Koalas in the Australian state of New South Wales are on the verge of becoming extinct in the wild in the next 30 years, according to a report released Tuesday. Forest fires in the region from 2019 to this year have resulted in devastating losses for koalas, according to the report from the parliament of the south-eastern state of Australia.
Given the scale of losses for koala populations in New South Wales as a result of the 2019-2020 wildfires and without urgent government intervention to protect habitat and address all other threats, the koala will become extinct in New South Wales before 2050 “. The report says.
A one-year investigation into the matter was conducted due to “serious community concern about the future of Australia’s most beloved animal, the koala,” said Cate Faehrmann, chairman of the committee that conducted the investigation.
Even before the devastating 2019-2020 wildfires, it was clear that the koala in New South Wales, which was already a threatened species, was in serious trouble, and the committee found that the official government estimate of 36,000 koalas contained it is outdated and unreliable in the Koala Strategy for New South Wales, “Faehrmann writes in the report’s preview. “Then the fires came.”
According to the report, at least 5,000 koalas were lost in the wildfires, which killed an estimated over a billion animals in Australia.
New South Wales was plagued with wildfires from July 2019 until they finally stopped on March 2, according to the New South Wales Rural Fire Service. That’s more than 240 days of fire activity for the state, the fire service said on Twitter.
At least 33 people have died, including several firefighters, since the main fires started in September. They also destroyed more than 3,000 homes and burned more than 26 million acres, according to The Associated Press.
Animals like kangaroos, kangaroos and koalas do not exist anywhere else in the world, and several unique species Australia were in danger of extinction after the fires.
An estimated 24% of koala habitats on public land were severely affected by the fires, and some areas saw a “devastating loss of up to 81 percent,” according to the parliamentary report
Wildlife ecologist Phil Spark said global warming is playing a role in the impending extinction of the koala population.
“The worst is yet to come,” Spark said, according to the report. “As global emissions rise this year, we are on track for two degrees of warming by 2050.”
Spark said extreme events of one in 100 years could occur each year, and Australia can expect 50-degree heat waves in the next 20 years.
“To be future-proof, we must prioritize the needs of wildlife keepers and ensure the genetic diversity of koalas in the captive breeding program,” said Spark. “Unfortunately, nature is no longer the safe place it used to be.”
In the report, the committee makes several recommendations to help save koalas, including a network of wildlife hospitals in key areas of the state, “staffed by appropriately qualified staff and veterinarians, including funding where appropriate.”
The committee also recommends additional funding for the government’s iconic Koala Saving Our Species project, which has already been allocated $ 4 million over a 5-year period.
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