The native habitats of marsupial were devastated by protracted drought, bushfires, and developers chopping down trees, prompting Australia to label koalas as endangered throughout much of its east coast on Friday.
Scientists and academics have warned that unless the government intervenes quickly to conserve the iconic Australian animal and its environment, it might go extinct.
‘The new listing highlights the challenges the species is facing. Together we can ensure a healthy future for the koala and this decision will play a key role in that process’, Environment Minister Sussan Ley said in a statement. Ley added that Koalas in New South Wales, Queensland, and the Australian Capital Territory will now be classified as endangered, rather than vulnerable.
According to the Australian Koala Foundation, Australia has lost nearly 30% of its koalas in the previous three years, with numbers believed to have decreased to fewer than 58,000 from more than 80,000 in 2018, with the biggest decline in New South Wales, where numbers have dropped by 41%.
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Bushfires killed or wounded more than 60,000 koalas in late 2019 and early 2020, as per a World Wide Fund for Nature report, when flames scorched over 17 million hectares (65,630 square miles), an area roughly half the size of Germany.
However, even before the fires, koala habitats were rapidly dwindling as a result of land removal for agriculture, urban expansion, mining, and forestry. Koalas are usually found in eucalypt forests in eastern Australia and along the coast. Environmentalists applauded the decision but said it should have been made far sooner.
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