(ORDO NEWS) — Australia has officially listed the koalas that live on the east coast of the country as “endangered”. Marsupials are still fighting for survival after terrible forest fires, land clearing, drought and disease.
Unfortunately, a huge number of negative factors immediately press on the koala population.
Conservationists have said that koala populations have declined across much of eastern Australia over the past two decades. Animals are now on the brink of extinction.
Environment Minister Sussan Ley said she has designated the koala population as “critically endangered” in order to provide them with a higher level of protection.
Specialists are very concerned about the situation, since only 10 years ago koalas were recognized as a “vulnerable” group.
But despite this conservation status, the number of animals has declined. “We are taking unprecedented action to protect the koala,” the minister said, highlighting the government’s recent pledge of A$50 million ($36 million) to protect and restore koala habitats.
Today it is very difficult to give accurate data on the population of koalas in the affected eastern states. But estimates from the Scientific Committee on Endangered Species have shown that koala numbers have declined from 185,000 in 2001 to 92,000 in 2021.
Alas, the extinction of koalas is not only due to fires. In Australia, large-scale programs are underway to build mines, new housing estates, agricultural projects and industrial logging in the forest.
Forest fires were the last straw. Now the government of the country, in order not to lose its national symbol, is going to revise many state programs.
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