Koala now considered endangered in NSW, Queensland and the ACT
Koala: Following a dramatic decline in population, Australia has designated the marsupial as an endangered species along most of its east coast. Land clearing, bushfires, drought, disease, and other threats have decimated the once-thriving marsupial. The listing, according to the federal government, is for Queensland, New South Wales, and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).
It has been urged to do more to protect koalas from habitat loss and climate change.Only in 2012 was the species designated as “vulnerable” in those states and territories. Governments have been accused of dithering despite the rapid deterioration.
“This listing adds priority when it comes to the conservation of the koala,” Environment Minister Sussan Ley said on Friday.
She stated that officials were working on a recovery plan, and that land development applications would now be evaluated for their impact on the species. A New South Wales inquiry last year concluded that koalas would become extinct in the state by 2050 unless immediate action was taken. It was estimated that the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires killed 5,000 koalas and destroyed 24 percent of their habitats in New South Wales alone.
According to Australia’s largest Koala conservation group, there may be as few as 50,000 of the animals left in the wild.
“Within a decade, koalas went from no listing to vulnerable to endangered. That’s a startlingly rapid decline “WWF-Australia conversation scientist Stuart Blanch said. ” Today’s decision is welcome, but it will not prevent koalas from becoming extinct unless it is accompanied by stronger laws and landowner incentives to protect their forest habitats.”
Climate change, according to scientists, will exacerbate bushfires and drought, as well as reduce the quality of the animal’s eucalyptus leaf diet. Koalas can also be found in South Australia and Victoria, but conservation groups claim that their numbers are declining across the country.
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