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Quarterly Essay #48
After The Future: Australia's New Extinction Crisis
Australia is home to many animals and plants found nowhere else on earth, making Australians caretakers of a unique heritage in a land that tolerates few mistakes. Yet, in After the Future, Tim Flannery shows that this country is now on the brink of a new wave of extinctions, which threatens to leave our national parks as “marsupial ghost towns.” Why are species becoming extinct despite the tens of millions of dollars being spent to protect nature? And what more should be done?
In this passionate and illuminating essay, Flannery tells the story of the human impact on the continent. He revisits his Future Eaters hypothesis, discussing how firestick farming helped to shape the ecology and preserve native fauna. He looks at the way recent governments, in tandem with an indifferent populace and a rabid libertarian right, have let environmental knowledge and commitments erode. Finally, he describes new approaches to wildlife conservation and argues that Australia must take the lead on these. This is an essay that rings the alarm on behalf of the natural world, and asks us to think again about protection of its irreplaceable riches.
“Such is the depth of public ignorance about Australia’s extinction crisis that most people are unaware that it is occurring, while those who do know of it commonly believe that our national parks and reserves are safe places for threatened species. In fact the second extinction wave is now in full swing, and it’s emptying our national parks and wildlife reserves as ruthlessly as other landscapes.”—Tim Flannery, After the Future
In this passionate and illuminating essay, Flannery tells the story of the human impact on the continent. He revisits his Future Eaters hypothesis, discussing how firestick farming helped to shape the ecology and preserve native fauna. He looks at the way recent governments, in tandem with an indifferent populace and a rabid libertarian right, have let environmental knowledge and commitments erode. Finally, he describes new approaches to wildlife conservation and argues that Australia must take the lead on these. This is an essay that rings the alarm on behalf of the natural world, and asks us to think again about protection of its irreplaceable riches.
“Such is the depth of public ignorance about Australia’s extinction crisis that most people are unaware that it is occurring, while those who do know of it commonly believe that our national parks and reserves are safe places for threatened species. In fact the second extinction wave is now in full swing, and it’s emptying our national parks and wildlife reserves as ruthlessly as other landscapes.”—Tim Flannery, After the Future
107 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2012
2 people are currently reading
67 people want to read
About the author
Tim Flannery
132 books393 followersTim Flannery is one of Australia's leading thinkers and writers.
An internationally acclaimed scientist, explorer and conservationist, he has published more than 130 peer-reviewed scientific papers and many books. His books include the landmark works The Future Eaters and The Weather Makers, which has been translated into more than 20 languages and in 2006 won the NSW Premiers Literary Prizes for Best Critical Writing and Book of the Year.
He received a Centenary of Federation Medal for his services to Australian science and in 2002 delivered the Australia Day address. In 2005 he was named Australian Humanist of the Year, and in 2007 honoured as Australian of the Year.
He spent a year teaching at Harvard, and is a founding member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists, a director of the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, and the National Geographic Society's representative in Australasia. He serves on the board of WWF International (London and Gland) and on the sustainability advisory councils of Siemens (Munich) and Tata Power (Mumbai).
In 2007 he co-founded and was appointed Chair of the Copenhagen Climate Council, a coalition of community, business, and political leaders who came together to confront climate change.
Tim Flannery is currently Professor of Science at Maquarie University, Sydney.
An internationally acclaimed scientist, explorer and conservationist, he has published more than 130 peer-reviewed scientific papers and many books. His books include the landmark works The Future Eaters and The Weather Makers, which has been translated into more than 20 languages and in 2006 won the NSW Premiers Literary Prizes for Best Critical Writing and Book of the Year.
He received a Centenary of Federation Medal for his services to Australian science and in 2002 delivered the Australia Day address. In 2005 he was named Australian Humanist of the Year, and in 2007 honoured as Australian of the Year.
He spent a year teaching at Harvard, and is a founding member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists, a director of the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, and the National Geographic Society's representative in Australasia. He serves on the board of WWF International (London and Gland) and on the sustainability advisory councils of Siemens (Munich) and Tata Power (Mumbai).
In 2007 he co-founded and was appointed Chair of the Copenhagen Climate Council, a coalition of community, business, and political leaders who came together to confront climate change.
Tim Flannery is currently Professor of Science at Maquarie University, Sydney.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 4, 2018
A somber account of Australia's inaction and poor decision making in the realm of biodiversity conservation and retention. We're in a dire climate for species preservation but Flannery provides a little light when talking about some of the NGO's going against the grain, and defying inept governments to protect some of our current threatened species.
March 7, 2020
Listening to these Qrtly Essays on audiobook are a great way to access them when I can't pick up a book, such as when the drudgery of housework can't be ignored any longer.
Unfortunately, as a nation, we still seem to be ignoring the extinction of many unique species despite warnings such as this essay that was first published in 2012.
This will become even more important after the extensive fires that have devastated vast tracks of native bushland, some beyond recovery because of the intensity of those catastrophic fires in the summer of 2019/2020.
While confronting, there is just over 2 hours of important information in this essay that could help us towards greater understanding of the necessity of action, that is, unless we want our natural heritage to disappear for good.
This essay is more confronting than Tim Flannery's most recent book, Europe, where he seems more resigned to what has already occurred and what can be done. An interesting contrast.
Unfortunately, as a nation, we still seem to be ignoring the extinction of many unique species despite warnings such as this essay that was first published in 2012.
This will become even more important after the extensive fires that have devastated vast tracks of native bushland, some beyond recovery because of the intensity of those catastrophic fires in the summer of 2019/2020.
While confronting, there is just over 2 hours of important information in this essay that could help us towards greater understanding of the necessity of action, that is, unless we want our natural heritage to disappear for good.
This essay is more confronting than Tim Flannery's most recent book, Europe, where he seems more resigned to what has already occurred and what can be done. An interesting contrast.
December 4, 2012
We live in times where children are nurtured and protected more than ever before, and for a longer and longer period, to ensure they will eventually move on safely into the world.
But what of the world they are moving in to.
Tim Flannery's essay "After the Future: Australia's new extinction crisis" is an essay of despair for our country and its collective flora and fauna, but it is also a cry for the sake of the planet.
Tim laments over the impotence of our politicians - what was the line Peter Garrett? 'It's better to die on you feet that live on your knees" - and barely contains his anger at all levels of Australian government, in the shameful way they fail to support programs they put in place, because that way there is less focus than if a program is funded and fails. Failure without assistance is deemed acceptable to these corridor cruisers.
What is wrong with the nation's community that it cannot find the means to look beyond it's selfish and egocentric needs, and realize that all life is interconnected, and the loss of just one more species may be the beginning of our own end?
If the bees are no longer around to pollinate the crops, and the crops fail........it's all too late then!!
But what of the world they are moving in to.
Tim Flannery's essay "After the Future: Australia's new extinction crisis" is an essay of despair for our country and its collective flora and fauna, but it is also a cry for the sake of the planet.
Tim laments over the impotence of our politicians - what was the line Peter Garrett? 'It's better to die on you feet that live on your knees" - and barely contains his anger at all levels of Australian government, in the shameful way they fail to support programs they put in place, because that way there is less focus than if a program is funded and fails. Failure without assistance is deemed acceptable to these corridor cruisers.
What is wrong with the nation's community that it cannot find the means to look beyond it's selfish and egocentric needs, and realize that all life is interconnected, and the loss of just one more species may be the beginning of our own end?
If the bees are no longer around to pollinate the crops, and the crops fail........it's all too late then!!
January 6, 2014
A passionate but reasoned call to action for the survival of our biodiversity for future generations. The animals are lucky to have such a spectacular person on their side as they have in Tim Flannery. Hopefully others will follow.
November 5, 2020
Ooh Australian mega-fauna was my favourite. Giant marsupial lions for the win.
An interesting concept that the keystone species in the Australian environment is man after tens of thousands of years of intervention by the Native people. As he points out, white man arrived three lifetimes ago, give or take.
Tragically, the hatred of everything marked ‘green’ he mentions here is still in place eight years later and our current political leaders have zero invested in climate science, even after we all nearly burnt to a crisp last summer.
4 despairing stars
An interesting concept that the keystone species in the Australian environment is man after tens of thousands of years of intervention by the Native people. As he points out, white man arrived three lifetimes ago, give or take.
Tragically, the hatred of everything marked ‘green’ he mentions here is still in place eight years later and our current political leaders have zero invested in climate science, even after we all nearly burnt to a crisp last summer.
4 despairing stars
July 21, 2021
Building on his previous landmark work " the future eaters " this essay presents a sad documentation of the extinction crisis continuing today and what might be done to preserve some habitat and species with carefully considered action. Unfortunately this action appears destined to be reliant on NGO's rather than our inert governments both state and federal.
February 3, 2026
From ancient to modern habitat change in Australia, to an expansive focus on biodiversity in modern Australia. Eye opening, especially in how low the cost is to save our native species. I have read this one quite a while after its publication and am curious to hear an update, so if you know a good source for one, please let me know.
June 25, 2022
Got me interested in ecology and conservation. Also wanna know more Australian natural history — specifically indigenous fire stick farming.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews