The countdown to Western Australia’s biggest community focused environmental event has begun, with one week left until the start of Conservation Week 2012.
Now in its seventh year, Conservation Week is organised by the Conservation Council of WA, Western Australia’s peak environmental organisation. The week, which this year includes dozens of events all over the state, encourages West Australians to get out and have fun while appreciating the unique places, plants and animals that make our state great.
This year the focus is on WA’s threatened wildlife and what people can do to prevent the extinction of some of our biggest icons.
Conservation Council of WA spokesperson John McCarten said, “Western Australia is home to at least 601 threatened species, including our iconic bilbies, black cockatoos, sea lions and numbats.
“The numbat is WA’s state mammal emblem, but today there are less than 1,000 left in the wild. To put that into perspective, there are three wild pandas left for every numbat.
“Fortunately, it doesn’t take much to save a numbat, or for that matter a cockatoo, bilby or sea lion. This Conservation Week we’re asking people to take part in any of the dozens of activities happening around WA. All you have to do to find out what’s happening near you is visit ccwa.org.au/conservationweek and plug your postcode into our event finder.
“Plus, it’s still not too late to organise your own activity. If you’d like to host a backyard barbecue, movie night or any other event, just visit the website, enter your details and we’ll send you an starter pack with everything you need to get your event off the ground.
“This is also the first Conservation Week we’ve run during the school holidays, so we’ve made sure to include something for the whole family. Kids can learn about endangered animals, join a guided tour to check out the wildlife that lives in their neighbourhood or just come along to a community barbecue and hang out with our mascot, Neville Numbat.
“Anyone interested in saving our iconic wildlife can get out there, get involved and help stop the tide of extinction.”
Conservation Week 2012 events include:
- Public film screenings in Northbridge and Joondalup
- Nocturnal animal discovery walks in Gosnells, South Perth and Kwinana
- A clean-up of Cottesloe Beach
- Citizen science fieldwork at Jerramungup.
- Benefit concerts and art shows supporting anti-uranium causes and the Kanyana Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre
- Water wise and environmentally friendly gardening demonstrations in Bayswater and Guildford
- A fun day for the whole family in Busselton supporting the Western Ringtail Possum
- Public forums on renewable energy, wildflowers and other topics.
For further comment:
John McCarten – 0403 900 193
