'Climate change is wreaking havoc.' What it's like working to conserve Australian wildlife. 

Rachel Lowry has a pretty cool (not to mention, important) job as Chief Conservation Officer at the World Wide Fund for Nature-Australia, better known as WWF-Australia.

The self-acclaimed born naturalist, Lowry says that working with animals or nature was never, not on the cards. 

“I was just born loving nature. When I was young, I was an animal kid. I couldn’t be around them enough. If there was a bird’s nest near my house, I knew about it, I was watching it.” 

While initially, she thought this would lead her to a veterinary career, it was an encounter with zoology and ecology while undertaking a Bachelor of Science degree that led her down a different path, into conservation.  

With the area of conservation arguably never more important than right now, Lowry’s job comes with a lot of responsibility.

“I work hard to help set the priorities for the organisation… I try to identify, with the help of scientists across Australia, where we can have the greatest impact with the precious resources that we have,” she says.

“The toughest part of my job is deciding which projects we won’t invest in because there are so many great, incredible, worthy causes.” 

Throughout Lowry’s career, she has worked alongside world class scientists and other dedicated experts and also some gorgeous but unpredictable animals as well. This has included an orangutan who spat at a politician, a biting wombat and many a head landing bird.

“You know what they say about working with animals,” she laughs.

One recent experience Lowry says she will never forget though was working with the Gudjuda Rangers tagging and releasing green sea turtles on the Great Barrier Reef.

“Being involved in this process just shows that there are solutions out there and communities willing to do what it takes to save their local species.”

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In addition to these incredible animal encounters, Lowry works with donors, corporates, traditional owners, scientists, and government representatives in order to help move toward what she calls a “nature-positive future.”

This can include helping influence government policy, where she believes some of the biggest changes can be made.

“Most weeks I meet with government representatives. This week it included members of the Federal Government and the Environment Minister’s Office, asking them to honour their commitment to establishing an independent environmental protection agency for Australia.”

This is important Lowry says, as we need to ensure people are sticking to our nature laws, something that is not happening at the moment

“We have good data to show our land clearing rates are so high, in fact some of the worst in the world, because people aren’t abiding by the law when selecting which landscapes to clear or whether that clearing really is needed.”

Due to the threats like land clearing, climate change and invasive species, there are over 1,800 plants and animals at risk of extinction in Australia. In the last 200 years we’ve lost 100 native plants and animals including 34 mammals.

“Climate change is wreaking havoc on all sorts threatened species in the wild and it's only going to get worse, so we need to prepare and do everything in our power to help our species,” Lowry says. 

One way in which the WWF-Australia is working to reverse the extinction crisis within Australia is by collecting data to answer questions on fire impacts and the recovery of wildlife.

This includes the Eyes on Recovery Program, where remotely activated cameras are placed around bushfire-affected landscapes to identify which species are bouncing back and which are continuing to decline or no longer present and need help, fast.

Due in part to WWF-Australia’s work, koalas have been identified as an endangered species in Queensland, New South Wales and the ACT. 

Having a national icon listed as endangered may be heartbreaking in itself but Lowry says it is also “a signal that many other species are also suffering, including others we don’t see as easily.” 

One Australian species who have been affected and gone under the radar is the platypus. Due to climate change, habitat destruction, predators and bushfire ash falling into the waterways, their natural habitat has been compromised in some areas. They too need our help.

While it can be disheartening to hear some of this information, Lowry doesn’t want people to feel like it is all too much or too hard, because it isn’t.

“This is why we launched Regenerate Australia. The solutions are there for us we just have to, as a society, from all sectors, want it bad enough to make the changes.” 

Lowry says that there are “so many ways everyday people can get involved to make a difference."

From making donations to causes you trust and feel passionate about so they can do good work, reducing your use of single-use plastics, buying only ethically sourced produce and products and recyclable products.

There is also a really fantastic tool that “all Australians can use called the My Backyard tool,” says Lowry.

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“We made the My Backyard tool because we recognise knowledge and information are power and if we want to help, we’ve got to start by understanding which species live around us because they are the ones who need us the most."

The My Backyard tool can provide insight into the incredible array of threatened wildlife that can be found in your backyard including, koalas who can eat up to a kilo of eucalyptus leaves every day, greater gliders, the largest gliding marsupial in the world, and quokkas, the smiliest animal in the world, with more than 20,000 selfies on Instagram. 

No matter where you live in Australia, from the bustling cities to the sea, from suburban sprawls to the outback, from the mountains to the plains – there are unique and unusual animals everywhere ready to be found and anyone can use this tool to help identify them. 

Lowry says that people can help to 'rewild' their backyards by discovering "what native plant species you can plant to attract more wildlife into your garden. Or partner up with your neighbours and create a habitat corridor and give them a real chance.” 

The tool also grades the federal government on how well they’re looking after wildlife in your backyard and provides direct links to your local MP so you can ask them to do more, because as Lowry says, “this is how democracy works.”

Together, we can regenerate Australia's wildlife. Find out what threatened wildlife could call your backyard home and how you can help them thrive again with WWF-Australia's My Backyard tool.

Feature Image: WWF-Australia.