37% of Queensland’s remaining koalas have been lost in just 3 years.
The unsettling figures were released by The Australian Koala Foundation (AKF).
Across all of Australia there has been a 30% decline in our beloved national bears since 2018 with the current population estimated between 32,065 and 57,920 – down from 45,745 to 82,170.
“Land clearing is lethal to Koala populations” – Chair of the AKF, Deborah Tabart OAM.
“Over the past few years, we have seen huge land clearance particularly across NSW and South East Queensland, for farming, housing development and mining.”
“We know that offsets don’t work and we also know that displaced koalas die.”
The research has cost AKF millions of dollars and it’s the first organisation to estimate Koala numbers in every federal electorate.
Koalas are now extinct in 47 of the 128 electorates, with only one showing to have more than 5,000 Koalas.
Every single area also saw a decline in population, there were no increases recorded.
“Urgent action to stop land clearing in prime Koala habitat is required if we are to save our beloved national animal from peril.”
“We need a Koala Protection Act now which can and will do exactly that; why won’t our political leaders just sign that into being?”
