Our world is facing a crisis of species extinction with animals and plants disappearing 100 to 1000 times faster than any time in the Earth’s history.
This “sixth extinction” event is caused by a single species, human beings. As global population and prosperity has risen so has habitat destruction, mainly so humans can grow food, build cities and mine resources.
On World Environment Day, 5 June 2021, the United Nations Environment Program launched the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration aimed a preventing, halting and reversing the degradation of ecosystems worldwide.
Our region is home to some very important ecosystems. The Great Barrier Reef, tropical rainforests, remnant coastal wetlands, palm forests, pristine rivers and grasslands to name a few. Many of these ecosystems are threatened. Without them we could lose unique birds, reptiles, mammals, insects and amphibians.
Over the next decade, Mackay Conservation Group will be working with other organisations and with government to ensure that those crucial habitats are included in the protected area reserve system. We’ll be campaigning to expand our national parks, nature refuges and special wildlife reserves.
We will also be working to ensure that threats to those important ecosystems are reduced. Our campaigns will focus on reducing pollution that flows to the Great Barrier Reef, on preventing dams that make rivers lifeless and on ensuring that the risk of climate change is reduced.
If you would like to help with this work, sign up below and we will contact you about how you can become involved in this very important work during the 2020s.