They are an emblem of Australia and the richness of its natural environment, but they have also been paying the heavy price of global warming and the destruction of natural habitats for several years. The koalas were designated, Friday, February 11, an endangered species by the Australian Minister of the Environment, Sussan Ley.
The decision is not binding – and therefore does not call for any direct action – but the Minister hopes to give these animals a higher level of protection in the east of the country, in New South Wales, in the Australian Capital Territory and Queensland. This is a status review: koalas, whose population has been collapsing for ten years according to nature conservationists, were already considered “vulnerable” since 2012.
In question, in particular: climate change and the multiplication of bush fires, drought and land clearing which destroy their natural habitat. The plight of koalas came to international attention in 2019 and early 2020, when massive fires destroyed large parts of Australia’s east coast. A commission then estimated that 60,000 koalas had been “killed, injured or otherwise affected” by the braziers.
Up to 50% fewer koalas in some states
Diseases have also affected koala populations, such as chlamydia, which 85% of animals would have contracted in 2021, according to CNN, compared to about 10% in 2008. The sexually transmitted bacterium at its origin causes painful cysts in the reproductive system of these animals, rendering them infertile and sometimes leading to their death.
In 2020, the Australian branch of the WWF, the International Fund for Animal Welfare and the Humane Society International had already collectively called for the species to be considered endangered, after it was shown that koala populations had plunged from at least 50% since 2001, in Queensland and New South Wales. Today it is However, it is difficult to count them precisely.estimates the New York Times.
The Australian environment minister’s decision also comes two years after a parliamentary inquiry predicted the species’ extinction by 2050 if no urgent action was taken. Along with the announcement of Mme Ley, the government has however unveiled a conservation plan for these animals, which is in addition to the one, endowed with 35.7 million dollars (about 31.6 million euros) over four years, announced by the Prime Minister , Scott Morrison, in January.
A “drop in the ocean”
These initiatives have generally been well received by environmentalists, even if they see them as a “drop in the ocean” given the gravity of the situation. In the New York Timesthe director of the Australian Koala Foundation (AKF), Deborah Tabart, warns:
“If the destruction of the koala’s habitat continues, the next change in status is imminent: that of endangered species to extinct species. »
The Australian government “maybe give our koalas a new nickname, but behind (…) political rhetoric, they continue to endorse habitat destruction”she continues.
Although the announced conservation plan is not binding either – and may therefore seem ineffective – once adopted, the ministers the obligation not to take a decision in contradiction with what it statesspecifies the Guardian.