A new study says Australia is one of just seven countries responsible for 60 per cent of the world's biodiversity loss from 1996-2008.

A team from Oxford University looked at the change in conservation status of species in 109 countries and compared that to conservation funding.

They found that conservation funding reduced biodiversity loss by around a third per country on average and that how far those dollars go depends on environmental pressure from human development.

The authors say their study can help policy makers figure out how much funding is needed to achieve a specific biodiversity goal.

The new evidence-based model can be used to predict the impact of conservation funding on biodiversity loss, providing decision-makers with a tool for informing one of the most important strategic decisions in global biodiversity policy: the financing that each country needs to commit to achieve specific biodiversity goals.

The latest paper is accessible here.