Melbourne Zoo.

Bandicoots, bettongs, numbats and malas, the regent honeyeater, orange-bellied parrots and bilbies are amongst 20 mammals and 20 birds the Australian Government has committed to acting on protecting within five years.

NQ Dry Tropics CEO Dr Scott Crawford, spoke positively of the announcement, which includes a $6.6 million funding commitment.

“The Minister is to be congratulated for initiating Australia’s first ever national Threatened Species Strategy”, Dr Crawford said.

“The summit brought together 200 participants from across Australia, representing sectors including government, conservation, corporate and natural resource management. The energy, commitment and desire to work together to support and deliver the strategy was incredibly strong among all the participants.

“A key aim of the strategy is to halt and reverse the decline of some of Australia’s most threatened mammal, bird and plant species.

“NQ Dry Tropics looks forward to supporting the strategy, which is a step in the right direction; but with nearly 70 endangered or vulnerable species in the Burdekin region alone, we have much work to do,” Dr Crawford said.