Australia’s ecosystems face an unprecedented crisis. From rainforests in the continent’s north to the alpine bogs and fens of the alps, ecosystems are being pushed towards collapse. . . .

Our study exposed a sobering reality. Our ecological communities face 49 diverse threats, ranging from land clearing and grazing to pollution and changed fire patterns. Many ecosystems face multiple serious threats. Recovery will be complex and difficult – but not impossible.

Australia is renowned for its unique and diverse ecosystems, which are home to species found nowhere else. Every day we delay conservation action, we risk losing more of what makes Australia special.

We developed a comprehensive dataset of threats to Australian threatened ecological communities – eight broad threat categories and 49 specific threats in all.

We found each community is affected by multiple threats – ranging from six to 27 threats each.

Take, for example, the community known as “White Box-Yellow Box-Blakely’s Red Gum Grassy Woodland and Derived Native Grassland”. It’s dominated by a range of eucalypts, along with several native tussock grass and other plant species in the ground layer.

This ecological community once covered large areas of Victoria, New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and southern Queensland. But more than 90% of this has been cleared. It now faces 23 distinct threats in the remaining area, including fragmentation, increased nutrients in the soil from fertilisers and inappropriate livestock grazing regimes.

Nearly all communities are impacted by invasive species and disease, and habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation (99% and 98% of communities, respectively).

Overall, we found 49 different threats affecting the communities we examined. The following were present across almost all, or many, communities:

habitat loss, driven primarily by agriculture (91%) and urban development (56%)

invasive weeds (90%)

climate change and severe weather events (85%)

changed fire regimes (84%), either too frequent or suppressed.

A more consistent approach is needed to identify, document and categorise threat data for ecosystems.

We need a coordinated national approach to restoration, and more funding for on-ground conservation. This would help Australia meet the global goal of restoring 30% of degraded ecosystems by 2030.

Australia also needs stronger environmental protection to prevent further irreplaceable loss.

Finally, we must rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions to do our fair share to tackle climate change.

Australia’s threatened ecological communities are in a critical state. Without rapid and strategic intervention, they will continue to decline. The time for targeted conservation is now.