What causes species extinction?
Many factors impact upon our wildlife and contribute to the loss of species. The main causes of extinction are land clearing, invasive species, salinity, altered fire regimes, pollution, urbanisation of land, the discharge of nutrients and sediments into our waterways and coastal areas, and climate change. Many of these act upon both ecosystems and species at the same time, which can accelerate the rate of impact and reduce the ability of ecosystems to adapt to changes. WWF-Australia’s Dr Ray Nias explains: “The impact is on the entire landscape. The fact that a large number of plants are now reaching threatened status means that animals relying on these for food and shelter are also directly affected”.
