Australia as a home of endemic species

Australia as a home of endemic species

Australia is a sovereign state located in the Southern hemisphere in Oceania. Oceania is made up of many islands in the whole of the South and Central Pacific Ocean. The dominant island in the whole of Oceania is Australia; Australia, due to the evolution of flora and fauna in the entire island, makes it be a unique nation that is rich in every kind of species. The fact that Oceania and Australia are isolated from the rest of the world makes it rich in some strange species which cannot be found in any part of the world. Incredibly, it is a nation that is known to be home of endemic species, which are too hard to be found in any part of the earth. By land area, Australia is the sixth biggest country, something which makes it be a country that is known worldwide to be the greatest ecozone.

Moreover, it is home to many animals of various species in including the Emu, Wombat, Kangaroos, among many other types of animals. There are many features that distinct Australia from the rest of the world, something which makes it so unique of a continent compared to other continents. These variations range from both the human and physical environments, which do not tend to be existing anywhere in the world. Among the unique features which set the Australian land from the rest of the world is the fact that it is the world’s lowest continent, which is geologically stable and rich in minerals. Besides, it is biologically diverse, has unique mammal fauna, characterized by tropical cyclones of low pressure which form over the tropical waters. It is globally known as the home of some of the most dangerous and eccentric animals in the world; Most importantly, Australia is the home of the wildlife which are endangered in the world. Therefore, it is the country that boasts of having a high number of some of the most valued animal species that have gone into extinction. Australia has some of the most endangered species in the world; some of the most endangered species in Australia include Black-flanked Rock-Wallaby, Eastern Curlews, and the Northern Quolls.

Black-flanked Rock-Wallaby used to be some of the unique Australian species which were spread throughout the whole of the whole island, but with time their number began to decrease as they get into extinction. According to recent studies, the population of Black-flanked Rock-Wallaby has recorded a significant decline due to myriad factors that have resulted in a limited number of the species; they are now scattered on the island, a clear indication that they get extinct shortly. Due to the vulnerability which has been noticed in their lifecycle, active management is so critical in ensuring that they never end up being extinct. The Australian government needs to put the appropriate strategies in ensuring that the extinction of these species is put under control; because studies have found out that Australian fauna is the most threatened species which can get extinct if the right measures are not put in place. Black-flanked Rock-Wallaby is in the family of Macropodidae, which consists of 62 species, including the swap wallabies, nail-tail wallabies, and kangaroos, among many other animals.

As for evolution, these animals are only found in the Western part of Australia, and they have the highest diversity of all the Macropodidae family. Besides, still on their origin, it is believed according to research that they originated from their ancestors, the pademelon, which inhabited the Australian forests around 4 million years go. This is the same period when the tree Kangaroos seemed to had appeared in Guinea. This first ancestral stock of the Black-flanked Rock-Wallaby began to spread towards the westwards. They are characterized by broad occupation which had a wide geographical range before they started getting extinct. According to the studies done by Merrilees, it was found that these species had different ways of spatial distribution; they had a high ability of colonization. However, the changes in climate and vegetation seemed to have affected how they would freely move across the island. Therefore, their patterns of movements got restricted due to these abrupt climatic and vegetation changes.

These Black-flanked Rock-Wallabies, for an extended period, had remained to be some of the most tourist attractions because of their unique characteristics. They have a wide range of weight and larger feet. These two characteristics give them their ability to have the fast-hoping gait, which many tourists find so attractive and amazing. They have fur, which is so decorative compared to other macropods. This beautiful nature has been a camouflaging characteristic that enables them to adapt to their habitats; thus, they get safe from the predators since their color helped them to get adjusted to the Australian geographical landscape, which tends to be decorated with different oceanic flora and fauna. They are so well adapted to the rocky areas because they have large-padded feet, which enables them to navigate the rocky landscape; On the other side, they possess stiff tails that are non-prehensile hence allowing them to have greater control of their body as they hop over the rocks. There are significant factors that have led to the decline of this species; these are threats that have been chanced upon through the recent studies which their research towards finding out the possible risks which might be affecting the entire population of this Macropod family. The reviews came out with a wide range of threats, and these threats have been the major factors that have led to the decline of these Black-flanked Rock-Wallabies. Predators are the major threats that have been endangering their lives for an extended period. However, it is the young wallabies that researchers have found to be so threatened by the predators which feed on them. The wild dogs and the foxes have been the predators which studies have found to be behind the reduction of this species’ declination in population. Secondly, Accidental fires have been another threat in their ecological stings of these animals; the impact of wildfire, especially in their habitats, has been a big problem to the wallabies. For instance, there had been many reports of accidental wildfires in Kangaroo Valley, thus disturbing their existence. Through these fires, it has allegedly been reported that many wallabies have died, through direct fire burns, while many others have just starved of food after the fire had swept all the vegetation.

Endangerment of the rocky wallabies had originated from the various disturbances which have seen their population record a decrease. Some of the disturbances which have led to the endangerment of the wallabies include floods, fires, drought, weeds, and another kind of human disturbances. According to the recent studies, which had previously been done on the reasons why there has been a decrease in their population, the disturbances have led to a reduction of the initial larger community of the wallabies. As for the predators, many wallabies, especially the young ones, have been predated by the wild foxes and dogs; these predators interfere with their ecological setting, thus makes them more exposed to further dangers. The frequent attacks by predators have made these animals escape from their usual habitats to search for new ones. However, according to the findings on the endangerment of the Rocky Wallabies, the act of migrating from their original habitats to the new places has proved to be exposing the animals to more dangers. Perhaps due to the effect of global warming, drought has been a very critical factor in endangering the lives and population of other wallabies; drought has had a major impact on the lives of wallabies’ colonies. It was reported that there tends to be a decrease in the number of grazing wallabies during drought. Afterward, there tends to be a decrease in population since the drought tends to interfere with the ecological settings of the wallabies; the grazing fields become dry during the entire period of drought, and this makes the animals to be starved of food something which leads to death of many wallabies. With the frequent drought, which tends to be an order of the day in the Oceania and entire Australia, many lives of the Rocky-Wallabies have been recorded to have decreased thus, the gradual rate of extinction over a period.

Consequently, there is a lower rate of survival during the drought period, especially to the adult wallabies. There has been an appropriate intervention that is underway to ensure that the rate at which these wallabies get endangered reduced. Predator control is one of the intervention strategies which have been put I place to ensure that the endangerment is put under control. There are new programs like the Fox Control program, which is aimed at controlling the rate at which wild foxes predate on the Rocky-wallabies. This program has now taken root in places like Kangaroo Valley and the Northern Yengo, where the predation has been so rampant.

Moreover, Eastern Curlews is another species which tend to be endangered by various factors in Australian ecological setting of animals; Eastern Curlew is regarded as the shorebird which has the most significant migratory habit in the world. They weight 900 grams, and there is a variation in the sizes; the male is slightly smaller than the female. The reports on species endangerment have found the Eastern Curlews to be one of the most endangered birds in the world. In Australia, the birds are majorly distributed in the coastal regions; They are majorly found in the north and south-eastern areas of the country with a distribution that continues from the Barrow Island to the famous Torres Strait. Even though they are now endangered by many factors along the coastal regions of Australia, these birds have many years of the longevity-an average estimate of 19 years. As for their habitat, especially when they are not in their breeding season, the Eastern Curlews tend to inhabit the sheltered coasts; within the estuaries, lagoons, and bays. Besides, they tend to inhabit the ocean beaches, which are rich in the coral reefs. The factors which have led to their being endangered is the fact that they tend to graze in the open; thus, they get exposed to many dangers, which have made a larger population to getting killed. They are so wary and often take the flight to safety at the slightest of provocation or threat.

In comparison, which has been conducted between the initial population and the current population of these birds, at the coastal lines, there tends to be a big difference; this has made researchers and environmental conservationists take the initiative of giving an intervention into the cause of such a huge difference. Therefore, it has been found that the difference stems from the fact that their existence has been extremely endangered along the coastal lines. From their breeding sites to the original habitats, the studies have found out that there are threats and many other factors that have led to the decline in the number of these birds.

There exist many factors that lead to the threats that endanger their life cycle, thus, resulting in their decline in population. Moreover, there have been studies around the possible risks, and the myriad of them have been found to the cause of the extinction process. The threats include human disturbances, degradation from pollution, invasive plants, and water regime changes. As for human disorder, the Eastern Curlews are no exception when it comes to getting disturbed by daily social activities. These human activities result in various effects on the birds, which end up affecting the existence of the birds. The daily which disturbance, according to the endangerment studies, interrupts with the birds’ feeding; besides, their roosting also gets affected. Other activities, like the reclamation of land from the ocean, stabilization of water levels, frequently, tend to destroy the habitats where these birds get their daily food. Moreover, pollution has also been on the rise these days, especially along the coastal regions. The pollution effects hurt the existence of Eastern Curlew birds; since the pollution which occurs around their breeding regions reduces their food existence. As a result of food shortage, the birds starve to the extent that many end up dying. Human hunting activities along the coastal lines are another dangerous human disturbance activity that endangers the existence of Curfews; people tend to shoot them for food along the coastlines, an event which has made their population reduce drastically. Through hunting, many of them have been killed for food as others migrate to inconducive environments that do not favor their existence. Many birds end up dying upon landing in their destinations. There have been some ongoing assessments that have been carried out to determine the number of birds at their roosting sites. According to the findings, it is evident that the number of Curlews in their sites has decreased. Furthermore, the decrease in the number of these birds has shown a continuation indication. The indication of the population decline has raised concerns from both the locals and environmentalists; these concerns are all inclined towards finding the best strategies which would ensure that the endangered birds are saved from getting extinct. Chances of these birds getting extinct are high because, without the proper intervention, the birds would end up getting wiped out.

However, there are many strategies which the Australian government and environmentalists have come up with to ensure that the endangered birds are conserved and protected from getting extinct. Therefore, there is research that is underway to improve on the best ways through which the birds can get saved. There are many conservation objectives, which include increasing the birds’ population, reducing the common disturbances, maintaining their habitats, and raising mass awareness to the community. Some of the management and conservation actions which have been put in place to ensure that the birds are saved include collaboration between the environmentalists and the government to come up with the right plans. First, the partnership has been working towards developing a plan which would ensure that all the states along in the Oceania region protect Eastern Curlews. Supporting and promoting the initiatives which would improve the management of habitats at the birds’ sites is a strategy that has been put in place to ensure that the birds are protected from extinction. Moreover, the Australian government has resorted to the effort of making improvements and maintaining both the feeding and roosting sites in the entire coastal region; this could be best achieved through incorporating the critical requirements for the birds into the management along the coast. Researchers have found out that the collaborative intervention between the government and environmental scientists is key in ensuring that the endangered birds are not eliminated from the ecosystem; because their elimination shall affect the Australian economy in many ways. Therefore, managing disturbances at the birds’ sites, according to the researchers’ findings, is real imperative in working towards conservation of the Eastern Curlews’ survival and existence.

The Northern Quoll is another Australian which is has been so endangered within the ecosystem that they can get into extinction any moment if the necessary intervention Is not undertaken. They have a shorter lifespan, a feature that would easily facilitate the rate at which they can get extinct. Also known as the Dasyurus hallucinates, quolls are carnivorous animals that are widely distributed across Australia-especially in the northern region. They are so susceptible to many conditions and other animals. Therefore, because of this susceptibility, which makes them so crucial to the extent that even the slightest change in the environment can endanger their lives and existence. There have been several estimates from the international and local studies which have found out that, over time, the population of Dasyurus hallucatus has been declining within the entire Australian region. Therefore, it is necessary to come up with the most appropriate strategies which would work towards stopping the looming problem of extinction. In the next 20 years, only if there are no proper conservational interventions which are not in place, studies have found out that these animals shall become extinct because the threats tend to be catching up with them at an alarming rate; therefore, quick intervention, with proper strategies are really necessary for ensuring that the life of the Dasyurus hallucatus is saved.

Recovery plans ought to be put in place to prevent the animals from going into extinction; this could be best achieved by making sure that all the threats which endangered the existence of this species are first dealt with. During the studies to find out the common threats which would make these animals get extinct, environmentalists and researches have come out with many threats that have been responsible for the endangerment of Dasyurus hallucatus within the Australian region. The threats range from toxic cane toads, feral predators to accidental fires. The cane toads have been the major threat to the existence of Dasyurus hallucatus; ingestion of these toads by the carnivores can lead to the immediate death of the species; because they have toxic glands which poison the animals. Besides, the feral predators endanger their lives in two main ways; first, they feed on the Quolls, and second, they tend to compete for other food with the Quolls. These two scenarios have made the population of Dasyurus hallucatus decline drastically since they are directly killed by these predators and starve for food from the competition. Accidental fires have, as well, posed a great threat to these animals since some get burned during the fires; therefore, this has made their population be decreasing every moment. The solution to this endangerment needs the effort from both the government and the entire local community to ensure that there do not get extinct shortly.