Majority of Australians ‘clueless about country’s most endangered species’

Nine out of 10 Australians surveyed failed to identify six of seven endangered species, Mustafa Qadri reports

The Tasmanian devil is one of seven endagered species in Australia (Aussie Ark/AFP via Getty Images)

The majority of Australians are unable to identify the country’s most endangered species, a new survey has found.

Researchers from the University of South Australia tested awareness of endangered animals by asking 300 zoo visitors to identify seven species at risk of extinction.

The seven species they could have identified are the Tasmanian devil, southern corroboree frog, Lord Howe Island stick insect, orange-bellied parrot, helmeted honeyeater, eastern barred bandicoot and Leadbeater’s possum.

More than 90 per cent of those surveyed failed to identify six of the seven endangered species, with the iconic Tasmanian devil being the exception.

This lack of awareness in Australia comes despite the nation being the fourth-worst country in the world for species extinctions and the top three for critically endangered animals.

Researchers from the university said people are more willing to support conservation efforts for animals they recognise, making the ignorance of some of Australia’s most threatened species a major factor in their chances of survival.

UniSA conservation psychologist Dr Elissa Pearson, who led the study, said: “There are huge gaps in community knowledge regarding native Australian wildlife, with less than 8 per cent of people able to correctly name six of seven endangered species when shown photographs.

“Apart from the Tasmanian devil, which 86 per cent of people recognised, the level of familiarity and knowledge of our vulnerable species is limited. Misidentification is also common, particularly the eastern barred bandicoot which is often mistaken for a bilby.”

The findings were published in the Journal for Nature Conservation, outlining a clear link between the ability to recognise different species, their popularity and conservation support.

This showed that people are far more likely to donate toward conserving Australia’s iconic koala, kangaroo and wombat populations, despite these not being endangered.

Australian officials announced that this week’s Federal Budget included a $224 million allocation to help save threatened species.