With the May 6, 2019 release of the United National Scientific Report, “Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystems” alarm has been raised amongst conservation bodies and the public around the world.
Not only have one million species of animals been acknowledged as facing risk of extinction, but Australians are personally facing the loss of one of their most beloved and iconic marsupials: the Phascolarctos cinereous, more commonly known as the Koala.
Whilst this beloved animal has only been labelled as “vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List, it’s already been deemed “functionally extinct” by the Australian Koala Foundation (AKF), an Australian NGO familiar with the behaviours, habitat and devastation experienced by the Koala in recent years.
The AKF released studies that focused on koala populations throughout Australia, with findings revealing an estimated remaining population of merely 80,000 in total.
The cause for these dwindling numbers can be attributed to deforestation, disease (an alarmingly high number of Koalas suffer from a strain of Chlamydia not so different from that suffered by humans and environmental stressors brought on by climate change. Koalas are characteristically sensitive animals, so environmental changes in their ecosystem are keenly felt, resulting in an inability to adapt quickly enough.
In order to curb these alarming statistics and the cause of the Koala’s demise, The Koala Protection Act (KPA) has been created by the AKF in the hopes of being ratified and enacted by the appropriate legislative bodies. Suggested parameters within include championing reservations and protecting existing habitats. However, none of the existing political parties have shown any intention of following through with the act, let alone acknowledging it, despite the KPA being readily available for ratification since 2016.
Deborah Tabart, the chief executive of the AKF stated, “Unlike some of my younger conservation colleagues, I have seen the Koala betrayed before. I have heard many empty promises from members of Government pretending to protect the Koala. Look where we are now. The Koala Protection Act will work and it is ready to go.”
Tabart continues with her reprimand of the government’s inaction stating, “I know the Australian public are concerned for the safety of Koalas and are tired of seeing dead Koalas on our roads. It is time for the Government to respect the Koala and protect its habitat.”
The current federal government’s inactivity proves even more negligent as out of the 128 electorates within Australia, Koalas have become extinct in 41 electorates.
What will it take for the Australian government to turn the tide in order to save this vulnerable species?
Zoos are not the answer and relocation can be fraught with risk. In the Queensland Government’s attempt to relocate 180 koalas to East Coomera, half of the subjects died due to the sensitive nature of the animals.
Instead, what is needed is a commitment to protect the existing habitats of existing koalas. Over development in metropolitan areas has led to an influx in housing and amenities as new suburbs spring up where dense forestry once dominated. This begs the question of how we are to balance the needs of our growing nation with the needs of the wildlife whose welfare we are charged to ensure. Progress or preservation? That is the question.
The solution? Dedication to a future were both of us have a future, humans and koalas alike.
