Koalas in Eastern Australia Officially Endangered
Koalas in eastern Australia have been officially classified as endangered. Habitat loss, climate change, and disease are threatening populations.
The animals were classified as vulnerable a decade ago and were officially designated as «endangered» by the Australian government last week.
Koalas are officially threatened with extinction in the Australian states of New South Wales, Queensland, and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), government officials announced last week.
Since 2018, the koala population has declined across all regions of Australia, and in 2020, animal welfare groups urged the Australian federal government to classify koalas as an endangered species.
Together we can secure a healthy future for the koala, and this decision, along with the total of 74 million dollars we have provided for koalas since 2019, will play a key role in that process.
Environment Minister Sussan Ley
A further 50 million dollars was pledged by the Australian Prime Minister at the end of January 2022.
Doubts About the Change in Status
The koala has been a vulnerable species in New South Wales, Queensland, and the ACT since May 2012, due to a combination of drought, bushfires, and habitat loss caused by land clearing.
The change in status theoretically increases protection for koalas in these states, although critics doubt that this will be the case.
The Australian Koala Foundation (AKF) subsequently tweeted:
«A change in status is just a word. It does nothing legally to stop land clearing, which is the main reason koalas are losing their homes and then falling ill with disease.»
A Double-Edged Sword
Although the IFAW had advocated with the government for the endangered classification to come into effect in April 2020, it described the change as a «double-edged sword». Regional Director for Oceania, Rebecca Keeble, said:
«We should never have allowed it to come to this point where we risk losing a national symbol. It is a dark day for our country. If we cannot protect an iconic species endemic to Australia, what chance do less well-known, but no less important, species have?»
Keeble added: «This must be a wake-up call for Australia and the government to act much faster to protect critical habitats from development and land clearing, and to seriously address the impacts of climate change.«
A deadly combination of drought and habitat loss due to land clearing has drastically reduced Australia's koala population over the past two decades.
In its 2020 report calling for koalas to be classified as endangered, the IFAW found that the koala population has declined by 50% in Queensland and by 33 to 61% in New South Wales since 2001.
Without urgent action, koalas in New South Wales are expected to be extinct by 2050.
Already threatened species
Australia's 2019–20 bushfire season — colloquially known as the Black Summer — was unusually long and intense, which experts attribute to climate change.
In response to the fires, naturalist and broadcaster David Attenborough said: «The moment of crisis has arrived.»
Hot and dry weather creates the perfect conditions for wildfires to rage, and 2019 was Australia's hottest and driest year on record, with an annual mean temperature of 1.52°C above average.
Koalas suffered the most as a result. In December 2020, WWF reported that 60,000 koalas had died in the fires, sustained injuries, inhaled smoke, suffered heat stress or dehydration, lost their habitat, found less food, faced an increased risk of predation, or came into conflict with other animals after fleeing into unburned forest.
Dermot O'Gorman, CEO of WWF-Australia, said:
«Sixty thousand affected koalas is a deeply troubling number for a species that is already in difficulty.»
Between 2018 and 2021, every Australian region experienced a decline in its koala population. AFK Chairwoman Deborah Tabart said:
«The terrible bushfires of 2019-20 have certainly contributed to this outcome, but they are definitely not the only reason why we are seeing a decline in koala populations.
«We have observed a drastic decline in inland populations due to drought, heatwaves, and the lack of water for koalas. I have seen landscapes that look like the moon – with dead and dying trees everywhere», said Tabart.
Land Clearing and Agriculture
This reclassification is an urgent signal to governments to take action against the continued destruction of koala habitat.
Since the European settlement of Australia, 80% of the country's eucalyptus forests, where koalas live and feed, have been cleared.
This combined loss of habitat and food makes koalas more vulnerable to disease, human disturbance, starvation, injury or death from road traffic or domestic animals, the effects of pesticides entering waterways, and the risk of accidents.
Despite being listed as «vulnerable» in 2012, which should have protected koala habitat, the WWF found in 2020 that land clearing had increased: 103,936 ha of land were cleared in Queensland and 73,475 ha in New South Wales.
The IFAW also reported that land clearing increased 13-fold after 2016, when the government weakened native vegetation laws.
In New South Wales, forestry was the primary purpose of land destruction (62%). In Queensland, 80% of land was cleared for livestock grazing, meaning that animal farming for human consumption takes priority over the protection of koala habitats.
