Public determines species survival
Given the amount of money we currently spend on conservation, it's not possible to save every endangered species, the new study suggests. Image: georgeclerk/iStockphoto The dilemma over how much of Australia we will pass on to our grandchildren cannot be solved by science – but only by society, one of the nation's leading ecologists, Professor Hugh Possingham, warned today.Prof Possingham, who is director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions (CEED) at The University of Queensland, said that world-first Australian research was showing that it was now possible to estimate how many species can be saved based on how much was spent on protecting them and their habitats.“For the first time ever, we are starting to get a handle on the return on investment from conservation,” he said.“However, this also clearly shows that, at current levels of funding and current rates of extinction, we won't be able to save everything.“Then...