Wildlife rescue contacts

WHO YOU GONNA CALL?

Roadkill is a terrible problem in Tasmania. As well as slowing down (especially from dusk to dawn) to give wildlife a chance to get off the road, another useful action you can take is to save the following numbers into your phone.

0447 264 625 – Bonorong rescue service – report injured and orphaned wildlife, and Bonorong will tell you what to do next. If an animal needs to go into care, they will coordinate with WIRES to find a carer. In Tassie, call Bonorong, not WIRES.

0427 942 537 – Marine mammal hotline – report sightings of whales, dolphins and seals, including injured or stranded marine mammals. This is the Marine Conservation Program’s phone number.

132 004 – If you see a bird that has been killed or injured near powerlines, you can report it to Tas Networks who are working to make the electricity infrastructure safer for birds, especially threatened raptors. If the bird needs assistance, call Bonorong first.

1800 005 171 – Environment Protection Authority hotline for reporting a pollution incident. Or to report littering or dumping, use 1300 135 513. The EPA website has forms for reporting pollution incidents by email.

NEW IUCN GREEN STATUS SIGNALS CONSERVATION WINS

Established in 1964, the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species has evolved to become the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global extinction risk status of animal, fungus and plant species. It is a critical indicator of the health of the world’s biodiversity.

This year, the IUCN has introduced two new metrics for conservation. There is now an IUCN Green Status of Species which offers a more nuanced picture of what’s going on with a species. The new assessment framework measures the impact of past conservation efforts, species’ reliance on conservation action, and how much a species could gain in the next 10 years due to conservation action. It classifies species into nine Species Recovery Categories, indicating progress towards recovery.

In addition, there is a Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas, which is a certification for important conservation sites that are being effectively managed and fairly governed.