Status: 02/11/2022 12:14 p.m
Pictures of koalas with burned fur went around the world after the bushfires in Australia. But droughts and deforestation also pose a serious threat to the animals. Now the government wants to better protect the koalas.
In Australia, the koalas are in danger and are now better protected in large parts of the country. In the states of New South Wales and Queensland as well as in the Australian Capital Territory with the capital Canberra, the endangerment status of the funny marsupials is officially upgraded from “vulnerable” to “endangered”, as Environment Minister Sussan Ley announced.
Droughts, bush fires, deforestation: According to the government, the koala population has declined sharply. The animals should now be better protected.
Image: REUTERS
Millions planned for koala protection
Persistent droughts, devastating bushfires, disease and habitat loss have led to a sharp decline in the koala population over the past 20 years. The government wants to spend 50 million Australian dollars (31 million euros) over the next four years to protect the animals. “We are taking unprecedented action to protect the koala and are collaborating with scientists, medical researchers, veterinarians, communities, states, local governments and indigenous people,” Ley said.
Koalas hit hard by devastating bushfires
In particular, the massive bush fires from August 2019 to March 2020 hit the cute animals hard. According to estimates by the environmental organization WWF, more than 60,000 of the koalas that are only native Down Under were killed, injured, driven away or traumatized. Images of animals with singed fur and burned paws went around the world.
“National icon” in danger
The animal protection organization International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) announced that the protection status was upgraded on the basis of two scientific studies. These would have shown that the koala population in tropical Queensland has plummeted by at least 50 percent since 2001 and koalas in New South Wales are even threatened with extinction. “The decision to upgrade protection status was now urgent,” said Rebecca Keeble, IFAW Oceania Regional Director.
It is imperative now to secure key koala habitats, reconnect wildlife corridors and minimize key threats to the animals. “It shouldn’t have gotten to the point where Australia is now in danger of losing a national icon,” said Keeble. The koala situation must be a wake-up call for Australia and for the government to speed up its efforts.
WWF expert Stuart Blanch described the new classification for koalas on Australia’s east coast as important. “However, unless there are stricter laws and incentives for landowners to protect forest areas, this will not stop the koala’s threatened extinction,” he warned.
“No more deforestation”
Environmentalist Alexia Wellbelove of the Humane Society International organization warned that koalas on Australia’s east coast could be extinct by 2050 if no further action is taken by politicians. “We can’t afford any more deforestation,” she warned.
There are no official numbers for the koalas living on Australia’s east coast. However, environmentalists assume that the number has fallen from 185,000 animals in 2001 to 92,000 in 2021.