Today is National Threatened Species Day which has occurred annually for 86 years in commemoration of Australia’s Tasmanian tiger, marked as extinct on 7 September 1936.

I marked the day this morning at the Birdscaping landscape plantings on David St in O’Connor.

The ACT Government continues to take urgent action to protect all threatened plant and animal species. We are fortunate to have so many unique species right in our backyard, and I call upon Canberrans to join the fight to protect our beloved but threatened native plants and animals.

In the 2022-23 budget, the ACT Government invested $2.95 million over two years to study, expand and strengthen critical habitat zones across Canberra. These zones will provide vital connectivity between existing zones and help further protect threatened native animal and plant species from the effects of climate change and urbanisation.

Other measures that Canberrans can take to protect threatened plant and animal species include planting bird attracting plants in your garden, joining a local volunteer group like the Canberra Ornithologists Group, and keeping your cats contained.

Next month, I look forward to taking part in the Aussie Backyard Bird Count and helping to monitor our flying friends. In the meantime, if you spot a rare bird or animal, you can enter your sightings online through Canberra Nature Map, iNaturalist or eBird. Every sighting can help inform important conservation decisions.

Learn more about threatened species and communities on the ACT Environment website → https://www.environment.act.gov.au/