Queensland state will list the Koala, one of Australia's fauna icons, as a vulnerable species as experts warned that car accidents, attacks and urban expansion threaten the population of the herbivorous marsupial.
On Sunday, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said that everything should be done to protect the tree-dwelling animal not just now but also in the future.
"We also know, from motor vehicle accidents (to) dog attacks, that this is having a huge impact on the koala populations right across the state," the premier said. "We have been determined to do everything we can."
The animal is already considered vulnerable in south-east Queensland but the extended protection, which will cover the whole state, shows the stepped up efforts by the government to map the population of the koala and conserve its habitats.
State agencies will be working with the local council to make sure that the populations of the koala are mapped and are taken into consideration as a species known to be significant to the environment. Developers may also do their part to counterbalance any effect on these furry animals by developing new habitats.
Queensland's environment minister Steven Miles said that the listing of the koala as a vulnerable species is a bittersweet news because it means that outside southeast Queensland, the population of the animal is not as strong as previously thought. The state's conservation effort, however, is good news since there would be more efforts to protect Australia's iconic marsupial mascot.
"It's good news because it means the government and local councils will do more to protect (them)," Miles said.
A report released in 2010 revealed that the population of the koala in south-west Queensland has plummeted from 60,000 to 11,000 in just two decades. Researchers blame the decline in numbers to drought, habitat clearing and heatwaves.
One study revealed that there were over 10 million koalas prior to 1788 when British settlers arrived but the population has dropped to fewer than 45,000 in the wild albeit the study acknowledged that the existence of these animals high in treetops makes it very challenging for them to be counted.
Mike Devery, from the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, said that an audit between the years 2007 and 2011 estimated the losses of koala at 16,000. To map areas where the koalas are concentrated, locals were asked to take a photo when they spot the animal.
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