It's a sad fact that the state of the environment in New South Wales is declining. And it can be pretty dispiriting to think about the number of species and ecosystems that are in trouble. But we can turn things around, literally and figuratively, if we think about how close we are to some of those species and what we can do for them.

Data from the Threatened Species in Cities database developed by staff at the University of Melbourne provides accessible and engaging information on how many threatened species are living among us. For Wollongong, the database lists 10 threatened plants and a massive 26 threatened animals, including sea birds, frogs, birds and even the koala.

Each and every one of us can do things that make the prospects of these species brighter.

For example, right now, in rainforest pockets around the Illawarra (or as far south as Balgownie at least), the beautiful little shrub known as Rainforest Senna (Senna acclinis) is flowering or fruiting. It's got gorgeous bright yellow flowers that attract a wide range of insect pollinators. If you're wandering around in bushland along the escarpment, you might see Rainforest Senna flowering right now. 

 But – a word of warning! There are many introduced species of Senna growing in this region, and they are well-known as horrible weeds, spreading rapidly and dominating the rainforest understorey if not kept in check. So if you see a beautiful yellow flower, it might equally be Easter Cassia (Senna pendula. var. glabrata) or Winter Senna (Senna septemtrionalis). These species are common and widespread, and a lot of effort is put into eradicating them.  

So… what to do? Pay close attention to the features of any Senna plant you see. In particular, the seed pods. Pods of the endangered Rainforest Senna are flat, while those of the introduced Senna species are round. The picture below shows the flat Rainforest Senna seed pods. Keep an eye out when you're walking in bushland, or even in your garden. You might have an endangered species on your hands. 

And this is just the start. If you check out the Threatened Species in Cities database, you'll find that our houses, gardens, workplaces and parks are all home to some amazing threatened plants and animals including the Gang-gang Cockatoo, Broad-headed Snake, Eastern Quoll, and even the Koala, which is moving back into the Illawarra region from south-east Sydney.

Each and every one of us can help support these amazing and vulnerable creatures by growing more local native plants in our gardens, creating habitat stepping stones for native fauna, and talking to our neighbours about the benefits of biodiversity.

We all depend on the complex web of biodiversity for our own survival – let's step up to help those species that are vulnerable and need our protection now.