Are koalas' days numbered?

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Recent government-backed research claimed that Koalas, Australia's most iconic creatures, may become extinct in the wild in the state of New South Wales if urgent action is not taken to protect their habitat. In a wide-ranging report, a bipartisan committee of lawmakers found that the koala could become locally extinct by 2050 due to ongoing habitat loss linked to agriculture, mining and forestry . The authors also focused on a group of other threats, namely severe drought exacerbated by climate change. The report focuses on the devastation caused by a series of wildfires that razed more than 71,000 square miles after burning for nearly six months. It is estimated that more than one billion animals perished in the fires, including at least 5,000 koalas. Fire, are the koalas' days numbered? Cate Faehrmann, chair of the committee, wrote in the report: Even before the devastating 2019-2020 bushfires, it was clear that the koala in New South Wales, already a threatened species, was in serious trouble. It was deeply distressing to have at least 5,000 koalas lost in the fires and potentially many more, however it was also important for committee members to accept the finding that koalas will become extinct in New South Wales before 2050 without urgent government intervention.

The committee warned that official estimates that 36,000 koalas remain in New South Wales were "outdated and unreliable." The report lists 42 recommendations that the state government can consider to help protect iconic species, including efforts to encourage farmers and landowners to protect eucalyptus trees and wider biodiversity. NSW Environment Minister Matt Kean said the Bulgaria Mobile Number List government would do everything it could to protect the koala from the future envisioned by the report. Last season's bushfires had a devastating impact on our koala population. These are iconic Australian animals recognized around the world. They are a national treasure and we will do everything we can to protect future generations. But the World Wildlife Fund in Australia said local officials had not gone far enough to protect koala habitats. Stuart Blanch, senior manager of WWF-Australia, commented in a statement: The New South Wales government has failed to prevent core koala habitat from being bulldozed on private land or logged in coastal state forests. No trees, no koalas... WWF calls on the NSW Premier to rewrite weak land clearing laws to protect koala habitat, greatly increase funding for farmers who actively conserve the trees where these marsupials live , and a transition from koala forest clearing to plantations.



The report found overwhelming public support for protecting koalas from extinction, noting it was the animal in Australia with "the most government funding directed towards it". "To their detriment, however, koalas like many of the same things humans do, such as fertile soils, moderate temperatures, and forests," the authors note.To date, 140 trees of the 270 planted have survived . Experts comment that this is common, since the life of the trees depends on multiple circumstances such as the one that occurred in the month of March and April: a drought devastated the area and there was a shortage of water. To mitigate the damage, water pipes were obtained but these were not enough and some trees suffered the consequences. Caring for the environment is key for Fundaju This social cause by Fundaju was a success: it made more people aware of nature and hundreds of children and adolescents were able to do physical activity surrounded by trees. To continue with this type of initiatives, Fundaju had scheduled a second reforestation this year, but due to the COVID -19 pandemic the activity will be scheduled for 2021. Corporativo Linces and Fundaju are demonstrating not only the importance of caring for the environment and its preservation, also the priority it is to carry out this type of social causes and not neglect them so that the results are as expected.