20 Years Left: Mammals Plunge Into Extinction

Animals like the bettong, small marsupials known as rat kangaroos, survived ice ages and hunters for million years. But increasing fires, predation and invasive species are now threatening extinction for bettongs and other species, reports Ben Cubby for the Sydney Morning Herald. Wildlife surveys across the region, commissioned by the Nature Conservancy, show an average 75 percent drop in mammal population throughout northern Australia. The bandicoot, the northern quoll and the brush-tailed rabbit-rat are also expected to vanish by 2030. Reasons behind the population decline of any one species can vary, but climate change, drought and competition over water supplies contribute to hostile habitats and migrations. – YaleGlobal