Leading experts , including Indigenous knowledge holders, have united with  philanthropists and universities to form a new council which will advocate for biodiversity.

The Biodiversity Council was set up to foster public, policy and industry recognition of the biodiversity crisis, the importance of biodiversity for wellbeing and prosperity and positive opportunities and solutions to address the challenges. 

Associate Professor Nicki Mitchell, from The University of Western Australia’s School of Biological Sciences who is on the lead Council, said Australia was seeing catastrophic declines in ecosystems and the plants and animals they supported but solutions existed.

“Australia is at a crossroad as to whether the status of our biodiversity starts to improve or continues to decline,” Associate Professor Mitchell said.

“The council is forming at an ideal time to help governments, business and communities to navigate a path to biodiversity recovery. Our goal is to be positive, proactive, independent and informed.”

Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek, who launched the Biodiversity Council this week, said a collaborative approach was needed to protect Australia’s threatened ecosystems.

“Australia is one of the world’s 17 ‘megadiverse’ countries and we’re determined to stay that way and protect our unique plants and animals,” Ms Plibersek said.

The Biodiversity Council is hosted by the University of Melbourne and was established through a significant grant from the Ian Potter Foundation, generous donations and funds from 11 founding universities, including UWA.