Australia declares koalas an endangered species

Australia Friday officially classified koala As one of the “endangered” species in many of its eastern coasts after suffering the consequences Forest firesthe Elimination of Foreststhe drought and diseases.

Conservation organizations warn that the number of these marsupials has declined across much of eastern Australia in the past two decades, and they warn that they may be headed toward extinction.

The environment minister, Susan Lee, said the animals had been classified as “endangered” to provide them with a higher level of protection in the states of New South Wales, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory.

“We are taking unprecedented measures to protect koalas,” he added, referring to the government’s recent pledge to allocate 50 million Australian dollars (More than $35 million USD) for safekeeping.

The koala, an internationally recognized symbol of Australia’s unique wildlife, was classified as “vulnerable” on the east coast a decade ago.

The koalas have gone from being “vulnerable to critically endangered within a decade. It’s a surprisingly rapid decline,” said Stuart Blanche, a conservation specialist at the World Wide Fund for Nature in Australia.

“Today’s decision is welcome, but it will not prevent koalas from sliding into extinction unless accompanied by stronger laws and incentives to protect forests,” he added.

The Scientific Committee on Endangered Species, an independent government agency, estimates that the koala population fell from 185,000 to 92,000 between 2001 and 2021.

can disappear

For Alexia Wellbelove of Humane Society International, koalas could disappear on the East Coast by 2050 if nothing is done.

“We can’t take any more. Sign Up“, Confirms.

Studies by the Australian Conservation Foundation show that the federal government has approved Over 25,000 hectares of koala habitat have been cut down Since the species has been declared endangered.

Read also: The number of koalas decreased by 30%

“Australian environmental laws are so ineffective that they have failed to stop the ongoing destruction of koala habitats in Queensland and New South Wales for ten years when the species was already supposed to be protected,” said Pasha Stasak, who is in charge of the foundation. .

“We must stop allowing their habitats to be demolished for mining, real estate or agricultural projects and industrial logging,” he added.

Josie Schrad, director of the International Fund for Animal Welfare, explained that before the devastating fires that ravaged the country between 2019 and 2020, koalas were already threatened by deforestation, drought, disease, car accidents and dog attacks.

Read also: Chlamydia vaccine in koalas, key to humans

“We shouldn’t have let things get to the point where we risk losing a national symbol,” he said.

According to her, “The forest fires were the straw that broke the camel’s back. This should be a wake-up call to act faster, protect essential habitats from development and logging and to deal seriously with the impacts of climate change“.

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