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Lesson 5
Critically endangered hooded plover chicks
Australia has over 1 million species of native animals and plants.
However, over the last 200 years the Australian environment has dramatically changed. As a result, there are more than 1,000 species of plants and animals with rapidly declining population numbers; also known as 'threatened species'.
When plants and animals from a single species have a very high risk of not surviving they are often referred to as being 'critically endangered'.
When there are no longer any plants or animals of one species alive in the world, this species is 'extinct'.
Species that are extinct in the world will never return.
The 3 main factors that contribute to a species becoming threatened, critically endangered or extinct are:
habitat loss or disturbance (homes destroyed or disappearing)
competition (food source eaten by an introduced species).
Human activity has greatly contributed to species decline, affecting each of these 3 factors. Large-scale construction and development has taken over large areas of land previously home to these plants and animals, as just one example.
The good news is that it is possible fight back against some of these negative effects. By learning what animals and plants need to thrive, we can work to reverse the threats and protect these threatened species. This makes up a large part of the work NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) does.
What do plants and animals need to thrive?
What do plants and animals need to thrive?
Just like people, plants and animals need food, water, shelter and companions in order to survive.
The place where animals and plants live (or find shelter) is called their habitat. Sadly, some of NSW's native plants and animals are disappearing because they no longer have a safe place to live and food to eat.
Native plants and animals need natural environments such as forests, grasslands, deserts, wetlands and rock pools to survive.
Every plant and animal has a set of needs to stay healthy and safe. These play an important role when it comes to picking an ideal habitat to live.
Some plants and animals can't live in areas where it's too cold or too hot. Some prefer dry sunny spaces. And some prefer wet and shady dwellings, complete with rocks and logs to shelter from prey.
NPWS works to protect all natural habitats within national parks.
When people clear land to build cities (urbanisation) and farms (agriculture), we take away the homes of native plants and animals. Our industries create pollution that drives animals out of their habitats and kills plants.
Pest weeds and animals also make it hard for a lot of our native wildlife to survive. These pests compete for the same food source.
We need to protect native species from these threats to help them survive for generations to come.
What are the main threats to plants and animals?
What are the main threats to plants and animals?
Pest animals and weeds are two of the biggest threats to Australia's native plants and animals. NPWS spends a lot of time controlling and managing these threats.
Pest animals were brought to Australia from the time of the First Fleet arrival in 1788. Unfortunately, some of these animals escaped into the bush and became pests. Some examples of common pest animals include cats, foxes, dogs, rabbits, pigs, goats, horses, deer, carp, fire ants, Indian myna birds and cane toads.
Weeds are any unwanted plants that grow in a places they aren't naturally found. Australia's weeds are mainly plant species brought into Australia from other countries, competing with native plants.
Examples of common weeds include willows, camphor laurel, privet, blackberry, lantana and bitou bush.
Some pest animals hunt, kill and eat native animals. Others compete with native animals for food and habitat, as well as eat native plants and damage fragile environments.
There are several ways of controlling pest animals, including trapping, shooting and poisoning them. These methods are necessary to protect native plants and animals.
All plants needs sunlight, nutrients and water from the soil. Weeds often spread quickly, growing faster than native plants because they aren't in their usual environment.
In NSW national parks, bush regeneration staff control weeds by digging, cutting or spraying an area with weed poison. When the weeds are successfully removed, native plants can thrive again.
How can we help threatened species?
How can we help threatened species?
We can help threatened species by protecting them from harm.
This includes controlling weeds and pest animals, as well as putting a stop to land clearing practices that take away their habitats.
National parks are places where people look after threatened species and habitats.
NSW is currently at risk of losing nearly 1000 of its native plants and animals. In response to this risk, the NSW Government created the 'Saving our Species' program.
'Saving our Species' aims to:
maximise the number of threatened species in the wild in NSW
control the issues threatening the survival of native plants and animals.
Protecting the breeding grounds of the endangered southern corroboree frog
Saving our Species [2:16]
Can you imagine NSW without wallabies, frogs or wattle? Our natural environment is what makes NSW so special and why people from all over the world come to visit. But many of the iconic plants and animals that call NSW home are at risk of extinction.
#SavingourSpecies is Australia’s largest conservation program working towards protecting threatened species. Watch the video to see how you can help.
Dwarf mountain pine [1:04]
Learn all about the dwarf mountain pine – a rare and endangered pine only found in the upper Blue Mountains area of NSW. In fact, only 755 of these plants have ever been recorded.
The threatened dwarf mountain pine is a Gondwana aged plant, which means lived in Australia when dinosaurs were alive. Low rates of reproduction and growth, as well as being fragile, means the plant needs help to survive.
Threatened species in NSW
Threatened species in NSW
Click on the images below to find out more about threatened species in NSW. You'll discover where they choose to live, what they eat and what factors have contributed to them becoming threatened.
Learn more about threatened species in NSW
Learn more about threatened species in NSW
On the edge [2:02]
Twenty years ago, the small rural community of Kangaroo Valley discovered a handful of endangered brush-tailed rock-wallabies. They were only just surviving in the face of fox and cat predation. Without action, it was almost certain the wallabies would be wiped out. To try to prevent this, a handful of local residents formed the 'Friends of the brush-tailed rock-wallaby' group. They started working with NPWS to see what they could do to help make sure the wallabies survived well into the future.
Ancient future – saving the wollemi pines [6:56]
20 years have passed since the historic discovery of the ancient wollemi pine in a remote ravine in the Wollemi National Park, west of Sydney. However, as the discovery only included about 100 individual plants, the species was immediately identified as needing help to survive.
Working with the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney and Blue Mountains Botanic Garden, NPWS planted 200 seedlings in a second location. Mirroring the conditions of the original, there is hope this 'insurance colony' will act as a backup to the original.
Activities
Activities
Physical features of threatened species
Physical features of threatened species
Learn more about threatened species through the camera traps placed all around NSW national parks. What physical features can you see on the animals?
Use the table in worksheet 5.1 to record your observations.
Threatened species field study
Threatened species field study
Follow the step-by-step instructions on how to conduct a field study. There's a video to watch, virtual tours to explore and motion-activated cameras to monitor.
Use worksheet 5.2 to record your observations.
Interpreting data
Interpreting data
Learn how to understand and interpret data collected in a field study. What does the information collected say about a field study site?
Answer the questions in worksheet 5.3.
Threatened species 'wanted' poster
Threatened species 'wanted' poster
Investigate a threatened species and create a 'wanted' poster to highlight the threats to its survival.
Use worksheet 5.4 or a separate piece of paper to create your poster.
Independent research task: Threatened species profiling
Independent research task: Threatened species profiling
Threatened species profiles are an important conservation tool used by scientists.
Create your own threatened species profile for a threatened animal in NSW using worksheet 5.5.
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