Australia To Build Cross-Continent Corridor For Wildlife

Australia will create a wildlife corridor spanning the continent to allow animals and plants to flee the effects of global warming. Reuters reports that the 1,740 mile climate “spine,” approved by state and national governments, will link the country’s entire east coast, from the snow-capped Australian alps in the south to the tropical north Queensland. “A lot of that forest and vegetation spine is already there. But there are still blockages,” David Lindenmayer, a professor of conservation biology, told Reuters. Climate scientists have predicted temperatures rising by up to 12 degrees Fahrenheit by 2080 in the country’s vast outback interior. The corridor will link national parks, state forests and government land, and help preserve scores of endangered species. . . For an in-depth look at plans for similar corridors in the U.S., check out the work of the Wildlands Project in Gone, in the May/June 2007 issue of MoJo. JULIA WHITTY