National Threatened Species Day is held on
7 September each year to encourage the community to help conserve Australia's
unique native fauna and flora. We can all take action to prevent further
extinctions by restoring healthy numbers of endangered species and ecological
communities in the wild.
National Threatened Species Day was first
held in 1996, to commemorate the death of the last Tasmanian Tiger in captivity
in 1936 in Hobart. The concept was developed by the Threatened Species Network,
a community based program of the World Wide Fund for Nature and the Australian
Government Caring for our Country, as a way to showcase Australian threatened
species. By focusing attention on the plight of many of our threatened animals
and plants, Threatened Species Day aims to encourage greater community support
and hands-on involvement in the prevention of further losses of Australia's
unique natural heritage.
A number of events are coordinated across
Australia for National Threatened Species Day to raise community awareness about
the plight of threatened species in Australia and to encourage community
participation in conservation activities. Activities range from exhibitions and
festivals, to displays, guided walks, workshops and a range of other community
education and promotional activities. Free National Threatened Species Day
posters, stickers and bookmarks can be ordered from the Department of the
Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts Community Information Unit, email:
or freecall 1800 803 772.
A Calendar of Events is available on the Threatened Species Network web site. Community groups can register their events online
To find out how you can help our threatened
species
