Across the Tasman, Australia’s closest neighbour has “redefined” the way it counts population, leading to a massive jump in numbers, from millions to billions of individuals counted.
New Zealand’s Department of Conservation (DOC) has reimagined the concept of who its inhabitants are, focusing on all the living things that call its islands home, rather than just the humans. As a result, the population grew overnight from 5 million to 695 billion.
As part of this sassy advertising and education campaign, DOC is now calling on Australia to follow its lead. More than 20 large billboards and an additional 100 smaller-format banners at public transport hubs have been placed around Sydney and Melbourne today.
“We count on nature, so now we’re counting it. It’s your move, Australia,” one of the billboards reads. Over in London, another sign calls on England to do the same.
Billboards placed around Sydney and Melbourne challenge Australia to rethink how it calculates population. Source: DOC
Other famous environment billboards:What animals weren’t counted in the new survey?
Every bird, reptile, plant, marine creature and tree has been included in the county to “symbolically reframe” the country as a multi-species nation.
New Zealand has the highest proportion of threatened species in the world. At risk of extinction are 74 per cent of its terrestrial birds, 76 per cent of freshwater fish, and 84 per cent of reptiles.
Even iconic species of kiwi are under threat, primarily because of habitat destruction, invasive species, and motor vehicle strikes.
London was also targeted by the billboard campaign. Source: DOC
DOC Director-General Penny Nelson said by redefining how the country’s population is tallied, the value New Zealanders place on nature and its importance for the economy will be put in the spotlight.
“We count on nature for so many things, it’s the backbone of our economy and it is why tourists come here. We depend on it for so many things, but it needs our help right now,” she said.
“The 695 billion figure is a ‘back of the envelope’ estimate based on marine, land and biodiversity data and is very much a symbolic figure. We obviously couldn’t count all the slugs and bugs.”
Australia’s woeful record on protecting its wildlife
New Zealand has made huge strides in working to protect its wildlife. Most of its native forest is protected, as the country has switched to plantation harvesting.
The challenge to Australia comes as the Albanese Government rethinks its 20-year-old threatened species laws, which have been independently found to be failing both wildlife and business.
The country has had a sad record when it comes to protecting its wildlife. It’s famous for hunting the iconic Tasmanian tiger to extinction, and almost wiping out koalas, which were targeted for the fur trade.
Today, populations of koalas in NSW, ACT and Queensland are among the more than 2,200 species threatened with extinction in Australia. It has the distinction of being the only developed nation to be a deforestation hotspot, and has the sad record of being the country with the most mammalian extinctions.
Speaking about her decision to change how New Zealand calculates population, Nelson said the country is “globally unique” and this needs to be celebrated.
“We are a small island nation at the bottom of the world, but we want to make a big difference and show the world what can be done if everyone pitches in,” she said. “Conservation is not just for the experts, it’s for all of us.”
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