Koalas are officially listed as an endangered species by the Australian government. The iconic Australian animal is threatened by climate change, deforestation and disease, among other things. The koala has been on the list of ‘vulnerable’ Australian animals since 1999. By designating the animals as endangered, the government can offer them more protection, according to Environment Minister Sussan Ley.
Disappearing living environment
Estimates of the number of koalas living in the wild vary widely. The minister cites a number of 180,000, but that is strongly contradicted by the Koala Foundation. It estimates that there are only 30,000 to 60,000 koalas left in all of Australia. Experts say the population has declined by 30 percent since 2018.
The greatest threat to the animals is the loss of habitat due to climate change, forest fires and urbanization. More than 60,000 koalas were killed in the devastating wildfires in 2019 and 2020, according to a report by the World Wildlife Fund. During the Australian summer now known as the black summer some 3 billion animals in total were killed or seriously injured.
Chlamydia
In addition, the disease chlamydia is a major problem for the koala. It is estimated that in some areas, half of koalas suffer from the disease. The sexually transmitted disease seriously reduces fertility.
At the end of last month, the Australian government promised around 31 million euros to protect koalas. That amount came on top of investments of about 46 million euros in the past three years to protect the koala’s habitat. The government promises, among other things, to plant more trees.
Conservation groups have welcomed the government’s move. “We still have time to save this iconic species if this move marks a turning point in protecting the koala. We need stricter laws to fight deforestation,” said Dermot O’Gorman, the director of the World Wildlife Fund in Australia.
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