Green Team

National Threatened Species Day

Last week (Monday 7 September 2026) commemorated the anniversary of the death of the last Tasmanian Tiger, which died on this day in 1936. National Threatened Species Day raises awareness of the more than 2,000 plants and animals officially recognised as being at risk of extinction in Australia.

Peregrine Falcon and Livestream

The Peregrine Falcon suffered a devastating worldwide population decline between the 1950s and 1970s due to the widespread use of pesticides, particularly DDT. This chemical accumulated in prey species and was then consumed by Peregrines, severely impacting their reproductive success. DDT caused abnormally thin eggshells, resulting in eggs being crushed in the nest.

Peregrine Falcons almost became extinct in some regions, but successful conservation efforts enabled populations to recover, making it a notable conservation success story.

A pair of Peregrine Falcons has returned to nest atop a skyscraper at Melbourne's 367 Collins Street, and the hugely popular 24-hour livestream of their nest is once again online.

The livestream is managed by the Victorian Peregrine Project, run by BirdLife Australia which can be watched here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oibsohQ14cY 

Get Involved: Moth Tracker

One way to support the recovery of threatened species is by contributing to citizen science projects such as Zoos Victoria's Moth Tracker: https://mothtracker.swifft.net.au/ 

This project enables people to record Bogong Moth sightings, helping conservation efforts for the Endangered Bogong Moth and the Critically Endangered Mountain Pygmy-possum.

Each spring, Bogong Moths undertake an epic migration of up to 1,000 km to Australia's alpine regions. At the same time, Mountain Pygmy-possums emerge from hibernation hungry for the nutritious moths that form a vital part of their diet. Bogong Moths once migrated to the possums' mountain habitat in their billions, but their numbers have declined significantly in recent years. This has placed the moths at risk and may leave insufficient food for the possums to successfully raise their young.

Your sightings will help scientists better understand the moths' migration and estimate how many may reach the alpine mountains this year.

Burrunan Dolphin

The Critically Endangered Burrunan Dolphin is one of three species of bottlenose dolphin and is endemic to Victoria.

Key threats to the Burrunan Dolphin include chemical and heavy metal pollution, plastic pollution, disturbance from marine vessels, entanglement in fishing gear, and climate change.

Visit Victoria's Threatened List and Processes List to learn more about Victoria's other at-risk species: https://www.environment.vic.gov.au/conserving-threatened-species/threatened-list 

Written by Erin, Molly and Kayla