Australian government adviser urges threatened species overhaul after bushfires

Exclusive: Helene Marsh backs calls for the creation of national scientific monitoring system to help protect wildlife

A senior adviser to the federal government on threatened species has backed calls for the creation of a national scientific monitoring system after the bushfire crisis to help fix Australia's "very uneven" record in protecting endangered wildlife.

Helene Marsh, chair of the national threatened species scientific committee and an emeritus professor of environmental science at James Cook University, said the scale of the ecological tragedy had made Australians more aware of the risks facing the country's unique animals and plants and provided an opportunity to improve conservation.