Koalas declared 'functionally extinct'
The national koala population has been labelled “functionally extinct” in a confronting report by the Australian Koala Foundation (AKF) who are pleading for the new prime minister to take action.
No more than 80,000 koalas exist nationally, the report stated, about one per cent of the eight million that existed before 1927 when the animals were shot for fur.
In its current dire state, the koala population is "beyond the point of recovery" according to the scientific meaning of being functionally extinct.
Deforestation of the native animal’s habitat across Queensland, NSW, Victoria, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory was largely to blame.
Koala numbers have also dwindled as a result of their vulnerability to the threat of disease and climate change, AKF said.
The foundation called on Prime Minister Scott Morrison to urgently introduce a Koala Protection Act (KPA) to address the extinction facing the species.
“I have heard every excuse under the sun to not step in and protect habitats. It is time they enacted the KPA and create change for our koalas,” Deborah Tabart Chairman of the AKF said.
The act would work similarly to the United States’ Bald Eagle Act, which successfully saved the species from extinction.
It worked with the Federal Endangered Species Act and the Environment Protection Authority in the USA.
“I know the Australian public are concerned for the safety of koalas and are tired of seeing dead Koalas on our roads. It is time for the Government to respect the Koala and protect its habitat,” Ms Tabart said.
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