To our elected representatives,

First Nations peoples have cared for these ancient, interconnected ecosystems for tens of thousands of years. But since colonisation, the lands, waters, and skies have been degraded and polluted. It hurts to see the relentless damage happening all around us. Australia now has the second-highest rate of biodiversity loss on Earth.

We are part of a growing movement of people who are doing what we can to protect, recover, and revive nature. We rescue wildlife, plant trees, clean-up beaches, and teach our kids to love the natural world. We tackle climate change and fight-off invasive species. We speak up for places that need protecting, and we stand up for threatened animals that call these places home. We won't stop; Nature keeps us going.

But the truth is, no matter how hard we work, community action alone cannot keep up with the scale of destruction. Vast areas of critical habitat are still being bulldozed, extinction rates are rising, and Australia's environmental laws are failing us.

We need you, our elected representatives, to show leadership and act.

We, the undersigned, call on the Government to deliver:

• New, stronger nature protections. 
  

  Australia’s nature laws have not been updated for over 23 years. The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act is failing to halt ecological decline. We need laws that actually protect nature.
  
  

• Recovery plans for all threatened species in WA. 
  

  Current recovery plans aren’t working. When floods or bushfires hit people, recovery is fully funded and delivered. WA’s threatened plants and wildlife are in crisis and deserve the same urgency and commitment to recovery. 
  
  

• An ambitious Biodiversity Strategy.  
  

  Development in WA continues to ignore cumulative damage and compounding threats to the environment. A proactive, statewide plan is urgently needed to protect and restore ecosystems. 
  
  

• Major investment in ecological restoration and protection of all remaining critical habitat. 
  

  Restoration in WA is chronically under-resourced. We need sustained funding to restore degraded areas and stronger legislation to protect what we have left. 
  
  

• Strict limits on environmental offsets. 
  

  Offsets have been misused to enable the ongoing destruction of nature. They must only be used as a last resort and only if meaningful conservation outcomes are guaranteed.  

This is how we begin to turn things around – together. 

We need you to work with us on these and other urgent reforms. It is the only way to protect nature, save threatened species, and end extinctions. 

___________________  

Be a voice for nature. Add your name to this open letter now.

Sign here: ccwa.org.au/wewontstop

This letter was published on 7 September, Threatened Species Day, 2025.