An endangered Queensland bird is at risk of extinction because environmental legislation is failing to protect its habitat, according to a University of Queensland-led study.
Researchers found that despite the protection laws, extensive finch habitat loss has continued to be approved resulting in an 80% reduction in the distribution of the southern black-throated finch’s population.
Dr April from UQ’s Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science says Australia and Queensland have laws to protect threatened species, but they’re failing with two Australian mammals and a lizard having become globally extinct in the last ten years.