7 September 1999 - National Threatened Species Day 1999
‘The Leafy Seadragon - The Land and Sea Connection’

The spectacular Leafy Seadragon was given another helping hand today with the release of a guide and a calendar of community events which will directly help protect the species off the South Australian coastline. The booklets were produced in the lead up to National Threatened Species Day, 7 September 1999. The listed events are scattered across South Australia and will occur throughout the month of September (Biodiversity Month).

National Threatened Species Day, held every year to commemorate the day the last Tasmanian Tiger died in captivity in 1936, is a key initiative of the Threatened Species Network, a community based program of the World Wide Fund For Nature and Endangered Species Program of the Natural Heritage Trust.

“There is increasing concern about the future of seadragons which are threatened by both habitat destruction and collection for the aquarium fish trade” explained Ms Vicki-Jo Russell, TSN (SA) State Coordinator. “The Leafy Seadragon relies on seagrass meadows and algal beds which are under threat off the coast of South Australia”.

The Leafy Seadragon’s habitat is largely disappearing as a result of decreased water quality, primarily due to land-based pollution and sediment run-off. “Increasingly groups are beginning to highlight the importance of catchment care to the seadragon” said Mr Jeremy Gramp, Dragon Search (SA) Project Officer.

Interested community members can find out more about the Leafy Seadragon and order a copy of the guide and the calendar of events by contacting the Threatened Species Network (SA) on +61 8 8223 5155 or by visiting the TSN website at: http://www.nccnsw.org.au/member/tsn.