Is a grumpy ecologist an oxymoron?

This paper examines the widespread phenomenon of grumpiness among Australia’s ecologists and members of related disciplines. It argues that their disillusionment is a result of consistent first-hand experience of irretrievable, but preventable, losses of species and ecosystems. It also contends that the lessons of their professional experience continue to go unheeded by the broader community, and that this increases their feeling of disillusionment. The paper examines the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ report Measures of Australia’s Progress in the context of the threats facing Australian fauna and the existing state of public knowledge concerning these threats. It then analyses the results of the Who Cares About the Environment? report, conducted by the Office of Environment and Heritage, New South Wales (2012). It concludes that these reports illustrate a disturbing lack of knowledge and awareness of our fauna among the Australian public, as well as the threats facing biodiversity.