WA's critically endangered flora |
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Through the process of ranking all of Western Australia's 354 species of threatened flora, 90 have been listed as 'Critically Endangered', and without urgent intervention, these species may soon become extinct in the wild. To prevent this, recovery actions are being implemented by DEC through local Flora Recovery Teams. One important tool to help achieve this aim is community education, so all critically endangered plants will be featured in a series of posters produced by DEC's Western Australian Threatened Species and Communities Unit, with funding from the BankWest LANDSCOPE Conservation Visa Card. The aim of the posters is to provide information that will help people identify the species, which in turn might lead to the discovery of new populations. It is hoped that the posters will also spread the message about the need to conserve these critically endangered species, especially by reducing the processes that threaten their survival in the wild. (Many of these processes are the result of human interference such as clearing, road grading, erosion, spraying of herbicides and the introduction of exotic diseases, weeds and animals such as goats, pigs and rabbits.) A greater awareness and understanding will help educate the community about ways to lessen the impact of human activities on the species. Each poster illustrates an individual species and provides information such as its flowering time, habitat, approximate locations, the threats to its survival and the recovery actions that DEC has under way. The posters also tie in with DEC's Western Everlasting initiative, which aims to create greater community awareness and understanding of our native flora. Further information about these species and other Western Australian plants listed as threatened can be obtained from DEC's publication Western Australia's Threatened Flora, available online and from DEC and all good bookshops.
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