Australia is the planet's extinction hotspot, but one animal offers a glimmer of hope
Australia is facing an extinction crisis, losing roughly four species every decade due to habitat destruction and climate change. However, conservation efforts in the Dryandra Woodland have successfully helped the endangered numbat population recover.
Why it matters
This highlights the critical state of global biodiversity and the potential for targeted conservation efforts to reverse negative trends in endangered species.
Share Save Add as preferred on Google Tiffanie Turnbull Dryandra, Western Australia Getty Images/Sharon Jones/BBC "Eyes peeled," comes the order from the front passenger seat.
Obediently, we scan the ends and tops of logs, looking between low scrub and patches of vivid wildflowers for a flash of stripes or a dart of movement.
Eluding us is the numbat, a rare Australian marsupial which could be the love-child of a chipmunk and an anteater.
Numbats were once populous across the bottom half of the continent, but Dryandra Woodland – in the south-western corner of Australia – is one of the few places they remain.
As we slowly roll along bush tracks, researchers explain how this annual trip helps plot the species' survival.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in