Our koala habitat is being cleared at an alarming rate. Recently, Koalas were declared "functionally extinct" which means the numbers of koalas are so low, that there are not enough koalas to create another generation. A new report estimates there are only 80,000 koalas left in Australia. There is now a very strong risk of inbreeding, which will speed up extinction. Land clearing for farming and over-development has led to over 80% of koala habitat being lost around Australia, and our koalas are running out of places to go. There was recently a heartbreaking story of a koala who had to be rescued from an electrical pole in NSW. Koalas belong in eucalyptus trees not power poles. We urgently need to protect and restore native eucalypt forests to protect our koalas from extinction.
We ask the state and federal governments to;
* Protect all koala habitat from further land clearing and development, both residential and industrial.
* Any current approvals for development of koala habitat should be withdrawn and the land reclaimed to be conserved. It is in our national interest to protect our wildlife and our native habitat for future generations.
* Restore native eucalypt forests on cleared land, to increase habitat area for our koalas, and other native species who are also at risk of extinction.
* Work with koala conservation groups to relocate displaced koalas, and start a breeding program to increase koala numbers and prevent inbreeding.
This is a national emergency, and we ask our governments to please, take action now and save our koalas from extinction.
