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The koala is now on Australia’s list of endangered species following a steady decline in its population.
The drop in the Australian marsupial’s numbers is attributed to land clearing and catastrophic bushfires — including thecountry’s devastating 2019-2020 bushfire season, whichkilled thousands of koalas, according toThe Guardian.
The Australian government moved the koala’s status from threatened to endangered following a recommendation from the threatened species scientific committee. After the recommendation, the government adjusted the conservation status of koala populations in Queensland, New South Wales (NSW), and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT),The Guardianadded.
“Today, I am increasing the protection for koalas in NSW, the ACT, and Queensland, listing them as endangered rather than their previous designation of vulnerable,” Australia’s environment minister, Susan Ley, said perThe Guardian.
She added that the government would adopt a long-awaited national recovery plan for the animal in addition to listing koalas as endangered.
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This change comes after the governmentpledged $50 millionto address the decline in koala populations last month.
Rebecca Keeble, the regional director for the International Fund for Animal Welfare, previouslywarnedthat the funding was “just a drop in the ocean” and the underlying cause in the decline of the species needed to be addressed.
“We need to understand what the strategy is to save this species and what that’s going to cost because $50 million is just a drop in the ocean,” she said. “Without addressing the root cause of their decline, which is habitat loss and climate change, we’re just plugging holes in a sinking ship.”
Dermot O’Gorman, a chief executive with World Wildlife Fund Australia, approved of Ley’s decision to designate the koala as an endangered species.
source: people.com
