According to estimates, 60,000 koalas died or were affected by the devastating ‘Black Summer’ bushfires of 2019-2020
The koala may be a national icon of Australia. But its numbers are dwindling fast. So much so that Australia listed the koala as an endangered species.
According to the Australian Koala Foundation, there are less than 80,000 koalas left in the Australian wild. This is a steep decline from a time when Australia had eight million koalas. This was during the first settlement by Europeans on the continent.
According to data, bushfires, land-clearing, drought and disease are the greatest causes for the drastic decline. According to estimates, 60,000 koalas died or were affected by the devastating ‘Black Summer’ bushfires of 2019-2020.
Koala populations had crashed in much of eastern Australia over the past two decades. New data also shows wild koala numbers have plunged by 30 per cent in three years.
Environmentalists have welcomed the koalas’ new status but condemned Australia’s failure to protect the species so far. The globally recognised symbol of Australia’s unique wildlife was listed as ‘vulnerable’ just a decade ago but the Australian government had approved the clearing of more than 25,000 hectares of koala habitat since then.
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