Australia is commencing a very ambitious project that will connect the east and west coasts of the continent with a corridor of wildlife refuge. In light of global warming and the expected mass extinctions of many life forms, Australia wants to provide shelter for animals; they will provide a home for the furry, the cuddly and the scaly. The way in which this wildlife refuge will protect animals is that as climate change impacts and destroys previous habitats, the animals will have this nature preserve to live in.

Imagine this area of land as a giant belt tied around the waist of Australia. The area is being called a climate “spine”; it’s funnier to think of it as a belt that keeps the country healthy, and slim! The whole concept is a no-brainer for Australia as they already have most of the land within the 1,740 mile long spine designated as protected habitat. The work that remains to be done is connecting up a few portions of land between national parks, state lands and protected forests.

Australia is a land that is drying up as a result of climate change trends. Creating a protected segment of land will give the whole continent some measure of resilience and maintain a better chance for the survival of the many organisms that inhabit the continent. One cannot help but wonder why this preserved corridor is only running east-west. What about the whole north and south part of the continent? There must be many organisms living there as well; can all these creatures really make it hundreds of miles during a traumatic weather incident?