What’s Happening to our Sea Lions?
Posted on: Tue 16 Mar 2021
Australian Sea Lions (Neophoca cinerea) are an icon of South Australian eco-tourism. At Seal Bay on Kangaroo Island, and in rocky outcrops along the southern coasts of South Australia and WA. But their legacy is at risk.
Since 2008, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has classified our endemic sea lion as endangered under their Red List.
Until December 23rd of 2020, they remained classified as ‘vulnerable’ under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act of 1999 – since 2005.
The research of Dr. Simon Goldsworthy and his colleagues is responsible for this recent up-listing, finding a 64% decline in populations over more than 40 years.
Dr. Goldsworthy joins Barometer’s Leon Bishop to elaborate on his work defining the conservation status of the Australian Sea Lion.
Produced by Leon Bishop
Image sourced: Domenico Salvagnin (CC BY 2.5 AU)
