You didn’t read the headline wrong friends, it’s true. A multi-party committee report has identified that our favourite cuddly Koala buddies will be extinct by or before 2050 if urgent action isn’t take by the NSW Government on habitat loss.
That’s right, not might, not may, they WILL be extinct within three decades. Naturally the report was also heavily affected by the tragic bushfires, which destroyed heaps of land and wildlife.
The NSW parliamentary inquiry, originally reported by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Guardian, also reported that a 36,000 government figure of living koalas in the state is “outdated and unreliable”.
When will humankind stop desecrating #nature? We are intertwined with the earth’s ecosystems.
Koala #extinction ! Unbelievable.#ExtinctionRebellion @johnlundin @EricHolthaus @PaulEDawson @jodotcom @BiancaJagger @Jackthelad1947 @frankejames @GreenForAll @Smith83K @DocsEnvAus https://t.co/DK1ML6FMN0
— Graeme Duncan (@graemegduncan) June 30, 2020
This is terrifying…Federal and State Governments should be allocating as much money as possible while there is still time. Remember half billion to mates at Barrier Reef
NSW koalas on course to be extinct in the wild before 2050, inquiry finds https://t.co/Kbd3wuADwh via @smh— Janine Perrett (@PerrettReport) June 30, 2020
The underlying issue is ultimately making sure koalas are able to survive on their own in the wild, and action is need by Gladys and her government.
The mixed committee included members from the Greens, Labor, Liberal and Animal Justice, and included nearly 20 key findings. One of those being that climate change was seriously having an effect on the quality of eucalyptus leaves that koalas eat.
Cate Faehrmann, who led the inquiry, said that the report needed to be acted on if the government were serious about the long term survival of our cuddly, furry, buddies.
“This report must be a game changer for koalas and the protection of their habitat in NSW,” she said.
Faehrmann also suggested the establishment of more wildlife hospitals, especially in key areas across the state. We saw during the bushfires just how under-resourced and under-staffed these hospitals are.
And this helps wider wildlife, too. By having more medical access, and better strategy on environment protection – other species will benefit as well.
God knows that Australia, at a federal and state level, use koalas and our unique wildlife as a key tourism selling point. And rightly so, we are so blessed with the animals we have here.
But it’s time the government started to act on the long term health, preservation and environments that host these amazing creatures.
Image Sources: Unsplash @danielnorris @arishies
