Bogong moth in perilous trouble due to climate change. Mountain pygmy possums are starving because of it.

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Image: Billions of Bogong moths normally line the walls of alpine caves during summer but numbers have plummeted due to a range of environmental factors.(Supplied: Dean Heinz)

‘Canary in coal mine’: Bogong moth added to world’s most threatened species

By Laura Chung

Millions of bogong moths migrate thousands of kilometres to Australia’s alpine region each year to coat the walls of caves, just as marsupials emerge from their winter slumber and prepare to feast.

But worsening drought conditions over the past four years have drastically reduced the number of moths and landed the insect alongside some of the world’s most threatened species, as scientists warn its decline is the proverbial canary in the coal mine.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature has included the endangered bogong moth on its Red List for the first time.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature has included the endangered bogong moth on its Red List for the first time.CREDIT:ALEX ELLINGHAUSEN

The International Union for Conservation of Nature released its Red List, the most comprehensive global inventory of biodiversity, on Friday, logging 40,084 species at risk of extinction. In Australia, 1830 animals are ranked as either critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable.

Among this year’s results, the bogong moth made its first appearance, receiving an endangered status. Other Australian animals also at risk of extinction are the vulnerable grey-headed flying fox and the critically endangered Arcadia velvet gecko.

Grey-headed Flying-fox descend from the tree canopy looking for a cooler place.
Grey-headed Flying-fox descend from the tree canopy looking for a cooler place. CREDIT:DOUGLAS GIMESY

Eric Warrant, Australian zoology professor at Sweden’s Lund University, said he hoped the bogong moth would one day be removed from the list, but it was rare for species to be removed once they were added.

“The bogong moth is the canary in the coal mine,” he said. “I couldn’t imagine five years ago that it would be included on this list. There were four billion of these moths entering the Australian Alps … I would have almost laughed if someone had suggested [they’d be on the list] … It has brought home to me that even a highly abundant insect like the bogong moth can decline.”

Dr Warrant said that while land-clearing and agricultural practices had been one of the driving forces for the moths’ gradual decline since the 1980s, climate change — particularly the 2017 to 2020 drought — had caused the biggest devastation of the population.

“I hope it spurs politicians and governments to understand the consequences of climate change,” he said.

Senior research scientist at the Australian Museum Andrew Mitchell said the moths played a vital role in the ecosystem, feeding on many plants and providing a food source for countless animals in the alpine region.

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“They are a pretty crucial part of the ecosystem. If you take them out, it has to have a knock-on effect for everyone,” he said.

Dr Mitchell added he hoped the Red List report would feed into federal and state conservation regulation, with newly added animals possibly getting better protection.

Since colonisation, about 100 of Australia’s unique flora and fauna species have been wiped off the planet, including 34 mammals. The rate of loss, which is as comprehensive as anywhere else on Earth, has not slowed over the past 200 years.

ANU ecologist professor David Lindenmayer said there was a greater need for investing in the conservation of Australia’s ecosystems.

“We have dropped the ball on environmental management, biodiversity conservation, research and monitoring,” he said. “Our list is going to get longer and longer [unless we do something] and we are going to see more and more species more and more threatened as time goes on.”

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Professor Lindenmayer added that animals could often deal with one external pressure on their habitats, but were contending with a combination of threats.

“Because the climate is changing so quickly, the interventions needed to conserve more and more animals are critical,” he said. “If you have one thing going wrong in life once, it’s hard – if you have two things, it’s a nightmare. If you have three things, it’s impossible and that is what we are asking biodiversity to deal with.”

The Australian Conservation Foundation’s nature campaigner Jess Abrahams said Australia had a poor record when it came to species extinctions, with the group urging the federal government to introduce legally binding standards to national environment law.

A spokesman for federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley said the government had supported the analysis of the 2019 to 2020 bushfires on native plants and animals, which included the bogong moth, and this had been used by the IUCN. He added that part of a $200 million bushfire recovery effort was going towards regenerating moth habitats in the alpine regions.

Bogong moths, which were so plentiful 20 years ago that hundreds of thousands of them disrupted the Sydney Olympics when they were attracted to stadium floodlights, have been added to an international red list of threatened and endangered species.

The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List – the world’s most comprehensive source of information on the extinction risk status of plants and animals – added a number of Australian species to the list overnight, including the Bogong moth, the Grey-headed flying fox and the Arcadia velvet gecko.

The Australian Conservation Foundation’s nature campaigner, Jess Abrahams, said the collapse of Bogong moth numbers was affecting other species that rely of the moths for food.

“Every Spring, mountain pygmy possums in the Australian Alps wake up from their hibernation and build up strength for breeding by feasting on the billions of Bogong moths that have migrated from the lowlands to the mountains,” Mr Abrahams said.

“But in recent years the critically endangered pygmy possums have gone hungry because hardly any Bogong moths have turned up in the mountains, forcing researchers to supplement their diet with artificial ‘bogong-bikkies’.

“The reason for the moth’s sudden decline is not entirely clear, but scientists believe a mix of extreme droughts, pesticides and changes in agricultural practices may be responsible.

“The Bogong moth’s population crash – and its cascading impact on other species – should concern every Australian, as we all depend on the interconnected web of nature, which gives us drinkable water, pollinated crops and clean air.

“Australia has a terrible record on species extinctions. ACF urges the federal government to increase funding to tackle the extinction crisis and introduce strong legally binding standards to the national environment law, as proposed by Professor Graeme Samuel.

“Let’s not let the Bogong moth and the Mountain pygmy possum join the growing list of extinctions,” he said.

10 DECEMBER 2021

Once-plentiful Bogong moth added to global endangered species list

JOSH MEADOWS

Media Adviser at the Australian Conservation Foundation

Bogong moths, which were so plentiful 20 years ago that hundreds of thousands of them disrupted the Sydney Olympics when they were attracted to stadium floodlights, have been added to an international red list of threatened and endangered species.

The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List – the world’s most comprehensive source of information on the extinction risk status of plants and animals – added a number of Australian species to the list overnight, including the Bogong moth, the Grey-headed flying fox and the Arcadia velvet gecko.

The Australian Conservation Foundation’s nature campaigner, Jess Abrahams, said the collapse of Bogong moth numbers was affecting other species that rely of the moths for food.

“Every Spring, mountain pygmy possums in the Australian Alps wake up from their hibernation and build up strength for breeding by feasting on the billions of Bogong moths that have migrated from the lowlands to the mountains,” Mr Abrahams said.

“But in recent years the critically endangered pygmy possums have gone hungry because hardly any Bogong moths have turned up in the mountains, forcing researchers to supplement their diet with artificial ‘bogong-bikkies’.

“The reason for the moth’s sudden decline is not entirely clear, but scientists believe a mix of extreme droughts, pesticides and changes in agricultural practices may be responsible.

“The Bogong moth’s population crash – and its cascading impact on other species – should concern every Australian, as we all depend on the interconnected web of nature, which gives us drinkable water, pollinated crops and clean air.

“Australia has a terrible record on species extinctions. ACF urges the federal government to increase funding to tackle the extinction crisis and introduce strong legally binding standards to the national environment law, as proposed by Professor Graeme Samuel.

“Let’s not let the Bogong moth and the Mountain pygmy possum join the growing list of extinctions,” he said.

Bogong moths used to be in such abundance that First Nations people gathered from all over the region to feast on them.

The five-yearly State of the Environment report is due to be released by the federal government soon and is expected to reveal even further declines in the health of plants, animals and ecosystems across Australia.

Read more about The flight of the Bogong moth… and the possum who waits

Header pic: Alamy

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