Canberra, Australia – Koalas were officially declared endangered on Friday in eastern Australia as they are prone to disease, habitat loss and other threats.
Federal Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley downgraded its conservation status on the east coast of Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, on the recommendation of the Scientific Committee on Threatened Species of the government.
They had previously been listed as a vulnerable species.
Many koalas in Australia suffer from chlamydia. Koala populations in New South Wales have fallen by between 33% and 61% since 2001. In 2020, a parliamentary inquiry warned that the species could become extinct by 2050 without urgent action.
The number of koalas in Queensland has halved since 2001 due to drought, fires and deforestation. Some die in dog attacks or run over on the roads.
“Koalas have gone from not being on the list to being vulnerable to being in danger of extinction in a decade. That’s a surprisingly rapid decline,” said Stuart Blanch, conservation scientist at the World Wildlife Fund-Australia.
“Today’s decision is welcome, but it will not stop the koalas from slipping into extinction unless it is accompanied by stronger laws and incentives from homeowners to protect their forest homes,” he said.
The Australian Koala Foundation estimates that there are less than 100,000 koalas left in the wild, possibly only 43,000. Forest fires in the summer of 2019-20 killed at least 6,400 as rescuers worked desperately to save them and treat their wounds.
“There has been a lot of pressure on the koala. The black summer fires were, of course, a turning point. But we know that the koala is vulnerable to climate change and disease,” Ley told reporters at the Blue Mountains on Friday.
Ley said vaccines to prevent and treat chlamydia among koalas, the use of drones to study them and the restoration of habitat are ways the government can help protect the vulnerable marsupial.
The government says that including koalas as endangered will stand out and help deal with threats, while conservation groups argue that more needs to be done to prevent their extinction.
The Koala Australian Foundation has called for legislation to protect them and curb clean-up and mining projects that are destroying their habitats. He says koalas are also endangered in Victoria and South Australia.
Deborah Tabart, president of the foundation, said the designation of koalas as endangered was “nothing more than a symbolic gesture.”
“Behind all the photo opportunities and political rhetoric, they (the federal government) continue to approve of the destruction of koala habitat,” he said.
Add Comment