Habitat Loss in the Reef
Reef And Beyond (*series Final*) Turtles, how cyclones affect the reef, coral, Everyone is amazed at the sequences that include packs of tiger sharks, thousands of nesting sea turtles, minke whales and spectacular aerials. But the one sequence that has everyone talking features the pearlfish. This eel like fish lives out on the deep sandy lagoon lying between the reefs. At night it feeds on plankton and small crustaceans but during the day it hides in a very unusual home up the anus of sea cucumbers This series will hopefully act as a portrait of the Great Barrier Reef at this point in time showcasing its amazing beauty but at the same time acting as a reminder that the reef is a fragile environment. In making this series I accept that there will be criticism from some user groups for showing too little or too much about environmental issues facing the reef. We have included stories about bleaching, climate change, and habitat loss
Habitat Loss in Western Australia
- http://museum.wa.gov.au/explore/wetlands/environmental-concerns/biodiversityPerth is the capital of the Southwest Australia Ecoregion, one of only 34 internationally recognised Biodiversity Hotspots (Conservation International 2010). The World Wildlife Fund argues that Perth may be the wildlife capital of the world, with over 2,100 plant species, 15 amphibian species and 156 native birds , with seasonal influxes from visiting seabirds and migrating shorebirds (World Wildlife Fund 2013). Perth also has 71 reptile species and is believed to have more reptiles than any other urban area in the world, including the western swamp tortoise, which is WA’s most endangered reptile (World Wildlife Fund 2013). Perth’s wetlands directly or indirectly support most of its wildlife.
- http://museum.wa.gov.au/explore/wetlands/environmental-concerns/wetland-conservationPhilip Jennings, Professor of Physics and Energy Studies at Murdoch University, wrote in 1988 that 80% of wetlands had been lost or ‘disappeared’. Rod Giblett, an academic who has been living on, and writing about Perth’s wetlands for many decades, comments that, “there has been a massive loss of wetlands on the Swan Coastal plain and the process is continuing” (Giblett and Webb 1996). Wetlands are still being lost underneath the growth and spread of the Perth metropolitan area with an estimated 10% of original wetlands areas remaining.