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Koalas under threat, may be listed as endangered species

A dehydrated and injured koala received treatment at the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital this month after it was rescued from a bush fire on Australia’s east coast. Photo:Getty

 

Koalas under threat, may be listed as endangered species

 

By Patryk Krych | The World Daily | SEPTEMBER 25th 2020

 

The Australian government is being forced to take the status of the Koala into consideration, following the many fires that had ravaged their niche homes and eucalyptus food sources. The species may soon be listed as ‘Endangered’.

A step closer to being listed as endangered is not the most positive news for the Koala species, especially on Save the Koala Day. But it’s a piece of news that needs to be heard, if we’re to understand the threats that lead to the destruction of beloved species. It is already being protected under national environment laws, but even so, it is one among 28 other animal species that may have their status changed for the worst.

“WWF has published research showing a 71% decline in koala numbers at six fire grounds in northern NSW. Remaining Koala forest must be protected, and patches of habitat reconnected, or a zoo will be the only place to see a koala on the east coast,” said Dr Stuart Blanch, a WWF-Australia conservation scientist.

Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley has warned of the possibility of the Koala’s impending change in status, and further added that the particular Koala populations of Queensland, New South Wales and the ACT were the ones being added to the list of priority assessment for this change in status. More than 10% of the populations in these areas were severely affected by the Australia bushfires.

“Koalas on the east coast are sliding towards extinction and should be listed as endangered,” said International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) Wildlife Campaigner Josey Sharrad. “This is a koala emergency and immediate action is needed to bring this iconic species back from the brink of extinction.”

Whether or not the Koalas will be designated as endangered will be decided by Federal Environment Minster Ley’s independent Threatened Species Scientific Committee (TSSC). The 28 species that are being put into consideration for the endangered status include 12 birds, seven fish, six mammals, four frogs and two reptiles. This alone shows the extent of the damages of the fires, how many types of habitats they had destroyed in the Australian bush.

 

A koala was given water on Thursday after being rescued from a fire in Jacky Bulbin Flat in New South Wales, Australia. Photo:Reuters

 

“This process is critical in ensuring threatened species are given strategic protection, are eligible for targeted funding and that awareness is raised about the issues impacting them,” said Ley.

Among the 28 species up for reviews, some from the nearby Kangaroo Island are also listed, with the Kangaroo Island crimson rosella and Kangaroo Island white-eared honeyeater being among the 12 listed birds.

Ley had given the TSSC committee until October of 2021 to make their assessments, acting as a deadline for the decision on the status of the Koalas. HSI Head of campaigns Nicola Beynon said that “We welcome prioritisation for the Koala but also hope the process can be sped up and the Koala listed as endangered before October 2021. Koalas are threatened by deforestation, bushfires, drought, dog attacks, vehicle collision and Chlamydia disease.”

Environmental groups have stated that this issue should have been addressed much earlier, considering that the Koala populations in Australia have been in decline since 2018-2019, when the fires had begun to grow increasingly destructive, and the Koala habitats were first under threat. According to scientists, nearly three billion animals were killed in the bushfires of 2020.

Crises such as these cannot be called anything except a result of declining environmental health, initiated by the pressing issue of global warming. The identification of Koalas as an endangered species is only a single step on the road to spreading awareness on the topic. In the meantime, the species still struggles after the destruction of their habitat, alongside many other species. Fires continue to burn across California, with equally devastating ones having occurred in Siberia, and the Amazon, where other species suffer similarly painful fates.

 

By Patryk Krych | © The World Daily 2020

 

 

Categories:
Environment
Tags:
AustraliaWildlifeAustralia FiresKoalasGlobal WarmingExtinctionEndangered Species