The extraordinary history of Southwest Australia's plants and animals - Professor Tim Flannery

Over millions of years the southwestern corner of Australia has acted as a refuge for species that were once widespread. It is a land of living fossils, many of which have not only survived but thrived and diversified. The bell-clapper shell belongs to a family of marine snails that were once spread around the world. When the sewers of Paris were being dug in the 19th century, workers found bell clapper shells that were almost a metre long and 50 million years old.

Today, the only place you can see these shells is around the coast of Australia's southwest. The beautiful dwarf eucalypts of the marlock group today can only be seen in the southwest, but 5 million years ago they grew around rainforests in eastern Australia. And the southwest played a crucial role in the evolutionary history of echidnas. These are just 3 examples among a multitude of species that make a compelling case that protection southwestern Australia's biodiversity should a national priority.

Biography

Tim Flannery was 2007 Australian of the Year. In 2013 he founded, and is chief councilor, of the Australian Climate Council, Australia's largest and most successful crowdfunded organisation.

Flannery has taught at Harvard University and has advised governments both in Australia and Canada. In 2007 he established and co-chaired the Copenhagen Climate Council, and in 2011| was appointed Australia's first Climate Commissioner. He serves on the board of the Prince Albert Il Foundation, has been a board member of WWF International and the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, an advisor to the National Geographic Society, and board member of the Kelp Blue Foundation. He has published over 140 peer-reviewed scientific papers and has named 25 living and 5o fossil mammal species, many of which are from PNG. His 32 books include The Future Eaters and The Weather Makers, which has been translated into over 20 languages. He has made numerous documentaries and regularly writes for the New York Review of Books. He serves on the Queensland Land Restoration Fund, a $100 million fund which focusses on carbon sequestration and biodiversity protection.