- Published:
- Saturday 8 October 2016
They are small and virtually unknown, but that is all set to change with a dedicated fund to raise their profile and fight their extinction.
Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio today announced a $1.5 million Fighting Extinction Fund to help save some of Victoria’s most endangered species.
Reptiles, frogs and invertebrates are vital in maintaining healthy ecosystems – but their plight does not often attract funding or attention.
This important fund will assist Zoos Victoria to step up their interventions in endangered species such as the Baw Baw Frog, Alpine and She-Oak Skinks, the Grassland Earless Dragon and Spotted Tree Frog.
It will also help Zoos Victoria continue its work with the Lord Howe Island Stick Insect, a species reliant on specialised skills.
As a result of the funding, Zoos Victoria will:
- Establish an emergency response strategy for the Alpine and She-Oak Skinks
- Help advance the Baw Baw Frog breeding program and the ongoing collection of eggs from the wild
- Fund the ongoing search for the Grassland Earless Dragon and help establish a captive population
- Secure the captive Lord Howe Island Stick Insect population
- Survey and monitor Spotted Tree Frog populations and help to reduce threats within priority habitat
- Support the scoping and design of a world-class amphibian research centre at Zoos Victoria
- Install a cryopreservation facility at Zoos Victoria to secure genetic material from some of Victoria’s most endangered species
Quotes attributable to Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio
“Many of these species remain a mystery, so this funding will help us understand their needs and conservation requirements before it's too late.”
“In Australia, 28 per cent of frogs are threatened with extinction, while amphibians are also under attack from the deadly Amphibian Chytrid Fungus.”
“Victorians support one another and we always get behind the underdog.”