…and remarkably our fingerprints are identical to theirs.
Koalas are now officially threatened with extinction, a national disgrace. On the positive side, their listing as “Endangered” is a massive wake-up call. These eucalyptus munching marsupials portray a loveable Aussie image more effectively than any tourism campaign. In return we’ve virtually wiped them out.
Around 8 million koalas were killed for their pelts during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Most of those were exported and turned into coats, gloves and hats. There was even a Marsupial Destruction Act (1877) which encouraged this industry! Since European settlement, approximately 80% of Australia’s eucalypt forests have been cleared. An average of 100,000 trees are still bulldozed across the country every day.
In June’s Tawny Frogmouth, our local MP and state Environment Minister, James Griffin, heralded the release of a new NSW Koala Strategy which delivers funding for some conservation projects and seeks to “double koala numbers by 2050”. But existing legislation doesn’t stop trees from being cleared, in fact his government weakened biodiversity protection laws in 2017. It’s the ongoing destruction of habitat from logging, land clearing, mining and development that really gripes, because halting this assault on nature could help conserve not just our iconic koalas, but so many other declining species too.
The irony is that taxpayers subsidise the loss-making timber industry by millions of dollars whereas preserving native forests would actually earn income from tourism and carbon abatement. When the government did try and bring in koala protection laws in 2020, the (then) National’s leader John Barilaro chucked a “hissy fit” causing the prohibition on logging core koala habitat to be abandoned. Unbelievably, “forestry” operations are exempt from Federal Biodiversity Laws. Little wonder that a NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into koala populations predicted that they would become extinct in this state by 2050 unless urgent government action was taken – so far less than half of the inquiry’s 42 recommendations have been adopted.
Koalas are also being impacted by two forms of Chlamydia virus, one can cause blindness and the other, infertility and death. This disease becomes more prevalent when stress levels increase as habitat is destroyed. Ironically Sydney has the last Chlamydia-free koala population in the state near Campbelltown. But even that’s now being depleted by the encroachment of a massive new Lend Lease housing estate at Mount Gilead. More housing projects are proposed nearby.
Under our current laws, developers are allowed to bulldoze endangered species’ habitat by purchasing offset credits in a flawed and corrupted “Biobanking” system. Koalas have pretty much disappeared from the Northern Beaches, although scats were recently discovered at Belrose, where the community is struggling to protect bushland from development. Lastly, the word “koala” is derived from the Dharug language “gula”, meaning “no water”. So, if one ever asks you to add ice to their Bundy…please refrain.
A “Great Koala National Park” has long been mooted, which would involve adding 175,000 hectares of publicly owned forests to existing protected areas in the Coffs Harbour hinterland. Despite protests, prime koala habitat is being clear-felled there right now.
To sign the petition to support the Great Koala National Park becoming reality, and help protect our national icon now, and for future generations, head to: www.koalapark.org.au/petition
Simon Reeve has created a deeply moving short film on the people who are coping with the trauma and the consequences of our collective apathy around koalas. Watch on YouTube now by clicking here
3 Comments
Dear Editor,
I’m writing to you from Italy today because I read on social media your article “The fate of koalas is in our hands…” by Mal’s Wild Side. A great article that explains well the hard reality that koalas are experiencing on the brink of extinction in Australia and the inertia of australian Governments that despite the proclamations do little to protect them.
I am an advocate and passionate supporter of your beautiful and iconic Australian koalas which are unfortunately, rapidly heading towards extinction, and I represent the strong concerns of the millions of koala advocates around the world.
I’m a member of KLM -Koalalivesmatter ( facebook group -1167 members) and International Koala Intervention ( facebook group – I’m one of the Admin with 7346 members) and Koala Rescue Group with 11.754 members. They are the three largest international groups on facebook that support the koalas.
My/our dream is, after the pandemic, to visit Australia and to see koalas and kangaroos free in the nature and in the wild where they belong.
But I am/we are deeply concerned about the alarming wildlife extinction rate and nature destruction in Australia. I think it must be in your interest to keep, or better to make again, Australia as a number one tourist spot. Once it was a dream destination, now people refrain from going there because too much environmental destruction is taking place. According to research by “Tourism Australia” it is the combination of the unique wildlife (koalas! kangaroos! and many more) and breathtaking environments that attract about 70 percent (!) of the visitors, that means about five million people. Koalas especially are a huge tourist attraction. And now? It seems Australia, or at least your Government and big industries, are letting down and are indeed sacrificing their koalas and other wildlife. Numbers are dwindling, koalas are dying and killed and their habitat is destroyed at a horrifyingly fast speed.
ONCE GONE IS FOREVER. Koalas are Endangered in NSW, Queensland and ACT and in other Australian states the situation is not much better. In Victoria the koalas in the blue gum plantations, during the trees clearing, are killed, injured, frightened and starved because they have no more food. The situation is dramatic and horrible.
How can Australia lose the Koalas? They are a huge tourist attraction and Australia‘s neglect of their biodiversity has already put such a negative light on this country. People here in Italy, in Europe but also worldwide are very worried and concerned about this development and Australia’s really negative reputation regarding environmental issues has already led many to step back from their plans to visit Australia! Once travelling and tourism will be possible again after the Covid crisis, people will consider and carefully think about where they want to go. The economic value of the Koala, it is said, is that koalas create over 300,000 jobs in the tourism Industry. 3.2 billion per year are spent by tourists hoping to see koalas. They are huge economic generators. Australia will be losing millions of dollars if they lose their koalas. This certainly cannot be in fact anyone’s interest! Tourism Australia states that it is their vision is to make Australia the most desirable (first time visitors) and memorable (attracting repeat visitors) destination on earth. How so with a destroyed environment and dying wildlife?
The government(s) are claiming to help and protect the wildlife and koalas, however, if you look closely into what is really going on it is easy to detect that most actions or proposals are not effective or just an eyewash.
Unfortunately, most politicians turn a deaf ear on ethical and environmentalist arguments. How else can it be understood that koalas are listed as endangered and protected, yet at the same time their habitat and lives are sacrificed for development projects and logging!? And this after the horrendous fires 2019/2020! The world cried seeing the terrifying images of the koalas and kangaroos burned in the fires! Koala “Lewis” is the symbol of that terrible tragedy! He was rescued in the flames weeping desperately from that brave woman but he sadly died after a few weeks.
The small rest of your beautiful forests is being logged – in my eyes this is a crime and huge mistake. Tourists are complaining about the unbelievable number of dead animals at the road sides, the endless and, as they call it, ugly suburbs and endless industrial areas that you have to pass before you find the beautiful spots. This all is adding to the bad views on Australia and it is so very sad because I/ we love Australia.
Wildlife hospitals, carers and sanctuaries – all of them have great numbers of followers in social media and they are doing such wonderful jobs – are the little hope we have that Australia can be a better place. But what chance do they have against big development and logging companies who bleed the country to death?
We around the world love these ‘typically tired, eucalyptus munching, minding-their-own-business-doing nothing-but-being-cute, our beloved ‘koala-bears and want to see their natural habitat saved and protected’-
This is the main reason why our koalas are endangered and heading to extinction because they are losing their trees and corridors.
I support the Great Koala National Park and I watched the deeply moving short film of Simon Reeve. He described with great emotion the hard reality that koalas and their rescuers have to face every day in Australia.
No trees = no me – No Koalas – Australia please you can do better! Save your koalas please.!
The world is watching.
Thank you for reading my letter.
Yours sincerely.
Maria Paola Torti
Italy
KLM -koalalivesmatter
IKI- International Koala Intervention
//saveourkoalas // //saveourwildlife
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I am disgusted with our governments causing the probable extinction of our unique iconic animal. Koalas do no harm to anything or anyone. It is a National Disgrace.