More than money needed to save the endangered koala

The Australian government on Friday officially declared koalas endangered in QLD, NSW and the ACT, a decade after they were classified as vulnerable.

The Australian Koala Foundation said the species is also in danger in other states, with land clearing, climate change and disease sparking concerns the marsupial could be extinct before the middle of the century.

The federal government argues that the endangered listing will highlight and help address threats to koala populations.

It comes after Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a $50 million national recovery plan that will go to initiatives including restoring habitat, monitoring populations and boosting research into koala health.

The four-year plan will also aim to improve the health of the marsupials and train vets and nurses.

However, wildlife conservationists argue that the government’s efforts are not enough to save the species.

Since 2001, koala populations in NSW have declined by between 33 and 61 per cent.

A state parliamentary inquiry in 2020 warned the species would likely become extinct by 2050 without urgent intervention. 

At least 6400 koalas were wiped out by the 2019-20 summer bushfires alone.

Similarly, QLD koala populations have at least halved since 2001 due to drought, bushfires and deforestation.

In the decade since east coast koalas were first listed as vulnerable, the federal government has approved the loss of more than 25,000 hectares of habitat in the area, mainly for mining projects.

Moving further south, koalas are not listed as threatened under national law in Victoria or South Australia.

However, Wildlife Victoria CEO Lisa Palma said the species’ situation is just as dire in these states.

“Over the last five years, we’ve had over 4600 koalas called in to the Wildlife Victoria Emergency Response Service,” Palma said.

“That’s a 145 per cent increase.

“What’s really alarming is that of all of those koalas called in, the percentage that was called in as a result of habitat destruction has consistently been at around 65 per cent.”

Palma explained that koalas have suffered at the hands of humans since European settlement.

According to the Australian Koala Foundation, some 8 million koalas across the country were killed for their pelts during the late 1800s and early 1900s.

In Queensland alone, 500,000 skins were collected in the 31 days of the last open season in 1927.

Since then, climate change and habitat destruction as a result of urbanisation, agricultural clearing and blue gum plantations have led to a further decline in koala populations.

“As our temperatures are rising, we’re seeing more bushfires,” Palma explained.

“Koalas are very slow-moving mammals and they live very high up in eucalypts; therefore, their ability to escape bushfires is very low.

“They’re also a species that suffers quite badly from heat stress.

“Another key issue with koalas is disease, which is a function of populations being fragmented and isolated and the genetic pool subsequently narrowing.”

Adelaide wildlife rescuer Simon Adamczyk is seen with a koala rescued at a burning forest near near Cape Borda on Kangaroo Island, southwest of Adelaide, on January 7, 2020. (Photo: AAP)

The total population of koalas across Australia is currently estimated to be between 32,065 and 57,920 – down from between 45,745 and 82,170 in 2018.

“This science on the numbers is very inadequate and we don’t have a handle on what the population size actually is,” Palma said.

“I suspect the situation is a lot worse than what we actually think.”

Shockingly, the Victorian government is of the opinion that its state’s koalas are not in danger; rather, it says that they are overabundant in some areas.

However, Palma claims that the figures are misleading, as many koalas in Victoria – particularly in the state’s southwest – are starving to death due to habitat destruction.

“From the surface it may look as though there’s an overpopulation issue, but the key issue is the fact that those poor koalas have no food and are suffering greatly as a result,” she said.

“When you look at where koalas currently are on the map of Victoria, they’re literally hugging the remnant bushland.

“Unfortunately, the majority of our koala cases end in euthanasia; there’s nothing worse for one of our wildlife vets to have to euthanise an animal just because it’s starving.”

Palma argues that until the federal and state governments tackle the issue in all its complexity, koalas will continue to face extinction.

“For example, we know that the government is still permitting logging and we still have privately owned blue gum plantations that are being cut down to be used for furniture, construction and firewood,” she said.

“The government definitely plays a lead role because it has at its disposal the ability to put legislation and penalties associated with that legislation in place to enforce compliance.

“In Victoria, the Wildlife Act was written in 1974, at a time when a lot of our wildlife were considered agricultural pests.

“Environment Minister Lily D’Ambrosio has announced a review of the act after Wildlife Victoria and a number of other stakeholders put the submission in.

“But that’s just Victoria; the legislation is quite complex because it’s a mix of federal and state.”

Wildlife Victoria CEO Lisa Palma. (Photo supplied)

Palma called on ordinary citizens to harness their collective power and raise awareness within the community in order to effect positive change.

“As consumers, we need to be careful about what we buy and know where our raw materials are coming from, how they’re sourced and whether wildlife has been impacted,” she said.

“For example, many people don’t know that of all of the species of eucalypt, koalas have a strong preference for only a very small number; just because you can see lots of eucalypts doesn’t necessarily mean they’re suitable for koalas.

“I think lack of awareness is definitely an issue and we notice that here at Wildlife Victoria across all our native species, not just koalas.

“There needs to be a very serious spend on education and it needs to be deeply embedded into school curricula across all levels.

“If we have the knowledge we can speak up to politicians and drive change.”

Palma hopes that if Australians realise that the power is in all of our hands, we can bring this national icon back from the brink.

“I think as human beings, we have to take a good hard look at ourselves and make the bold decisions and the right decisions,” she concluded.

“It’s not too late.”