• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Republica Press

Your Business & Political News Source

REPUBLICA PRESS
Your Business & Political News Source

  • Home
  • BUSINESS
  • MONEY
  • POLITICS
  • REAL ESTATE
  • SCIENCE/TECH
  • US
  • WORLD

Australia says koalas are now an endangered species in two states

by

Australia on Friday listed koalas along much of its east coast as endangered after the native marsupial’s habitats were hit by prolonged drought, bushfires and developers cutting down trees.

Scientists and academics have been warning that the iconic Australian mammal could become extinct unless the government immediately intervened to protect them and their habitat.

“The new listing highlights the challenges the species is facing,” Environment Minister Sussan Ley said in a statement. “Together we can ensure a healthy future for the koala and this decision … will play a key role in that process.”

Ley said koalas in the states of New South Wales and Queensland, and in the Australian Capital Territory, will be listed as endangered versus their previous designation of vulnerable.

Australia has lost about 30% of its koalas over the past three years, the Australian Koala Foundation said last year, with numbers estimated to have dropped to less than 58,000 from more than 80,000 in 2018, with the worst decline in New South Wales, where the numbers have dropped by 41%.

A World Wide Fund for Nature study estimated bushfires in late 2019 and early 2020 had killed or injured more than 60,000 koalas, when flames burned more than 17 million hectares (65,630 square miles), an area nearly half the size of Germany.

But even before the fires, koala habitats had been in rapid decline due to land clearing for agriculture, urban development, mining and forestry. Koalas dwell mostly in eucalypt forests in eastern states and on the coastal fringes.

Environment groups welcomed the decision although they said it should have happened much earlier.

“We should never have allowed things to get to the point where we are at risk of losing a national icon,” International Fund for Animal Welfare Manager Josey Sharrad said.

“If we can’t protect an iconic species endemic to Australia, what chance do lesser known but no less important species have?”

View Source

>>> Don’t Miss Today’s BEST Amazon Deals! <<<<

Filed Under: WORLD

Primary Sidebar

More to See

$7.45M Hog Island Is the Largest Private Island Available in Florida Right Now

It’s the ultimate in seclusion in the middle of North Central Florida: a private island in the middle of St. Johns River near Lake George.In addition … [Read More...] about $7.45M Hog Island Is the Largest Private Island Available in Florida Right Now

Seattle Seahawks Haven’t Ruled Out Acquiring Baker Mayfield Just Yet

The Seattle Seahawks are very much still in the running for Baker Mayfield. (Photo by Stacy ... [+] Revere/Getty Images) Getty Images The Seattle … [Read More...] about Seattle Seahawks Haven’t Ruled Out Acquiring Baker Mayfield Just Yet

Makgeolli: How Korean rice wine is stepping out of soju’s shadow

(CNN) — Kim Kyung-seop recalls going to cheap bars after class with his friends, where they binged on as much makgeolli as possible. "You know the … [Read More...] about Makgeolli: How Korean rice wine is stepping out of soju’s shadow

Copyright © 2022 · Republica Press · Log in · As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Terms and Conditions - Privacy Policy