Vertebrates are disappearing at an alarming rate in Australia, according to a new study by scientists. Since the end of the 18th century, the number of species of these animals has decreased by more than nine thousand. Experts emphasize that it is necessary to take measures to stop this dangerous process for humanity.
Australian scientists wanted to estimate the number of Australian vertebrate species that have become extinct since Europeans arrived in Australia in 1788. These animals include groups such as worms, snakes, spiders, and insects such as beetles, bees, and butterflies.
The study, published Monday in the journal Cambridge Prisms: Extinction, was conducted by ten scientists from around the country. They were led by Professor John Woinarski from Charles Darwin University (CDU). Part of the title of this scientific publication reads as follows: “The world will not end with a bang, but with a whimper.”
They die every week
The published analysis estimates that 9,111 species of Australian vertebrates have disappeared over a period of 236 years. It is estimated that one to three species of insects and other native vertebrates disappear every week in Australia.
Animals make up 95 percent of the world's described species. There are approximately 320,000 non-marine animals in Australia, both described and still unknown.
“Only a third of Australia's non-marine animals are known to Western science,” said co-author of the paper, arachnologist Jess Marsh of the University of Adelaide.
Humanity depends on them
– Taking into account uncertainties and gaps in knowledge, our analysis suggests that the true number is at least 1,500 species and possibly 60,000 individuals. This is important for every human being, because non-living animals are the basis of all healthy environments and a livable planet. John Wojnarowski emphasized that invertebrates provide countless important functions that humans depend on, such as pollination and decomposition of organic matter.
Jess Marsh added that while many species are at risk of extinction, it is possible to save them from this fate.
– We should not accept their loss as inevitable. Jess Marsh said there is much we can do to prevent extinction, including by protecting important habitats and reducing threats such as pesticide use. He added that the first step should be to make people aware of the importance of invertebrates as “the cornerstones of our natural world” and to realize that “many invertebrate species are at risk of extinction and many are already extinct.”
According to scientists, out of 67 current cases of species extinction recognized by the Australian federal government, only one concerns an invertebrate – the Pedder lake earthworm (Latin: Hypolimnus pedderensis). Following the 2019 and 2020 bushfires, a similar species status review was conducted, resulting in invertebrates such as the Kangaroo Island spider species Zephyrarchaea austini being placed on the National Endangered Species List.
Climate change and its consequences in the world Adam Ziemienovic, Maciej Zielinski/PAP
Charles Darwin University, ABC.net.au, tvnmeteo.pl
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