Australia is the planet's extinction hotspot, but one animal offers a glimmer of hope

In the forests of southwestern Australia, a team of researchers and volunteers slowly drives along dusty bush tracks, eyes scanning logs and wildflowers. They are searching for one of Australia's rarest animals — the numbat, a small striped marsupial about the size of a squirrel. After years of hard work, the numbat has just been removed from the international list of endangered species. It is a rare piece of good news in a country that experts call the extinction capital of the world.

Australia is home to many unique plants and animals. More than 80% of its species cannot be found anywhere else on Earth. But the country has lost more mammal species than any other nation, and scientists say the situation is getting worse. Australia loses roughly four species every decade, and the number of threatened animals and plants keeps climbing.

The main causes of this crisis include wild pests, disease, habitat destruction, and climate change. Feral cats and foxes hunt native animals, while invasive weeds choke native plants. A fungal disease has caused seven frog extinctions in Australia alone. The changing climate is making conditions unlivable for some species, such as flying foxes that are falling from trees in large numbers due to extreme heat.

Natural disasters have made things even worse. The Black Summer bushfires of 2019–20 killed an estimated three billion animals. Record-breaking floods in the following years caused even more wildlife losses. Many species once found all across the continent are now squeezed into small, scattered patches of land, making them more vulnerable with every new threat.

The numbat's story shows that recovery is possible, but it takes a lot of effort. Tony Friend, a leading conservationist in Western Australia, arrived at Dryandra Woodland in the 1980s to find fewer than 50 numbats. Today, there are around 3,000 numbats across the country, and the population at Dryandra has grown ten times over. The animal has now been reclassified from 'endangered' to 'near-threatened' on the international list.

Every spring, a volunteer group called the Numbat Taskforce spends two weeks driving daily circuits through the woodland. They record every numbat they spot, log GPS coordinates, and use math equations to estimate how many animals live in the forest. Their data helps scientists understand whether the population is healthy and growing. Rob McLean, the group's president, jokes that spotting a numbat feels like winning a small competition.

Perth Zoo also plays a big role in the numbat's survival. Young numbats are bred there and later released into the wild to help boost the health of the population. Keeper Vicki Power says one of the best feelings in her job is hearing that the animals she helped raise have gone on to have babies of their own. 'When you get that feedback: your babies have got babies, it's very satisfying,' she says.

Conservationists warn that the numbat is not fully safe yet. The woylie, also known as the brush-tailed bettong, is a warning from history — it recovered enough to be taken off the threatened list, but was added back a decade later in an even worse state. Tony Friend says the same thing could happen to the numbat if support and funding dry up. 'We can't walk away and say they're fine,' he says.

Australia's government has made promises to protect the environment, including a pledge that no new species would go extinct on its watch. New environment laws were passed last year, described as the biggest reform in a generation. But many scientists say these laws are just a starting point, and that real change needs much more political will and money. The federal government spends about A$700 million a year on nature protection — far less than the A$33 billion conservationists say is needed.

Professor Euan Ritchie says Australia knows what needs to be done — it just needs the courage to do it. 'It's like being a doctor and seeing all these sick people in the community and you know how to fix them, but no one will let you do that,' he says. For now, small victories like the numbat's recovery keep conservationists motivated. But experts agree that without bigger action, many more of Australia's remarkable species could be lost forever.