About the Symposium

Event Rationale

Australia is a mega-diverse country with nearly 700,000 native species, a high proportion of which are endemic and found nowhere else. Colonisation has caused significant biodiversity loss, with Australia’s record on mammal extinctions being the worst in the world.  Australia’s biodiversity is facing ongoing and compounding threats from land clearing, pollution, invasive species and climate change. Many of Australia’s native species and distinctive ecological communities are currently listed as threatened or endangered.

In 2024, Australia’s National Biodiversity Strategy was updated to include 6 national targets to address the drivers of biodiversity decline. A key target is No New Extinctions and includes preventing new extinctions of native species, supporting the recovery of threatened species and maintaining genetic diversity. 

Achieving this target will require more collaboration and support for biodiversity conservation, and a transformative shift to a nature-positive society.​

Join us at the Symposium to:​

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• Share research, knowledge, and experience across sectors 

• Listen to First Nations experts, incorporate their perspectives, and support their leadership in healing Country

• Explore innovative, collaborative and transformative approaches to removing threats, overcoming barriers, and conserving biodiversity, including partnerships with industry. 

• Make recommendations for halting extinctions and achieving genetically diverse, long-term species recovery in Australia.​​