Australia's iconic Tasmanian devil is now listed as
'endangered', after losing 60 per cent of its
population to facial tumour disease.
Image: iStockphoto

Almost one in four mammals are at risk of disappearing forever, according to The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ for 2008.

The new study shows at least 1,141 of the 5,487 mammals on Earth are known to be threatened with extinction. Nearly 450 mammals have been listed as Endangered.

The IUCN Red List now includes 44,838 species, of which 16,928 are threatened with extinction (38 percent). Of these, 3,246 are in the highest category of threat, Critically Endangered, 4,770 are Endangered and 8,912 are Vulnerable to extinction.

Despite the lists' growth Dr Jane Goodall, a world-renowned primatologist and humanitarian, said there was still hope.
 
"There are shining examples of projects that have rescued some species from the brink of extinction such as the work of Dr Ken Johnson and his team with mala (rufous hare-wallabies) and the recovery of the Tammar wallaby, which was extinct in the wild, by Zoos SA and the South Australian Government.”

However, despite these positive examples, Australia contributed a lot of species to the Red List.

The project found:

• There are 788 Australian plants and animals that are currently listed as threatened. This includes 44 threatened species of bird, 38 threatened species of reptiles and 48 threatened species of amphibians.
• Australia has 349 mammals that are at risk, of which 57 species are listed as threatened, the 9^th highest number globally.  This equates to over 22 per cent of all Aussie mammals under threat, by far the highest figure amongst all the developed nations.

Michael Hoffman, a mammal expert who worked on the Red List, said Australia had a major responsibility to conserve is biodiversity, as 71 per cent of its species are only found inside its borders and nowhere else.

"There are nearly 60 species of threatened mammal in Australia (putting it in the top 10 in terms of countries with most threatened species), which means that about 22 per cent of the species are threatened (this is pretty much in accordance with the global percentage). However, there are 21 Extinct species, which means Australia is firmly in the number one spot in terms of countries with most mammal extinctions," Mr Hoffman said.

Dr Nicola Markus, Chief Conservation Officer for Bush Heritage Australia, believed the List highlighted the need to change pastoral practices and actively protect the environment.

"While we find ourselves all but powerless to stop climate change, we need to focus on the threats we can address. Weeds, ferals and poor water and land management practices can be tackled; never has it been more important that we do,” she said.

View the Red List here.