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The non-profit Australian Koala estimates that the koala population has fallen to below 58,000 this year, compared to over 80,000 in 2018. This decline is occurring across all regions of Australia, with some areas now having only 5 to 10 koalas.
In an interview with Reuters, Deborah Tabart, president of the Australian Koala Foundation, said it was a huge loss and action must be taken to save the species.
Droughts, bushfires, and deforestation for land development and housing construction have severely damaged the habitat of Australia's iconic marsupial.
Koala populations show no signs of increasing anywhere in Australia. Ms. Tabart suggested that the country needs koala protection legislation. "I think action now is absolutely necessary. I know the koala situation can sound like a long-running saga of scarcity and devastation, but these numbers are accurate. The reality could be much worse."
The most severe koala decline has occurred in the state of New South Wales, where the population has fallen by 41% since 2018, largely due to bushfires in late 2019 and early 2020.
"What worries us is that places like New South Wales – where the drought of the last 10 years is having an increasingly negative impact on koala populations, the river systems have completely dried up, and what used to be the lifeblood of koalas is now dying out."
Some areas in New South Wales are now free of koala sightings.
The Australian government has been soliciting public comments on a national recovery plan for New South Wales, Queensland, and the Australian Capital Territory surrounding Canberra since June. Comments on the recovery plan will be submitted on September 24 to determine whether the koala's endangered status should be upgraded from "vulnerable" to "endangered".
The AKF organization is continuing to take action to protect koalas, keeping the species safe and able to thrive. The official AKF website states that the actions taken will “focus on protecting trees, including koala habitats that have been destroyed.”
