Koalas Toward Extinction

Photo illustration (Nadir sYzYgY / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Bad news. A report predicts the presence of koalas in one of its largest habitats in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, heading for extinction. The report listed 2050 as the end point of extinction.

The report, released by parliament on Tuesday, June 30, is based on a one-year investigation. According to reports, the main factors for the loss of koala habitat in NSW include clearing land for agriculture, urban development and mining.

It is believed that the above activities are a big reason why Australia often experiences severe forest fires. At the start of the year alone, forest and land fires in Australia have triggered a long drought that threatens the life of koalas.

Counting, from the incidence of these fires, koala habitat has been reduced by as much as a quarter across the state. "The evidence is clear. The only way our children and grandchildren will see koalas in the wild in NSW is if the government acts on the committee's recommendations," the 311-page report said.

All this is exacerbated by the fact that NSW has in fact been the most populous state for decades. Launching CNA, the multiparty parliamentary committee then made 42 recommendations to save koalas.

Some of these include urgent censuses, prioritizing animal protection in urban development planning, and increasing conservation funding. Australian World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) land clearing and restoration manager Stuart Blanch has also asked the government for the same.

Blanch encourages the government to heed the recommendations and strengthen the protection of animal habitats. "WWF is calling on NSW to rewrite the land clearing law to protect koala habitat, then increase funding for farmers who are actively conserving the trees where koalas live, and transitioning away from logging koala forests and plantations," said Blanch.

Meanwhile, NSW Prime Minister Gladys Berejiklian on Tuesday, July 1 has told reporters that the government has moved. Currently, policy owners have invested in conserving animals.